Movie tip: "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"

Such a shame. Some of the world's best actors are stranded by a script that's a study in mediocrity, filled with stock characters and situations. I mean, this sterling cast includes Dame Judi Dench (as a widow faced with a financial crisis), Bill Nighy (as a man browbeaten by a shrew of a wife), Tom Wilkinson (as a man searching for a lost love), and Maggie Smith (as a racist ol' biddy). That's hard to top, especially with John "Shakespeare in Love" Madden directing. Yet, this story of British seniors who retire to India leaves little in terms of a lasting impression. The screenplay by Ol Parker was based on Deborah Moggach's novel "These Foolish Things." During "Hotel," I actually found myself daydreaming about better films the stars have been in.

- KRISTINA DORSEY