Quick review: 4.25 stars, Super freaking adorable. Go see it with someone who likes to laugh.

And now for spoilers.

This movie manages to add more romance and be less about sex than the first. WHICH. I. Love!! Way too often in our cultures offerings we are given the choice between no romance at all or an eye-rolling lust fest. But Second-Best does the favor of assuming its audience’s intelligence and implies rather than shows. Moreover, it gets into the emotional complexities of relationships at any age.

No one actually dies this time. But the shadow of Maggie Smith’s impending departure hangs over much of the film, and then is poignantly and tear-jerkingly wrapped up in a letter written to Dev Patel’s character Sonny and his fiancé Sunaina. They are leaving for their honeymoon after a series of disastrous pre-wedding parties and half a dozen or so of Sonny’s screw-ups, and Mrs. Donnelly says a final goodbye. We don’t see her pass, but the feeling is certainly that she will not be there when they get back.

The not-quite-budding relationship between Norman and Evelyn played by Bill Nighy and Judi Dench (who is seriously just lovely) is perfectly frustrating and simultaneously delightful. And the random appearance of everyone’s least favorite ball of negativity, Norman’s wife, adds to the hilarity and gives Evelyn a chance to show her backbone.

It was, I think, just as good as the first. Which is very hard to do in a sequel. And since there was the addition of some bollywood style dancing at the wedding, it managed to be the same and different. Can’t wait until it comes out on video.

Happy watching!