See it at the Movies

MY OLD LADY

Posted

* * * *

(Poignant, funny, three-character tale)

Take three great actors – Maggie Smith, Kevin Kline and Kristin Scott Thomas – put them in the same Paris apartment, and watch as a fascinating story unfolds.

Kline plays Jim, a broke, unsuccessful American writer whose estranged father has left him a Paris apartment in his will. He is off to claim his inheritance, sell the apartment and use the cash to survive his miserable life.

Living in the apartment is an elderly English woman (Smith) and her spinster daughter (Scott-Thomas). They are not about to move out. Madame Girard, by French law, may stay in the apartment until she dies. To add to his problems, Jim must pay rent to her.

The joys of this movie are the interactions between the old lady, who has many secrets in her past, and the aging Jim, who slowly learns that there is more to their relationship than he realized. Add the spunky daughter to the mix and matters get much more interesting.

Jim is filled with low self-esteem, which he blames on his parents. When he slowly learns of the complex relationships between his father and “my old lady,” he must come to terms with the past and present.

“My Old Lady” was adapted from a stage play and opened up a bit, but still retains the intimacy of the relationships. There are revelations to be faced and decisions to be made. How they come about makes for a fine, amusing and poignant tale.

Rated PG-13, with some minor sexual references. Younger folks would not be interested.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here