25 November 2014 Fiona's Second Film of Choice at The Plaza Dorchester Tonight - My Old Lady. I thought this was going to be a comedy, but in reality the best mildly funny scenes were all included in the trailer. Having said that, this was a very touching film about relationships and dysfunctional families and a very strange set of French Laws. In a nutshell, Mathias Gold, played by Kevin Kline, inherits an apartment in France from his late father. Spending his last dime to travel to Paris he discovers to his dismay that the apartment comes with a tenant Mathilde Girard (Maggie Smith) who is allowed to stay there until her death, and to compound things he has to pay rent to her. Determined to find a way to sell the apartment and make some money Mathias tries everything he can to achieve his goal. As the story progresses we meet Chloe who is Mathilde's daughter and has issues of her own. Although slow in places this charming film winds it's way through the streets of Paris much as the seine flows past Notre Dame and once again having watched a film set in France I find myself wanting to go and visit once again.
79 Reviews
self-pity party
SnoopyStyle31 October 2015
Mathias Gold (Kevin Kline) arrives in Paris to claim his inheritance. His father left him a large apartment in the city and not much else. He is thrice divorced, failed writer and penniless. He hopes to sell the apartment quickly and leave. Instead he finds Mathilde Girard (Maggie Smith) living there. His father had actually bought the place as a viager. Mathilde lives in the apartment until her death and gets paid 2400 a month. She allows him to stay which infuriates her daughter Chloé Girard (Kristin Scott Thomas). François Roy needs to buy the apartment to build his hotel.
The problem is that the dangers in this movie isn't that high. It's a self-pity party and at the end of it, he becomes a multi-millionaire. I can certainly see Chloé's point of view but she was always going to be kicked out. I don't see why selling to the hotelier is such an evil act. The whole situation has no real conflict other than one ginned up by the movie.
It's not until the movie gets personal that the real drama begins. The three characters have interesting hidden conflicts. The three actors are acting the hell out of it. However it goes off down an off-putting alley. It's weirdly awkward navel gazing. I can't feel for any of the characters. The movie doesn't have any intensity for me.
The problem is that the dangers in this movie isn't that high. It's a self-pity party and at the end of it, he becomes a multi-millionaire. I can certainly see Chloé's point of view but she was always going to be kicked out. I don't see why selling to the hotelier is such an evil act. The whole situation has no real conflict other than one ginned up by the movie.
It's not until the movie gets personal that the real drama begins. The three characters have interesting hidden conflicts. The three actors are acting the hell out of it. However it goes off down an off-putting alley. It's weirdly awkward navel gazing. I can't feel for any of the characters. The movie doesn't have any intensity for me.
Good but not awe-inspiring
fiona_r_lamb15 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I went to see this film at BUFS this past week (Brock University Film Series) in Niagara, Canada. I had been really looking forward to it purely because of Maggie Smith. She did not disappoint but Kristin Scott Thomas did. Kevin Kline was also good but what really bugged me was I could tell right away it was a play turned into a film. I'm not a huge fan of plays made into films because there is too much dialogue and it takes place on one or two stages.
The opera singer on the banks of the Seine and the multiple shots of Notre Dame Cathedral were also irritating although I did enjoy Kevin singing along with her at the end.
It amazes me how selfish people can be ably illustrated by Maggie Smith's character and Kevin Kline's father in the film. Their actions screw up their children and spouses. However, even though the film tackled that topic very well indeed, I thought the happy ending was just not believable even if it was welcome.
It was set up as a comedy but it's really a very dark comedy and one that kept me looking at my watch.
The opera singer on the banks of the Seine and the multiple shots of Notre Dame Cathedral were also irritating although I did enjoy Kevin singing along with her at the end.
It amazes me how selfish people can be ably illustrated by Maggie Smith's character and Kevin Kline's father in the film. Their actions screw up their children and spouses. However, even though the film tackled that topic very well indeed, I thought the happy ending was just not believable even if it was welcome.
It was set up as a comedy but it's really a very dark comedy and one that kept me looking at my watch.
Paris already enough for me
mmunier15 November 2014
I used to be a "Parisian" well really only by birth; but I carry a lot of love about France and Paris. I also have a lot of feelings for Maggy Smith that has been rather omnipresent recently in cinemas. As for Kevin kline I always kept a vivid and enjoyable memory from "A fish call wanda". So I was rather comfortable in giving a go to "My old Lady" although I did not particularly like the tittle. I was not disappointed even if I felt a little boredom in the first half. And if one likes film for entertainment, in my view these should entertain as it entertained me. I did not feel like analysing the whole work too much as this is not why I watch films. For me it's important to leave the cinema with a rewarding feeling, whether I find the film intelligent, funny, or well paced as long it brings me something I feel worthwhile I'm happy. So I got a free trip back to Paris, laughters, and also something to think about! Four of us on the occasion had a good time!
Just An Okay Little Movie...
MovieHoliks2 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this off Amazon Prime over the weekend, and I like Kevin Kline in just about anything I see him in, this is no exception. He stars as a down-and-out New Yorker who travels to Paris to liquidate a huge, valuable apartment he has inherited from his estranged father. Once there, however, he discovers a refined old woman (Maggie Smith), living in the apartment with her daughter (Kristin Scott Thomas).
The principle leads are all good in this, and the locales are sure nice, but I think where this film goes wrong is it tries to be too much of a romantic comedy, when I think it would've worked best if the focus had stayed on the relationship between Smith and Kline's characters. There was quite a bit of history between them through Kline's character's father, and that I think was enough to fuel the film- all manifesting through this apartment they are both trying to obtain-?? But overall, I would definitely recommend this if you're up for a good quiet and amusing little film without a lot of explosions, and running and jumping and shooting-?? LOL
The principle leads are all good in this, and the locales are sure nice, but I think where this film goes wrong is it tries to be too much of a romantic comedy, when I think it would've worked best if the focus had stayed on the relationship between Smith and Kline's characters. There was quite a bit of history between them through Kline's character's father, and that I think was enough to fuel the film- all manifesting through this apartment they are both trying to obtain-?? But overall, I would definitely recommend this if you're up for a good quiet and amusing little film without a lot of explosions, and running and jumping and shooting-?? LOL
Not what you expect
lionelrs8 March 2019
Mistress Class
writers_reign21 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Any film that features both Noemie Lvovsky AND Dominic Pinon is an automatic five just for their names on the credits, now throw in Kristen Scott Thomas and add another couple of points. A half-decent script would have boosted it even further but you can't have everything. I'm guessing that there's something of an ego trip in the background. Israel Horowitz wrote a play I haven't heard of but was probably a three-hander in one set. With one fifty minute documentary a dozen years old he had eyes to adapt it for the screen and direct it himself. Another guess is that somehow he persuaded Maggie Smith, Kevin Kline and Kristen Scott Thomas to come aboard and then, of course, it financed itself. It's a nothing story in which a burnt-out deadbeat (Kline) who hasn't got change of a match, suddenly inherits a substantial apartment in the Marais, turns up to sell it and light out for Acapulco only to discover 92 year old Maggie Smith as a permanent fixture and as if that weren't enough she has a daughter, Kristen Scott Thomas the same age as Kline. Sartre had already written this and called it Huis Clos but heigh ho there's probably more mileage in it if we don't look too closely. Right off it needs to be said that Scott Thomas is beyond magnificent whilst her co-stars have to settle for magnificent. Apparently someone told Horowitz that when you adapt a stage play for the screen it's permitted to 'open it out' and include outdoor scenes that could not have been seen in a theatre. I'm guessing that this didn't sit too well with him because he does his damnedest to make Paris look like Altoona on a slow Thursday. He fails miserably of course, as anyone who tried it would but it was a bonehead play.
The sins of the parents emotionally take over the children.
mark.waltz29 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
A beautiful house in Paris is the setting for this troublesome drama where the presence of a little old lady (Maggie Smith at her most passive/aggressive gentleness) turns the new owner's (Kevin Kline) world upside down. He inherited the house from his late father and discovers much to his confusion that as the owner, he must pay rent to Smith and her rather serious daughter, Kristin Scott Thomas, who has enough troubles of her own to add him to her list of problems. Smith, it is quickly revealed, was an acquaintance of her father's, and as the lines of communication open between the three, more facts are revealed that turn Kline back to the bottle, break up Scott's own relationship with a married man, and reveal secrets that are heartbreaking and often shocking.
You can never go wrong with any movie that stars the now legendary Smith, the British Katharine Hepburn, whose tenacity to continue working has made her beloved. This isn't a Jean Brodie Maggie Smith, nor a Dora Charles Maggie Smith of "Murder By Death", and she is as far from her Lady Violet Crawley as she is from Little Lord Fauntleroy. A character of gentle breeding and much class, she teaches English to Europeans of other cultures living in Paris, and in one scene, must explain to one of her pupils of the very sexually explicit meaning of the book they are reading. There is no shock on her face, just minor amusement, and even when she confronts Kline with his return to the bottle, it is with much tenderness and concern. It turns out she knows more information as to why he drinks, and when Kline shares his most shocking secret with her, it is written on her face ever so briefly that her whole world is shattered because of it. The bond with Scott grows too, and they all learn that underneath their initial distrust of each other, they are now bonded forever.
This takes much patience to get into, but the three stars do their best to help the viewer maintain intentions. It is a gentle movie, almost nurturing in a way, and leaves the viewer with a very important lesson of how the generations create gaps simply because they unwillingly refuse to understand the older or younger ones. As old Rose said in "Titanic", "A woman's heart carries many secrets", and in the case of Smith's Mathilde Girard, she has more than her alleged 90 years can hold. The three give brilliant performances, almost quiet to the point where it seems like they are not at all acting. It's one of those sleeper movies that you'll have to sleep on to really be affected by it and one where your own relationships with older relatives, especially parents, will be forced out of whatever hiding spot they hold in your soul.
You can never go wrong with any movie that stars the now legendary Smith, the British Katharine Hepburn, whose tenacity to continue working has made her beloved. This isn't a Jean Brodie Maggie Smith, nor a Dora Charles Maggie Smith of "Murder By Death", and she is as far from her Lady Violet Crawley as she is from Little Lord Fauntleroy. A character of gentle breeding and much class, she teaches English to Europeans of other cultures living in Paris, and in one scene, must explain to one of her pupils of the very sexually explicit meaning of the book they are reading. There is no shock on her face, just minor amusement, and even when she confronts Kline with his return to the bottle, it is with much tenderness and concern. It turns out she knows more information as to why he drinks, and when Kline shares his most shocking secret with her, it is written on her face ever so briefly that her whole world is shattered because of it. The bond with Scott grows too, and they all learn that underneath their initial distrust of each other, they are now bonded forever.
This takes much patience to get into, but the three stars do their best to help the viewer maintain intentions. It is a gentle movie, almost nurturing in a way, and leaves the viewer with a very important lesson of how the generations create gaps simply because they unwillingly refuse to understand the older or younger ones. As old Rose said in "Titanic", "A woman's heart carries many secrets", and in the case of Smith's Mathilde Girard, she has more than her alleged 90 years can hold. The three give brilliant performances, almost quiet to the point where it seems like they are not at all acting. It's one of those sleeper movies that you'll have to sleep on to really be affected by it and one where your own relationships with older relatives, especially parents, will be forced out of whatever hiding spot they hold in your soul.
My Old Lady is a Treasure...
grammykathy019233 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I went to see this movie as I am a huge fan of Maggie Smith & she is delightful in the film. However the true star of the film is Kevin Kline. I thought that his performance was one of his best ever in a movie. Also wonderful in this film is Kristin Scott Thomas. Her performance is subtle & moving. And the fact that it is filmed in Paris is just a wonderful bonus. I found the storyline to be complex & makes one think of life's choices made along the way. I realize that this Israel Horowitz's first directorial film & I give him high marks for that reason. It is based on a play that he wrote & he also did the screenplay. He is in his early seventies. What a treat!!!
'If you do not love me I shall not be loved' - Samuel Beckett
gradyharp9 February 2015
Israel Horowitz wrote the play, adapted the play for the screen an directed this little drama MY OLD LADY. It works on some levels: after a rather disconcertingly angry beginning it settles into a somewhat sanguine love story. The project is salvages by the contributions of the three lead actors without whose talent this piece may have become a bore.
An American inherits an apartment in Paris that comes with an unexpected resident. That is barebones for the story. A more extended synopsis: 'When Mathias Gold (Kevin Kline) arrives at the sumptuous Parisian apartment he inherited from his distant but wealthy and recently deceased father, he's surprised that the property comes with two stubborn live-in tenants who are not required to leave according to an ancient French real estate law – explained amply as the case of the viager. Unable to sell the place, Mathias moves in with the feisty 92 year old Englishwoman, Mathilde Gerard (Dame Maggie Smith), and her middle aged daughter, Chloé (Kristin Scott Thomas). But as Mathias and Chloé draw increasingly closer, Mathilde unveils a complex labyrinth of secrets that unites the trio in unexpected ways. The story draws on the old 'kept mistress' theme – Mathias' married father and Mathilda were lovers while Mathilde was married and the passage of ownership of the apartment is at times as confusing as the paternity of both Mathias and Chloé.
The three main actors manage to pull this off and are aided by some fine cameos by Dominique Pinon and Noémie Lvovsky. Sophie Touitou plays the casual opera singer along the Seine (is this her voice or a voice over?) singing Mozart and dueting with Kline in 'La ci darem la mano' from 'Don Giovanni.' This adds a bit of class to the film.
Once the film decides it is not a n angry comedy but a quasi-serious love story the film becomes far more interesting. Not a great film, but it is always a pleasure seeing Smith, Kline and Thomas in action. Grady Harp, February 15
An American inherits an apartment in Paris that comes with an unexpected resident. That is barebones for the story. A more extended synopsis: 'When Mathias Gold (Kevin Kline) arrives at the sumptuous Parisian apartment he inherited from his distant but wealthy and recently deceased father, he's surprised that the property comes with two stubborn live-in tenants who are not required to leave according to an ancient French real estate law – explained amply as the case of the viager. Unable to sell the place, Mathias moves in with the feisty 92 year old Englishwoman, Mathilde Gerard (Dame Maggie Smith), and her middle aged daughter, Chloé (Kristin Scott Thomas). But as Mathias and Chloé draw increasingly closer, Mathilde unveils a complex labyrinth of secrets that unites the trio in unexpected ways. The story draws on the old 'kept mistress' theme – Mathias' married father and Mathilda were lovers while Mathilde was married and the passage of ownership of the apartment is at times as confusing as the paternity of both Mathias and Chloé.
The three main actors manage to pull this off and are aided by some fine cameos by Dominique Pinon and Noémie Lvovsky. Sophie Touitou plays the casual opera singer along the Seine (is this her voice or a voice over?) singing Mozart and dueting with Kline in 'La ci darem la mano' from 'Don Giovanni.' This adds a bit of class to the film.
Once the film decides it is not a n angry comedy but a quasi-serious love story the film becomes far more interesting. Not a great film, but it is always a pleasure seeing Smith, Kline and Thomas in action. Grady Harp, February 15
In artistic no-man's-land
OuijumMcFu3 April 2015
Warning: Spoilers
We tried fairly hard to enjoy this movie, but it was ultimately a disappointing way to spend an evening, and turned into a bit of a trial just to get through. We had no preconceptions, having made a fairly spontaneous decision to watch it based on the interesting premise of the story outline alone. To its credit it was mostly unpredictable and failed to fall conveniently into a genre, but that was also part of its undoing. By about a third of the way through the lack of clear genre slowly became lack of clear direction, and motivations of characters (and plot) became implausible and unbelievable. Surprisingly, while the acting was generally fine, Kevin Kline's portrayal of his character became grating and over-acted. By about half way the movie had become completely obsessed in a Woody Allen way with personal introspection and psycho-therapeutic evaluation of parent/child relationships, which left us not caring any longer what happened to any of the increasingly unlikable characters, and looking at our watches. All of this might have been tolerable if the movie was in any way entertaining or thought provoking. It wasn't, and the only real emotional response we registered was cringing a few times. Overall, it just fell flat.
Delightful surprise
rogersfa2 January 2015
Went to see this today based on the trailer, from which I thought it was a comedy. It is funny, but also serious and engaging. Liked it much more than I thought I would and would definitely recommend it. At the end I realized that I would want to watch it again to see the themes of relationship as I then understood them with hindsight. The three principal actors are all excellent in their roles and in their relationships with each other. It felt honest and not pretentious or 'preachy', but definitely deep and engaging.
No one ends up the hero in this film, but that is often how real life often turns out.
No one ends up the hero in this film, but that is often how real life often turns out.
Hard to say something...
minunimion14 June 2021
I didn't like it much. If they had told me that it's a theatrical piece then I would have been prepared, but thinking that it's a movie... no, definitely it's not the movie I like.
I'm wondering why as the acting is very good and this movie is almost flawless, but... too simple? The Kevin Kline's character, is it not likeable? Too short? Too long? Too much complaining and whining? I don't know, it's hard to say, but in the end I was thinking... which movie I just watched? A comedy, a drama, a "dramedy" perhaps?
Not even in this case I can say something... I just watched a movie that didn't satisfy me, that's it.
I'm wondering why as the acting is very good and this movie is almost flawless, but... too simple? The Kevin Kline's character, is it not likeable? Too short? Too long? Too much complaining and whining? I don't know, it's hard to say, but in the end I was thinking... which movie I just watched? A comedy, a drama, a "dramedy" perhaps?
Not even in this case I can say something... I just watched a movie that didn't satisfy me, that's it.
A dark drama, not a comedy
yestennis12 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The IMDb website lists this movie as a "comedy/drama." It is not a comedy anymore than Macbeth is a comedy. This is a dark drama in which no one of the three lead character's lives might appeal to you. You won't be leaving the theatre laughing or humming a tune. As for Parisian scenery, there is little of it. You won't leave saying, "Oh, I have to visit the romantic city of Paris." On the contrary, most of the scenes are filmed in a very old,dark and depressing apartment. That staging accurately mirrors the mood of the movie itself. Although the Hollywood ending is quite predictable from the outset, it is not credible.
Surprising
dmmhtsa27 January 2015
Were it not for the fact that I had already read reviews, I would have been shocked by this movie, because it was not, in fact, a comedy. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It is neither light nor heavy, but rather the perfect balance.
It addressed the fact that there is no 'following your heart' or doing whatever feels right to you, without affecting other people. Mostly, there will be negative consequences/effects, but when you and the people around you open yourselves to truth, no matter how difficult, healing comes and eventually, a positive effect. I highly recommend this movie.
It addressed the fact that there is no 'following your heart' or doing whatever feels right to you, without affecting other people. Mostly, there will be negative consequences/effects, but when you and the people around you open yourselves to truth, no matter how difficult, healing comes and eventually, a positive effect. I highly recommend this movie.
Sometimes less is more
adamonIMDb23 May 2016
I wasn't expecting much from this film but I was pleasantly surprised. 'My Old Lady' is a well-written, steady drama with a very simple storyline, but that's all that is needed.
The relationship between the characters is what the film is all about and Maggie Smith and Kevin Kline were two perfect choices for the main characters. The humour is subtle but there's no doubt that this is a comedy-drama film and Maggie Smith is particularly funny.
Sometimes less is more and 'My Old Lady' is certainly a testament to that. A very simple, slow film but just as effective as the more complicated, fast-paced dramas out there.
The relationship between the characters is what the film is all about and Maggie Smith and Kevin Kline were two perfect choices for the main characters. The humour is subtle but there's no doubt that this is a comedy-drama film and Maggie Smith is particularly funny.
Sometimes less is more and 'My Old Lady' is certainly a testament to that. A very simple, slow film but just as effective as the more complicated, fast-paced dramas out there.
A not altogether unpleasant oddity
richardings-408524 March 2022
You can tell when films are adapted from plays because generally the writing is top-notch, the ideas are dense, and the pacing and plot will be unconventional.
They can also fall flat on their face. That doesn't happen here for two reasons. One is that Kevin Kline and Kristin Scott-Thomas bring their A-game, even when delivering a boring caricature of alcoholism. Maggie Smith, who mainly annoys me, actually does a great job playing a sympathetic old lady, not some shrill old aristocratic boot.
The oddity would be a spoiler so I won't, but let me just say that this becomes a bit more complicated than happy/unhappy families in an unexpected way, where you can find yourself suddenly thinking 'wait - what?'. The fact that things so serious are dealt with so flippantly (as Wilde suggested, take the serious things lightly and the light things seriously) so goes against the grain that it's no bad thing when something like this makes it to the screen, so we should be grateful for that.
The premise is brilliantly knotty, the unknotting is a bit meh, the twists and turns are a bit eyebrow-raising, Paris looks stunning, there's a brilliantly eccentric opera scene that bookends the film, and the casting really is spot on. Not a complete waste of time, not at all.
They can also fall flat on their face. That doesn't happen here for two reasons. One is that Kevin Kline and Kristin Scott-Thomas bring their A-game, even when delivering a boring caricature of alcoholism. Maggie Smith, who mainly annoys me, actually does a great job playing a sympathetic old lady, not some shrill old aristocratic boot.
The oddity would be a spoiler so I won't, but let me just say that this becomes a bit more complicated than happy/unhappy families in an unexpected way, where you can find yourself suddenly thinking 'wait - what?'. The fact that things so serious are dealt with so flippantly (as Wilde suggested, take the serious things lightly and the light things seriously) so goes against the grain that it's no bad thing when something like this makes it to the screen, so we should be grateful for that.
The premise is brilliantly knotty, the unknotting is a bit meh, the twists and turns are a bit eyebrow-raising, Paris looks stunning, there's a brilliantly eccentric opera scene that bookends the film, and the casting really is spot on. Not a complete waste of time, not at all.
A Brilliantly Acted Film!
namashi_115 August 2015
'My Old Lady' is a film blessed with talents & hence its A Brilliantly Acted Film! And even as a film, its sweet, with some towering moments.
'My Old Lady' Synopsis: An American inherits an apartment in Paris that comes with an unexpected resident.
'My Old Lady' triumphs in the acting department. Kevin Kline is unbelievable. Seriously, how can an actor be so consistent & fresh as Kline? The Thespian delivers a milestone of a performance, full of melancholy & yet bringing a humorous touch to his part. Maggie Smith is first-rate, enacting her part with great ease. Kristin Scott Thomas is in tremendous form. Its such a pleasure to watch this rather underrated actress cast in a role, that justifies her talent.
Israel Horovitz's Screenplay focuses on relationship & its nicely done. There are some intense turns in the second-hour, which also, work. Horovitz's Direction is competently done, as well.
On the whole, 'My Old Lady' is exemplary performance-wise. Just for the actors alone, give this one a shot!
'My Old Lady' Synopsis: An American inherits an apartment in Paris that comes with an unexpected resident.
'My Old Lady' triumphs in the acting department. Kevin Kline is unbelievable. Seriously, how can an actor be so consistent & fresh as Kline? The Thespian delivers a milestone of a performance, full of melancholy & yet bringing a humorous touch to his part. Maggie Smith is first-rate, enacting her part with great ease. Kristin Scott Thomas is in tremendous form. Its such a pleasure to watch this rather underrated actress cast in a role, that justifies her talent.
Israel Horovitz's Screenplay focuses on relationship & its nicely done. There are some intense turns in the second-hour, which also, work. Horovitz's Direction is competently done, as well.
On the whole, 'My Old Lady' is exemplary performance-wise. Just for the actors alone, give this one a shot!
Surprisingly good!
KeepYourGoodHeart16 October 2016
I watched this film on a whim when nothing else in the available selection piqued my interest and I was pleasantly surprised! The film starts out a little slow but over time we learn more about the characters, their past and how they all ended up coming together in the present moment. During that time there were several surprises and curve balls thrown which rattles the characters but ultimately there is a good resolution.
This movie is one of those mildly funny feel-good movies that you'd tune into if you just want to sit back and relax casually. I must say that I was surprised to have enjoyed this movie so much since I'm usually an action and thriller movie type of person but I ended up liking this one so much that I bought the DVD! I hope that more people will open their minds to this movie and fully enjoy what it has to offer.
This movie is one of those mildly funny feel-good movies that you'd tune into if you just want to sit back and relax casually. I must say that I was surprised to have enjoyed this movie so much since I'm usually an action and thriller movie type of person but I ended up liking this one so much that I bought the DVD! I hope that more people will open their minds to this movie and fully enjoy what it has to offer.
Poignant and funny
suzie-1626 September 2014
The whole film is shot in Paris and many of the scenes are simply drippingly gorgeous. It is a very charming movie, with some heavy undertones and one I will watch again. There's a good message in it. Loved Dominique Pinon as the real estate agent. Kristin Scott Thomas is so good, mixing up mean and nasty with tenderness and self-awareness. Maggie is a stitch and just superb! Kevin excellently portrays a man who is down and out, carrying around emotional baggage. Stéphane Freiss always seems to play a neurotic Frenchman, but he does frenzied well. Many times I laughed out loud in this movie! I've studied French my whole life, but learned a new word in this movie: viager. I am surprised critics have come down so hard on it. But, I am almost as old as Kevin Kline, I adore Paris, I love movies where you can laugh and still be brought to tears and ones that have a good message.
Genre is Misleading as this is definitely a drama
docm-3230419 November 2020
I was expecting more of a comedy from the trailer and the listed genre, but this film deals with a very serious issue and deals with it well with a good cast and acting. Typical with many BBC films though is the slow pace which tends to drag the film along.
Main characters too old for the self-pity plot
trifolium-180-41075611 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
All the whiny-baby stuff from both 'young' main characters is just silly. Its the kind of stuff you might expect from a 20 year old complaining about their bad treatment as a child, not people in their 50's and 60's. Anyone watching this movie who actually had a bad childhood, and has actually 'grown up' would be taken aback and hardly empathetic to this self-centered pity-party. Sometimes in familial relationships, some things are better left unsaid. I found that the way both 'young' characters punish the 'old' character in an effort to pry decades old unpleasant facts from her was disgusting.(I know what I'm talking about... I did have a bad childhood... and not on Park avenue.)
Past and Future
aharmas20 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
"My Old Lady" is an interesting title for this story of the effects of giving and taking love. Kline plays Matthias, a broken and wounded 57 year old man who resents the past actions of his father. As the story unfolds, the characters and ourselves get to put the pieces together, and some of the facts are shocking. Others just make perfect sense. Throughout we are treated to some really good acting for what else can we expect from Kline, Smith, and Scott-Thomas? Kline comes to Paris to claim his inheritance. Instead he discovers he has inherited more than an apartment. He now discovers the place is inhabited by his father's former mistress and a woman who might or not be a relative. Kline has tried to keep his mental balance for a long time. He is a true survivor, faced pain, disappointment and had more than his chance of traumatic moments in his life.
Mathias and Matilda rediscover the common points in their lives. The story progresses, and we see Mr. Gold has kept a few facts from everyone, crucial events that shaped the future destiny of all the children involved. It is a cathartic time, a moment to heal or face complete destruction.
It's amazing to see how Smith is able to create characters that fully dimensional. She has played women in the late stages of their lives, from aristocratic and uptight to goofy and cantankerous. Here she's in a whole different universe, a woman who has lived a selfish existence and appears not ready to change. Has she always been that way, or has she also been a victim of circumstances? Scott-Thomas is her daughter, Chloe, a woman in her fifties, clinging on to self-destructive relationships, bitter, and combative, and barely attached to her mother, probably mostly from obligation than affection. We know her past is full of trauma, too, and we wonder why is it that her mother appears to have no concerns for her daughter's mental state.
Enter Matthias, and their stable but emotional lives will change immediately, with change that is neither slow or immediate. It takes a while for every piece to fall into place, and the movie has both touching revelations, but at times recalls its theatrical source, and it feels a bit stilted. Not of this is the actors' fault because they give it their best, and it wouldn't be surprising if the substance abuse here leads to a few nominations in the near future.
The movie will probably never be a crowd pleaser; it is more of a showcase for the talents of all those involved, and it delivers for the most part.
Mathias and Matilda rediscover the common points in their lives. The story progresses, and we see Mr. Gold has kept a few facts from everyone, crucial events that shaped the future destiny of all the children involved. It is a cathartic time, a moment to heal or face complete destruction.
It's amazing to see how Smith is able to create characters that fully dimensional. She has played women in the late stages of their lives, from aristocratic and uptight to goofy and cantankerous. Here she's in a whole different universe, a woman who has lived a selfish existence and appears not ready to change. Has she always been that way, or has she also been a victim of circumstances? Scott-Thomas is her daughter, Chloe, a woman in her fifties, clinging on to self-destructive relationships, bitter, and combative, and barely attached to her mother, probably mostly from obligation than affection. We know her past is full of trauma, too, and we wonder why is it that her mother appears to have no concerns for her daughter's mental state.
Enter Matthias, and their stable but emotional lives will change immediately, with change that is neither slow or immediate. It takes a while for every piece to fall into place, and the movie has both touching revelations, but at times recalls its theatrical source, and it feels a bit stilted. Not of this is the actors' fault because they give it their best, and it wouldn't be surprising if the substance abuse here leads to a few nominations in the near future.
The movie will probably never be a crowd pleaser; it is more of a showcase for the talents of all those involved, and it delivers for the most part.
Mediocre Film
garrettwhaynes30 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This film has a great cast, and seems to have potential with the DVD tag line reading, "A Classic in the Making". Maybe the person who penned this tag line was trying to be generous but they couldn't bring themselves to call it "An Instant Classic" so they were clever and said "A Classic in the Making" which is ambiguous and not necessarily critical, but does seem to imply that this film has not quite arrived.
I believe the director is to blame for this not being a better movie. He needed to bring more depth and emotion and realism out of the characters. The actors gave clichéd and strained performances and there was plenty material for this movie to play off. Set in Paris, secret lovers for decades, uncertain paternal origins, and tragic suicide. The impact was not there and although not a bad movie, it left much to be desired.
I believe the director is to blame for this not being a better movie. He needed to bring more depth and emotion and realism out of the characters. The actors gave clichéd and strained performances and there was plenty material for this movie to play off. Set in Paris, secret lovers for decades, uncertain paternal origins, and tragic suicide. The impact was not there and although not a bad movie, it left much to be desired.
Not worth your time
fregger4 December 2014
My Old Lady is one of these movies that no one watches, and for good reasons. Forced to watch, I discovered a genre I didn't know of. The movie is basically filmed stage theater in 3 or 4 locations. The Paris shots are postcard-cheesy. There is no cinematography whatsoever, and the only reasons why you are sometimes reminded you're not watching a telenovela are the gratuitous heavy-handed movie references (Taxi Driver and The Godfather, mind you). The acting is forced and cramped, except for the old lady. The story alternates between comedy and dark-serious, but it is impossible to have empathy for the characters who suffer with the great pain of inheriting a 12-million dollar apartment. French people can't speak English, they are a bit dumb, lol. Otherwise, racial stereotyping all the way - the garbage guy is black, the doctor's Jewish, the thief's a Roma. There a few comedic moments that will make you smile; any average comedy should do the trick better.
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