Director: Israel Horovitz

Starring: Maggie Smith, Kevin Kline & Kristin Scott Thomas

Running Time: 107 mins

Release date: 3 Oct, 2014

Worldwide Gross: N/A

 

 

 

 

Basic Plot:

 

Mathias Gold (Kevin Kline) arrives in Paris to seek out his late father’s apartment, left to Gold in his will. When he arrives he find the house is already lived in my Madame Girard (Maggie Smith), a 92 year-old English teacher. Gold finds out that the house is part of a complicated contract issue that means Gold has to pay “rent” to Madame Girard. Gold wants to sell as he has lost everything and needs the cash. Problems ensue and Gold’s hotheadedness creates tension between the parties. Madame Girard also has a daughter, Chloe (Kristin Scott Thomas) living with her in the grand Parisian apartment, who is desperate for Gold to keep the house and not sell it to a hotel developer for a handsome fee. The story continues and each character reveals a darker side to their past, leading to some big decisions.

 

Clock Watching?  13/20

 

I was quite surprised by what My Old Lady turned out to be. I was expecting a certain type of film due to the film’s cast, a comic, quirky, tepid comment on growing old. But My Old Lady offered more than that, in fact the film had quite a dark tone and was definitely more serious than comedic. This led to a fuller film and kept my interest for longer than I had anticipated. One of the opening shots showed a piece of graffiti with the line, “Today is the shadow of tomorrow.” This seems to be the theme of the film. Suggesting that we are all forms of our past and trying to shake it off is more difficult than sometimes thought. All three main characters in this movie have difficulty with separating themselves from the past and here is where the movie reveals its dark undertones.

 

Oscar Performances? 16/20

 

Very hard to go wrong with a cast like this, and it doesn’t. I don’t imagine this film would be considered for any Oscars but the performances are solid and I quite enjoyed Kevin Kline’s portrayal of a broken man desperate to make something of himself. Maggie Smith is as excellent as ever and delivers some classic lines as if she is the Dowager in Downton Abbey, she has such a presence on the screen that even when her character is slightly bland (as it was here) she still manages to make it work. Kristin Scott Thomas is also very believable and also makes something from very little. Some good acting with some average characters, always an achievement!

 

Lights, Camera, Direction? 10/20

 

Although the movie is enjoyable and interesting at times, it wasn’t really helped by its direction. Israel Horovitz (Sunshine, 1999) provides us with a disjointed narrative, one that jumps from point to point without the understanding necessary to believe the changes in plot. There are a few changes that happen in the film that came from nowhere. The relationship between Mathias and Chloe jumps from one extreme to the other without any middle part. There is little evidence of their change in attitude towards each other, which makes the relationship quite unbelievable. The film would have been a lot stronger if the screen time between characters had more chemistry, which led to onscreen relationships being quite flat.

 

Tell a Friend? 10/20

 

I’m not sure whom I would tell to go and watch this? In some ways it is aimed at the older generation with the choice of cast, but I’m not sure if the film’s themes will appeal to lovers of Downton, for example. Also, I don’t feel many of the younger generations would get anything from My Old Lady either, leaving it hung between demographics. If you like a serious and dark drama set in Paris, then you will get something from this, otherwise this will get overshadowed by a strong set of films being released at the weekend.

 

Again? 8/20

 

I doubt it. My Old Lady doesn’t have enough to warrant another viewing. The themes and issues dealt with aren’t strong enough to want to revisit them and the onscreen relationships aren’t believable enough to need to review the film on another occasion.

 

Total = 57%

 

An enjoyable watch but flawed in many ways, and be warned, this isn’t The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  

 

by Russell Farnham