My Old Lady (Official Trailer 2014) 2:25
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A down-and-out New Yorker inherits an apartment in Paris from his estranged father and is stunned to find a refined old lady living there with her protective daughter. Courtesy BBC Films.
- news.com.au
- 30 Oct 2014
AN American in his 50s, Mathias (Kevin Kline), arrives in Paris to take possession of a large apartment left to him by his late, estranged father.
The inheritance has come along in the nick of time: Mathias is penniless and homeless after a string of failed marriages and barely managed alcoholism.
But he is in for a rude shock. The previous owner, the elderly Mathilde Girard (Maggie Smith), still occupies the apartment under the French system of viager, whereby the seller stays on in the property until their death.
Mathilde (Maggie Smith) in a scene from the film. Source: Supplied
Mathilde (Maggie Smith) in a scene from the film. Source: Supplied
It all sounds like a ripe set-up for a gentle farce in which the star of Downton Abbey gets to play a wily curmudgeon while the increasingly frustrated hero schemes to dislodge her.
But despite appearances, My Old Lady isn’t a comedy.
It’s a drama about family secrets, loss, regret and redemption — and a turgid one at that.
Israel Horovitz, a veteran US playwright who spends a lot of time in France, has adapted and directed one of his plays and it’s uninspiring stuff.
Mathias (Kevin Kline) in a scene from the film. Source: Supplied
Mathias (Kevin Kline) in a scene from the film. Source: Supplied
After some initial feistiness, Smith’s quirky character becomes dull.
Kline gives a whiny, unappealing performance, and some potential romance in the form of Math-ilde’s daughter Chloe (Kristin Scott Thomas) doesn’t convince at all.
There is certainly an audience for movies that feature mature actors, no explosions or bad language. But that mature audience deserves better.
Chloe (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Mathias (Kevin Kline) in a scene from the film. Source: Supplied
OPENS THURSDAY
Film My Old Lady
Released by Entertainment One
Star rating 2/5
Director Israel Horovitz
Rating M
Running time 107 minutes
Verdict Feeble drama of relatives and real estate
Originally published as Good actors wasted on this turgid tale
