The Lady in the Van

Good acting and an unusual plot - fans of Maggie Smith will enjoy this one.

Wonderful movie... It's sad to think about getting old and the end of life. This movie proves Maggie Smith is a great actress. See it!

Won't say anything about this film but I don't want to give out spoilers but from my stand point a very intriguing story not to be missed.

Another movie in which a miserable, rude, self-absorbed adult behaving badly has everyone else tip-toeing around them.

This actress is so stunning and she makes this movie.

I thought this might be hokey, but it turned out to be profound. Upbeat! Loved the authors' dual characters - aren't we all often of two minds? Maggie Smith was fantastic. Enjoyed the neighbors too. Ends on such a high note, was so grateful for that.

Maggie Smith is a true talent. She has made me feel much better about the ending of my story. It shows what people can achieve when they do not judge, help out the less fortunate, and befriend a senior citizen. In Canada they are our true jems in the rough, and I am glad I cared for many in palliative care. They are missed, but never forgotten. Who is yours?

Kayt

I loved this film, as it's the perfect mix of humor and drama. Maggie Smith is brilliant in her portrayal of Mary, an elderly woman who parks her van in a playwright's driveway and, against his wishes, lives there for fifteen years. Highly recommended!

Titles that come to mind are 'The Man Who Came To Dinner', and 'Down and Out In Beverly Hills' (Bondu Saved From Drowning'). In Albee's 'Delicate Balance' neighbors move in, perhaps until death. The mysterious stranger here is a force of nature, and few would find more than enough of her very appealing. While the backstory might seem to locate the blame with convent experiences, it seems this one was off the beaten path long before that. All sorts of complexities are in the mix. This material started as a magazine article, became a book, then a play, finally this. 'The Making of' feature speaks to that, 'without Maggie Smith this doesn't get made'. If nothing else, this provokes some thought about how much you need to give to the beasties not in your group.

Maggie Smith is her usual bad-ass self and burnishes this film into something more interesting than a writer's musings. Raises good questions about autonomy, independence, grace and history, community, and aging in place--even if that place turns out to be a van. The English trait of tolerating eccentricity helps this film work.