Kevin Kline, Maggie Smith and Kristin Scott Thomas reunite in a play-turned-movie that has commanded only small box office so far.
My Old Lady (Kevin Kline, Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott Thomas) — Israel Horovitz has been one of the most prolific and successful writers of his generation. Now 75, he has taking his first turn as director in My Old Lady, a screen adaptation of his own play. As a director, he is a fine writer.
My Old Lady wants to be an amusing tale about an unsuccessful American, Mathias Gold (Kevin Kline), who abandons his life in New York after his wealthy, but estranged, father dies and leaves him only a home in France. Wanting to start a new life, he sells his house and most of his possessions and flies to Paris to start life over at age 57.
Upon arriving, he meets 92-year-old Mathilde Girard (Maggie Smith), the woman living in and presiding over the house. He quickly finds out that, in France, even upon inheritance, the resident in the home can live there forever … or at least until they die, whichever comes first. So while he owns the residence, he must actually pay her to live there. Imagine his surprise. Virtually penniless, he now needs to pay her to occupy his own property. While grappling with this, he also meets Chloe (Kristin Scott Thomas), Mathilde’s daughter, who also resides there. She is plain, devoted, and a bit repressed.
While Mathias looks for a way to sell the house and unburden himself, he starts to enjoy his interactions with the two women, all the while wondering what the back-story is about them. That comes with more than a few revelations of their own. The plot twists and the characters grow richer. As the story unwraps, the actors shine.
Aside from the beautiful Parisian venues that emerge in the production, there is no hiding that My Old Lady is first and foremost a stage play put on screen. There are not a lot of good adaptations, and this qualifies in that category. The dialogue includes too many long soliloquies; the major scenes all take place in confined spaces; and the transitions are rough.
But the acting is superb. Kevin Kline, who has won one Oscar and been nominated for others is a not-so-charming sort. As an actor, he carries off comedy (In and Out, A Fish Called Wanda, French Kiss) and serious (Sophie’s Choice, De-Lovely, The Emperor’s Club) very well. The blend of the two here, unlike in The Big Chill and Dave, is a bit forced but Kline remains a strong lead actor. Maggie Smith may be beyond comparison. Even in her old age (sorry, Maggie), Ms. Smith she is a formidable presence on screen. When she is on-camera, she commands the screen … and Kline lets her. Kristin Scott Thomas has an impressive filmography, too, much of it in France although her stateside appearances in The English Patient, The Horse Whisperer and Random Hearts were noteworthy too. This ensemble is impressive, if not electric. My disappointment came in the lack of chemistry, which is not a condemnation of the cast but falls to the inexperienced director. Horovitz knows how to weave a story and stage a play but not how to make a great movie.
If you liked movies like Quartet (another Smith vehicle), you will enjoy My Old Lady. Go for the actors and enjoy the story even if you are not overwhelmed by the movie itself.