The Lady in the Van

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Gerry M Not in the least bit interested. Voyeurism of the homeless? abhorrent! Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/20/24 Full Review Butterfly Fantastic film. Watched it a few times now and always makes me cry at the end. She's a fabulous actress and I loved how she painted her van with a loo brush. Excellent film Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/08/24 Full Review Mateusz C odd but in good meaning of this word Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/14/23 Full Review phillip j Major miss. Not even an engaging concept. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review matthew d A pleasant and touching picture with charm. English director Nicholas Hytner, of The Crucible and The Madness of King George fame, delivers a quaint British comedy-drama called The Lady in the Van (2015). It's often humorous, but never hilarious. It boasts a talented cast delivering writer Alan Bennett's dry British sense of humor and thoughtful dialogue with a wry charisma. I found The Lady in the Van charming, but quite depressing. It's essentially about a crazy homeless woman who bums off a far too kind playwright as she lives on his driveway in her van for 15 years. Her rude comments and general stubborn nature are really off-putting and make you hate her on some level, despite feeling sorry for her pathetic existence. You try to find empathy, but she's very easy to hate. The Lady in the Van is worth a watch, but I doubt I'll come back to its indie charms again. Nicholas Hytner's direction has the interesting angle of having two Bennett's speaking to himself as the man who writes and the man who lives his life. It's fun and a pretty looking movie, but lacks drive to keep your interest with more humor in an otherwise very sad story. Editor Tariq Anwar could have cut this a bit faster as The Lady in the Van is only 104 minutes, but feels much longer with slower dramatic scenes that start to drag. Andrew Dunn's cinematography is rather creative and striking for an ordinary comedy-drama. Maggie Smith is great as Miss Mary Shepherd with her stubborn and impersonal manner. She's mean, rude, arrogant, and distrusting, but this all adds up to a compelling dramatic performance. Alex Jennings is gripping as both versions of Alan Bennett. His offhand remarks are funny and he's generally very likable. He does feel far too timid, patient, and kind beyond reason. Clare Hammond is intriguing as a young Margaret Fairchild being a disobedient nun and a virtuoso pianist. Roger Allam's Rufus and Deborah Findlay's Pauline are funny as the nosy and frustrated neighbors. Gwen Taylor's moving and fastidious Mum is interesting. Frances de la Tour is engaging and fun as Ursula Vaughan Williams with her good and understanding nature. Jim Broadbent feels lecherous as Underwood the blackmailer. Claire Foy is so cute as Lois, a noble social worker, who is trying to help. Composer George Fenton wrote a charming score, but the most interesting musical passages come from the lively classical pieces played throughout The Lady in the Van. In all, I wish this were better and funnier, but it's got a fine charm overall. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review rose d Whilst I understand this movie is a tribute to the real-life lady in the van, I came away with two thoughts. First, what an incredibly sad story. Second, why immortalize such a story? If the movie is accurate, near the beginning there is a hit and run accident in which the titular lady was not at fault. However, incorrectly believing that she is to blame for the accident, the lady inflicts upon herself a far greater punishment than she could have received at the hands of the justice system. On the run from the police, she ostracizes herself from society and for the next thirty years lives as a tramp in a van. My feelings are: if she'd only had the strength to face up to her involvement in the accident, she would have been found innocent and so not lived in fear as a hobo for the rest of her life. What a very silly and sad woman. Not my thing. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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