SummaryPlaywright Alan Bennett forms an unexpected bond with Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith), a woman of uncertain origins who “temporarily” parked her van in Bennett’s London driveway and proceeded to live there for 15 years. [Sony Pictures Classics]
Directed By:Nicholas Hytner
Written By:Alan Bennett
The Lady in the Van
Metascore
Generally Favorable
70
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
83% Positive
25 Reviews
25 Reviews
13% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Dec 4, 2015
91
The remarkable thing about Smith in The Lady in the Van is that, even though the role is no longer fresh for her, the performance certainly is. She gives it everything she’s got because, you feel, she wants to honor this character. She wants Miss Shepherd to live on.
Dec 3, 2015
80
A delicately written, boisterously performed movie about the difficult people who dare us to care about them.
User score
Generally Favorable
65% Positive
37 Ratings
37 Ratings
26% Mixed
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
9% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Jul 5, 2017
9
Maggie Smith and her charm and wonderful performance are the reasons to see this funny film. She takes the movie to a new level and makes it as grand as it is
Mar 19, 2016
9
Superb film with outstanding writing and performances, especially from Maggie Smith. A very English film which the majority of Americans would probably struggle to understand as it doesn't feature any guns, terrorists or drug dealers.
Sep 19, 2015
80
Smith’s performance, honed from the previous stage and radio versions, is terrifically good.
Jan 21, 2016
75
The Lady in the Van is about a talented young writer still wrestling with how to draw upon his own experiences without exploiting others — and it’s about the boundless talents of Maggie Smith, sometimes chewing up the screen, sometimes saying volumes simply by sitting very, very still, with a perfectly perfect expression on her face.
Jan 21, 2016
75
The Lady in the Van doesn’t give in to platitudes. It’s unnervingly honest about its subject.
Dec 3, 2015
63
Smith’s appeal, just, holds together a thin plot upon which Bennett, who wrote the script, and director Nicholas Hytner have loaded gimmicks.
Dec 1, 2015
38
The film's annoying glibness is neatly summarized by the line: "In life, going downhill is an uphill job."
Dec 15, 2015
9
the Lady In the Van is some of Alan Bennett's best writing accompanied by excellent performances from Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings. the story is both uplifting and insightful and it had some moments that really made me laugh. i also loved the authenticity of shooting the film in the actual location the true story took place in. I loved it and would highly recommend it
Aug 14, 2019
6
The acting is great, but there is something slightly irritating about its overly sentimental depictment of London and inhabitants. Worth a watch though.
Apr 22, 2016
6
Some English movies are off beat but this one was "out there." Why would you let a total stranger, who does not have a nice personality, park their beat up van in your driveway and live there? Guess the English have a different moral compass concerning the homeless than we do.
Mar 19, 2016
3
The Lady In The Van is really bad... had it not that I was watching it with a friend I may cut my losses and walked out. Really, this one should have gone straight to video...
Dec 4, 2015
3
‘When I write about this it will be about a lot of s***’, states Alex Jennings as playwright Alan Bennett during a particularly insightful moment in this dull adaptation of Bennett’s own play. Whilst I wouldn’t have particularly chosen to use the phrase myself, its inclusion is pertinently apt given the film’s surprising failure. As the saying goes if the cap, or in this instance the bag fits, wear it! Based on true events it lacks both drama and laughs. Maggie Smith can do this kind of role in her sleep. She is a wonderful actress and a great British institution, but there is nothing new in her characterisation here that she hasn’t done many times before. Alex Jennings actually gives the best performance, well two actually, in a dual role that sees him uncannily impersonating Bennett as both the person and the writer. Only in the film’s final act does an element of pathos creep in to stir the interest, but it’s far too late in the day to stave off one’s overall disappointment and apathy.
Production Company:
- BBC Film
- Dream Cars
- TriStar Productions
Release Date:Dec 4, 2015
Duration:1 h 44 m
Rating:PG-13
Tagline:A mostly true story
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Women Film Critics Circle Awards
• 2 Nominations
Evening Standard British Film Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
