The Lady In The Van

THE LADY IN THE VAN

Director : Nicholas Hytner
Year : 2015
Genre : Comedy
Rating : ****



Directed by Nicholas Hytner, 'The Lady In The Van' is an endlessly charming and warm-hearted comedy that features bravura performances from Academy Award winner Dame Maggie Smith and three times Olivier award winner Alex Jennings. The big screen adaptation of Alan Bennett's West End smash hit which was in itself an adaptation of his own memoir, 'The Lady In The Van' tells the unusual story of the mysterious Miss Shepherd, a homeless woman who parked her dilapidated van on the driveway of Bennett's house and stayed there for 15 years.

Having dropped the ball with his cinematic production of Bennett's own 'The History Boys', Nicholas Hytner redeems himself by delivering one of the most touching and evocative dramas of 2015. Maggie Smith (who reprises her role from the West End play) is simply marvellous as the ferociously cantankerous recluse - a devout yet manipulative enigma whose closeted past hides many dark secrets while Jennings shines in a dual role as the great man himself - a perfect visual metaphor for the internal battle between the writer and the man. A fine supporting cast including Frances De Latour and Roger Allam add a certain British charm to the proceedings while Bennett's idiosyncratic writing continually generates strong laughs and sometimes thought-provoking sympathies towards our strange but peversely lovable protagonist.