When "The Lady in the Van" begins, it says it's MOSTLY based on a true story. How much liberty Alan Bennett took with the actual story is anyone's guess, though apparently he DID allow a homeless and mentally ill woman to live in his driveway in her van. Why isn't 100% clear, as she was smelly, nasty, argumentative and had little positive about her. Fortunately, Maggie Smith did a brilliant job playing her and was very believable.

As far as the story goes, there isn't much more to it. In the London suburb of Camden in 1970, Mary (or Margaret) began to become a bit of a nuisance in town. Bennett felt sorry for her and slowly forged an odd but distant relationship with her. Years after her death, he wrote a play about it...and the film is based on that play. The story has many unusual and surreal plot devices, such as having TWO Bennetts interacting and arguing with each other during the story.

I think this film would appeal much more to older Brits than anyone else. That's because in the UK, Bennett is a famous writer and actor and is loved and respected. Here in the US, most folks have never heard of him or his groundbreaking show, "Beyond the Fringe". As for me, I found the film mildly interesting and I loved the performances....but the whole was not nearly as satisfying.

Enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Despite thinking very highly of Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings and Jim Broadbent et al, considering Alan Bennett a talented writer and liking previous work by Nicholas Hytner and George Fenton, the title was not particularly appealing to me, likewise with the subject matter based on a true story unfamiliar to me.

What a pleasant surprise though. Although not a great film and having its faults, 'The Lady in the Van' is a good film with a lot to like and perfect for a rainy day or wanting to let your hair down and relax in the evening. A strong example of not judging a film by its title. Whether 'The Lady in the Van' will garner a wide audience is hard to tell, it is very quintessentially British with a subject matter that perhaps a lot of people won't know much about to properly connect with and the script is written in a style that will work for some and not for others.

'The Lady in the Van' does have its flaws. The length of the film is longer than necessary for a story that is somewhat thin, meaning that there is some draggy pacing in the second half and some resolutions take too long to get there and feel too conveniently wrapped up.

On top of that, the ending, despite having a genuinely moving build-up, seemed to be an attempt at pathos and being uplifting but ended up feeling clumsy, confusing and almost like a cheat (almost like the rest of the film didn't happen). Jim Broadbent's scenes didn't work for me either, they just felt out of place in the film and jar tonally and while Broadbent is a great actor he isn't particularly memorable here.

However, 'The Lady in the Van' is beautifully filmed and handsomely produced, while George Fenton's music score is gentle and sometimes quirky and fits ideally with the film's mood. It also incorporates and arranges pre-existing classical music with ease, the use of Chopin's first piano concerto being the most striking and giving a real sense of pathos. There was the worry as to whether the humour would not feel right and do justice to a story that is quite tragic in a way.

No worries there. The script, with Bennett's style written all over it, is subversive, thought-provoking in how its messaging and what it's trying (and succeeds) to say is conveyed and full of very sharp scathing witticisms, do admit to laughing out loud a number of times. Hytner's direction is understated but always with a sense that he knows what he's doing and where to go.

Maggie Smith is truly magnificent here and worthy of some kind of award nod. Her character easily could have been an annoying caricature, especially in lesser hands, but Smith is often funny and deliciously batty but also gives the character a vulnerability. Alex Jennings is similarly marvellous and also deserving of award recognition, nailing Bennett's nuances, rhythm and how he speaks to a tee. The whole alter ego stuff is obvious early on and it is not always easy who is the real Bennett and who is the alter ego (only occasionally though),but that is in no way an issue, actually it was part of the fun. The chemistry between them is a joy and they work very well with the rest of the cast, who also do very well with some familiar and welcome faces.

On the whole, a very pleasant surprise and much better than expected. 7/10 Bethany Cox

It's 1970 London. Homeless Mary Shepherd (Maggie Smith) hit something on the road and her window is left with a bloody crack. Her van breaks down and playwright Alan Bennett helps push her van in front of his home. When the van get towed, she gets another van and park it in his driveway. He doesn't know much about her. Her real name might be Margaret. He's a closeted homosexual. The malcontent old lady would live in her van on his property for the next 15 years.

Maggie Smith is perfect for the role. Alex Jennings is probably playing himself which is not always a good idea. He's a capable actor but this needs a star to play opposite the legend. The story does not move just like her van. The humor is somewhat British and so is the Bennett character. There are a couple of good comedic moments. I don't like the Bennett double. It's unnecessary and distracting. Maggie's great but in the end, this is smaller than what I want out of the lady in the van.