"My Old Lady" is an interesting title for this story of the effects of giving and taking love. Kline plays Matthias, a broken and wounded 57 year old man who resents the past actions of his father. As the story unfolds, the characters and ourselves get to put the pieces together, and some of the facts are shocking. Others just make perfect sense. Throughout we are treated to some really good acting for what else can we expect from Kline, Smith, and Scott-Thomas? Kline comes to Paris to claim his inheritance. Instead he discovers he has inherited more than an apartment. He now discovers the place is inhabited by his father's former mistress and a woman who might or not be a relative. Kline has tried to keep his mental balance for a long time. He is a true survivor, faced pain, disappointment and had more than his chance of traumatic moments in his life.
Mathias and Matilda rediscover the common points in their lives. The story progresses, and we see Mr. Gold has kept a few facts from everyone, crucial events that shaped the future destiny of all the children involved. It is a cathartic time, a moment to heal or face complete destruction.
It's amazing to see how Smith is able to create characters that fully dimensional. She has played women in the late stages of their lives, from aristocratic and uptight to goofy and cantankerous. Here she's in a whole different universe, a woman who has lived a selfish existence and appears not ready to change. Has she always been that way, or has she also been a victim of circumstances? Scott-Thomas is her daughter, Chloe, a woman in her fifties, clinging on to self-destructive relationships, bitter, and combative, and barely attached to her mother, probably mostly from obligation than affection. We know her past is full of trauma, too, and we wonder why is it that her mother appears to have no concerns for her daughter's mental state.
Enter Matthias, and their stable but emotional lives will change immediately, with change that is neither slow or immediate. It takes a while for every piece to fall into place, and the movie has both touching revelations, but at times recalls its theatrical source, and it feels a bit stilted. Not of this is the actors' fault because they give it their best, and it wouldn't be surprising if the substance abuse here leads to a few nominations in the near future.
The movie will probably never be a crowd pleaser; it is more of a showcase for the talents of all those involved, and it delivers for the most part.
Mathias and Matilda rediscover the common points in their lives. The story progresses, and we see Mr. Gold has kept a few facts from everyone, crucial events that shaped the future destiny of all the children involved. It is a cathartic time, a moment to heal or face complete destruction.
It's amazing to see how Smith is able to create characters that fully dimensional. She has played women in the late stages of their lives, from aristocratic and uptight to goofy and cantankerous. Here she's in a whole different universe, a woman who has lived a selfish existence and appears not ready to change. Has she always been that way, or has she also been a victim of circumstances? Scott-Thomas is her daughter, Chloe, a woman in her fifties, clinging on to self-destructive relationships, bitter, and combative, and barely attached to her mother, probably mostly from obligation than affection. We know her past is full of trauma, too, and we wonder why is it that her mother appears to have no concerns for her daughter's mental state.
Enter Matthias, and their stable but emotional lives will change immediately, with change that is neither slow or immediate. It takes a while for every piece to fall into place, and the movie has both touching revelations, but at times recalls its theatrical source, and it feels a bit stilted. Not of this is the actors' fault because they give it their best, and it wouldn't be surprising if the substance abuse here leads to a few nominations in the near future.
The movie will probably never be a crowd pleaser; it is more of a showcase for the talents of all those involved, and it delivers for the most part.