Some things I liked some I did not.

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Beautiful, moving film.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

"The Lady in the Van" is based on the true story of successful (though not socially successful) playwright and actor Alan Bennett, who reluctantly allows a very eccentric homeless woman (played with shrill comic delight by Maggie Smith) to park her decrepit, junk-filled yellow van in his driveway in an upscale suburb of London. She winds up staying there for years, and Bennett comes to care about her well-being more than he likes to admit. Through Bennett's witty, self-deprecating dialogue with the audience (fourth wall) as well as himself (he plays both himself and his alter ego, a more confident version of himself), the film reveals the gift of caring for someone selflessly, someone who is truly in need, who has been victimized -- and who isn't particularly grateful for the help. I watched "The Lady in the Van" at Christmas, and I think, though it is not a "holiday movie" per se, that it has a message that resonates at that time of the year. When you're worn out by the mall crowds and turned off by the crass commercialism, watch "The Lady in the Van" with a cup of hot, spiked tea. You will be moved and have a lot of laughs along the way, I promise. Excellent acting by both Alex Jennings as Bennett and Maggie Smith, as well as the many stars in supporting roles and cameos (most of the cast of Bennett's hit "The History Boys").

Based on a true story, Mary Shepherd (Maggie Smith) is the title character: an elderly, homeless, delusional grouch who ends up parking her van in the driveway of writer Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings). Bennett wrote the movie as well as the play on which the film is based.Smith is a delight in this film as she is in everything she does. She is quite funny as someone who is almost always unpleasant. The rare times we feel sympathy for Mary is when we get glimpses into her past. Even if we dislike her, she is always interesting and we want to learn more about her.The same is not so much for Alan - a terrible irony as he is the writer of the story. Jennings does play him well and the character is self-effacing with his constant internal world. But we don't get to know him well until the end. He also seems to be one of those main characters who is "too nice" in bad sitcom plots: one who sets himself up for exploitation and is unwilling to stop the pattern.Much like some of her other recent films like "Quartet" and "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", Smith raises the movie to a higher level. Let's hope this brilliant octogenarian can keep working for as long as possible.

My biggest praise for this film is for the performances of Maggie Smith and Alan Jennings, who brought to life their characters extremely well. Smith shines as the eccentric and cantankerous Miss Shepherd who has a troubled past, whilst Jennings is also brilliant as Alan Bennett with his sharp wit and intellect providing for some funny moments. The relationship that builds between them is developed very effectively.However, I do have many problems with the narrative, mainly that it doesn't amount to much with so little actually happening in the story. I found it very hard to be engaged when most of it singly revolved around the interactions between Smith and Jennings with very little else going on. Also, learning about Miss Shepherd's past could have been quite intriguing but it just leads to some rather underwhelming reveals at the end with little deeper exploration into how she became the person she is.In the end I found this to be quite average, not terrible by any means, but not something I will ever have the inclination to watch again.

"Maggie Smith is Glorious" boasts the cover of the DVD, and I wouldn't in any way contradict that, but she is the film's saving grace and the fact that the DVD contains an entire segment on "visual effects" reveals just how far from what was once a simple but endearing essay on English eccentricity this film has wandered. As with much of Bennett's work, it was in this simplicity that the attraction of the story lay, and moments of dialog in the script do hark back to that clarity. But with two Alan Bennetts, both with - to my ear - draining impersonations of Bennett's accent, an ensemble cast - many of whom seem to have been chosen for reasons other than their suitability for the roles and a frankly bizarre, Monty Python like final segment that fits like a spoonful of saccharine on top of a tablespoonful of sugar - what a disappointment!