The Lady in the Van

2015, Biography/Drama, 1h 44m

152 Reviews 10,000+ Ratings

critics consensus

Led by a marvelous performance from Maggie Smith, Lady in the Van wrings poignant, often hilarious insight from its fact-based source material. Read critic reviews

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The Lady in the Van Videos

The Lady in the Van: Trailer 1

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The Lady in the Van Photos

Maggie Smith as Miss. Shepherd in "The Lady in the Van."

(L-R) Maggie Smith as Miss. Shepherd and Alex Jennings as Alan Bennett in "The Lady in the Van."

Maggie Smith as Miss. Shepherd in "The Lady in the Van."

Maggie Smith as Miss. Shepherd in "The Lady in the Van."

Alex Jennings as Alan Bennett in "The Lady in the Van."

(L-R) Alex Jennings as Alan Bennett and Maggie Smith as Miss. Shepherd in "The Lady in the Van."

(L-R) Deborah Findlay as Pauline, Roger Allam as Rufus and Maggie Smith as Miss. Shepherd in "The Lady in the Van."

(L-R) Maggie Smith as Miss. Shepherd and Alex Jennings as Alan Bennett in "The Lady in the Van."

Maggie Smith as Miss. Shepherd in "The Lady in the Van."

(L-R) Maggie Smith as Miss. Shepherd and Alex Jennings as Alan Bennett in "The Lady in the Van."

Alex Jennings as Alan Bennett and Maggie Smith as Miss Shepherd in "The Lady in the Van."

Frances de la Tour as Mrs. Vaughan in "The Lady in the Van."

Maggie Smith as Miss. Shepherd in "The Lady in the Van."

The Lady in the Van (2015)

The Lady in the Van (2015)

The Lady in the Van (2015)

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Movie Info

In 1973 London, playwright Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) develops an unlikely friendship with Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith), a homeless woman who lives in a van in his driveway for the next 15 years.

Rating:

PG-13 (A Brief Unsettling Image)
Genre:

Biography, Drama, Comedy
Original Language:

English (United Kingdom)
Director:

Nicholas Hytner
Producer:

Nicholas Hytner, Damian Jones, Kevin Loader
Writer:

Alan Bennett
Release Date (Theaters):

Feb 19, 2016 wide
Release Date (Streaming):

Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA):

$10.0M
Runtime:

1h 44m
Distributor:

Sony Pictures Classics
Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Cast & Crew

Maggie Smith
Miss Shepherd

Alex Jennings
Alan Bennett

Roger Allam
Rufus

Deborah Findlay
Pauline

Frances de la Tour
Ursula Vaughan Williams

Gwen Taylor
Mam

Show all Cast & Crew

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Critic Reviews for The Lady in the Van

All Critics (152) | Top Critics (56) | Fresh (135) | Rotten (17)

Full Review… Roxana Hadadi Chesapeake Family Magazine

Full Review… Sandra Hall Sydney Morning Herald

Full Review… Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald

Full Review… David Stratton The Australian

Full Review… Tom Long Detroit News

Full Review… Steve Davis Austin Chronicle

Full Review… Hosea Rupprecht Pauline Center for Media Studies

Full Review… Richard Crouse Richard Crouse

Full Review… Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens

Full Review… Alexa Dalby Dog and Wolf

Full Review… Cate Marquis We Are Movie Geeks

Full Review… Tori Brazier One Room With A View

View All Critic Reviews (152)

Audience Reviews for The Lady in the Van

Jun 07, 2016

http://cinephilecrocodile.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/the-lady-in-van-dir-nicholas-hytner.html

Anthony L Super Reviewer
Jun 06, 2016

Lady In The Van is the true story of a woman who lives on a man's driveway for 15 years. Sounds boring? Quite the opposite! This is an entertaining sweet film that actually has some funny moments as well some sadder times. Maggie Smith delivers yet another fantastic performance, let's face it she can do no wrong! I did however find that the majority of the film was rather forgettable and felt like the film was just abit too sweet for my taste. The script was decent though and that prevented the film from being a disaster.

Luke A Super Reviewer
May 02, 2016

The biggest problem with this witless, excruciating movie is that it feels almost impossible to have any sympathy for such an odious old lady (is she supposed to be adorable in her annoying eccentricity? I can't tell), and I couldn't wait to see her die so it would be finally over.

Carlos M Super Reviewer
Apr 14, 2016

An elegant and amusing drama. This sweet movie is slow but the wonderfully talented Smith carries it through to the end!

Film C Super Reviewer

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