My Old Lady (2014)

An American inherits an apartment in Paris that comes with an unexpected resident.

Director:

Israel Horovitz

Writers:

Israel Horovitz (written for the screen by), Israel Horovitz (play)

Stars:

Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Kline	...	Mathias Gold
Michel Burstin	...	Rabbi on Bicycle
Elie Wajeman	...	Man at Gate
Maggie Smith	...	Mathilde Girard
Raphaële Moutier	...	Woman on Bicycle
Sophie Touitou	...	Female Opera Singer
Dominique Pinon	...	Auguste Lefebvre
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Chloé Girard
Christian Rauth	...	Furniture Dealer
Delphine Lanson	...	Femme de Ménage
Noémie Lvovsky	...	Dr. Florence Horowitz
Stéphane De Groodt	...	Philippe
Jean-Christophe Allais	...	Jean-Christophe
Jocelyne Vignon	...	Chef
Nathalie Bernas	...	Younger Kissing Couple

Storyline

Mathias, a penniless fifty-odd-year-old New Yorker, lands in Paris. Both cynical and at the end of his tether, he looks forward to selling the mansion house his late father owned in the Marais district. But what he finds out there just appalls him: his secretive dad had never told him he had acquired the property as a life lease, a typically French custom he never heard of. As a consequence, not only will poor Mathias be unable to sell the house into cash (at least as long as Mathilde stays alive) but he will have to pay the old lady a pension into the bargain...!

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Plot Keywords:

apartment | dysfunctional family | cheating husband | cheating wife | selling an apartment | 

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Taglines:

He's in the will. She's in the way.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material and some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 2014 (UK)

Also Known As:

Mi vieja y querida dama

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$124,680, 12 September 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,011,530, 9 January 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films, Cohen Media Group, Deux Chevaux Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This picture reunites Kevin Kline and Kristin Scott Thomas for the second time as love interests. They starred in Life as a House (2001) together first.

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Goofs

Lefebvre says he bought his boat with a viager and that he was lucky because the owner died six days later. Under French law the seller must live for at least 20 days after the contracts are signed.

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Quotes

Mathias Gold: A perfect flower is nearly old.

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Crazy Credits

Midway through the credits, Mathias reveals his final decision on what he will do with the apartment and why. Additionally, after the end credits Mathias asks LeFebvre where he learned to speak English.

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Connections

References Roman de gare (2007)

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Soundtracks

La ci darem la mano
(uncredited)
from "Don Giovanni"
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

Gentle drama with some stunning performances

The plot is unusual to a point and interesting. The main characters are flawless and there are some auxiliary ones that are also quite memorable. I thoroughly enjoyed the tad sentimental and contrived story, the relatively quick build up set the scene quickly, and after that the layers got peeled away revealing new story lines, making the entire film very enjoyable for the whole of its duration. However, this website forces one to make the review last more than ten lines of text which is ridiculous. If there is nothing more to say, it is surely better to keep it short and sweet than to carry on churning words for the sake of it. IMDb should urgently consider changing this silly rule.