‘My Old Lady’ review

Kevin Kline and Maggie Smith

Mathias Gold (Kevin Kline) arrives at what used to be a grand home in Paris. His father has died and left his middle-aged son a gold watch and the apartment. Mathias intends to sell the residence and move on with his life. After three failed marriages, he needs a fresh start. He blames his late father, an adulterer, for his own failures.
Mathias enters the home and discovers an elderly woman, Mathilde Girard (Maggie Smith), and her daughter, Chloé (Kristin Scott Thomas), a teacher, living there. Mathilde informs him that, because of the ancient French system of viager, he cannot take possession of the house or sell it until she dies. What’s more, he must pay her over 2,000 euros a month, whether or not he lives there. Mathilde takes his gold watch as next month’s rent.

Refusing to be thwarted, Mathias seeks out a real estate agent, which complicates matters further. As he tries to outwit Chloé, Mathias discovers she is having an affair with a married man. He uses this information to blackmail her. They are both unhappy, middle-aged adults who cannot forgive their fathers.

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