Page 26 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • October 8, 2014 ‘My Old Lady’ falters after a promising beginning by Dennis Seuling Mathilde (Maggie Smith) and Mathias (Kevin Kline) reluctantly share a Paris apartment in ‘My Old Lady.’ “My Old Lady” is predicated on an odd French law. Based on his own stage play, writer/director Israel Horovitz uses this law as the catalyst that brings together three individuals who share a common past and attempt to make the best of an awk- ward situation. Mathias Gold (Kevin Kline) arrives in Paris from New York to claim a large apart- ment he inherited from his late father, but discovers that it is inhabited by 92-year-old Mathilde Girard (Maggie Smith) and her daughter Chloe (Kristen Scott Thomas). The apartment is a “viager,” meaning the longtime tenant has the right to stay there until she dies. Mathias, who is broke, had hoped to sell the apartment and make a killing, since a large Paris flat is premium real estate. Blindsided by the French law, he tries to work out an arrangement with Mathilde and Chloe, only to find them hos- tile and resistant to his suggestions. Mme. Girard knows the law, knows her rights, and will not be budged. Smith turns in a surprisingly subdued performance as the aged Mathilde. The script fails to provide her with those great asides and observations that suit her so well on “Downton Abbey.” While the movie is hardly a comedy, there are opportunities to lighten the tone that are completely over- looked. Smith plays the apartment inhabit- ant with a combination of grandmotherly sweetness and tough-as-nails resolve, but the role is not worth her time and energy. Mathilde may have a few secrets, but the character is not all that interesting and the viewer never truly connects with her. Mathias comes to Paris virtually pen- niless. His father left him only the apart- ment, so he looks to it as a valuable real estate commodity and has already lined up a potential buyer. To Mathilde and Chloe, the apartment is home and contains memo- ries. A battle of wills between Chloe and Mathias uncovers secrets from the past that shed new light on a supposedly untenable position. Thomas brings a good deal of fire to her role, which nicely contrasts with Kline’s low-key performance. When she is on screen, dramatic sparks at least ignite for a time. When she is off screen, the movie plods along. “My Old Lady” is a gloomy film -- not so much in subject matter as in look. Shot in dimly lit rooms or under overcast skies, the film does little to burnish the reputa- tion of Paris as the City of Lights. Lots of potential is squandered. Horovitz’s theatri- cal background helps with performances, but never departs from traditional editing in dialogue exchanges, sticking with tried- and-true objective photography. He sets almost all of the film’s scenes in the apart- ment, only briefly taking his cameras out- side. Viewers see little of Paris other than a glimpse of the Seine and a few narrow streets to establish location. Overall, the movie is stagey and visually unimagina- tive. Rated PG-13, “My Old Lady” is disap- pointing. When an actor of Smith’s caliber comes off so-so, it is clear that the script was lacking and the director simply did not take advantage of her talent. After a prom- ising beginning, the film meanders along and eventually runs out of dramatic steam.