Weekend Film Reviews
The Lady in the Van; Youth
The Lady in the Van is wonderfully funny, terribly touching and a vehicle -- with comically dilapidated vehicles -- for the boundless gifts of Maggie Smith. Like Paolo Sorrentino's previous film, The Great Beauty, Youth is full of Fellini-esque flourishes, plus glib existentialism juxtaposed with synthetic optimism.
By Joe Morgenstern • • 3m ListenThe main attraction of The Lady in the Van is always Maggie Smith, a women with multiple identities, at least two other vehicles and a past that goes a long way toward explaining her blighted present.
Paolo Sorrentino's Youth interweaves many themes, none of the trivial and all of them framed by lush cinematography: age and youth, ambition and apathy, the challenge of choosing between horror and desire.
Photo: Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings in The Lady in the Van