Nov 25th
The Lady in the Van* (12A)    

(Odeon Colchester)

An elderly spinster parks her van in Alan Bennett's front garden, and remains there for 15 years.
Acceptable "opening out" of Bennett's semi-memoir, a typically eccentric work (although most of the story is true), keeping the stage play's tricksy device of two Alan Bennetts (although the real one narrating would have improved the cinematic verisimilitude), and therefore adding nothing new, beyond being a pleasant record of the original and of Maggie Smith's vintage performance.

Written by: Alan Bennett, from his play.
Producers: Kevin Loader, Nicholas Hytner, Damian Jones.
Director: Nicholas Hytner.
Starring: Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent, Roger Allam, Deborah Findlay, Gwen Taylor (as Bennett's mother), Frances de la Tour, David Calder, Clare Hammond (as young Miss Shepherd), Stephen Campbell Moore, Dominic Cooper, James Corden.
Photography: Andrew Dunn.
Music: George Fenton.

+ the entire cast of The History Boys appear in guest cameos (the late Richard Griffiths appears in a still photograph).