My Old Lady

"In transferring his stage play to the screen for his debut movie, Israel Horovitz shoots on location in Paris. Yet rather than exploiting the City of Light, what we get is a predominantly apartment-bound, melodramatic rom-com, which never escapes its stagey roots. Shame, but then, when your lead actors are Kevin Kline, Maggie Smith and Kristin Scott Thomas, why worry?"

"The film never manages to transcend its actors-workshop aura and develop into something deeper."

"It's too twee and theatrical to take seriously."

"The performances go a long way toward camouflaging the screenplay's clunky mechanics. Mr. Kline's performance, in particular, infuses a story of father-son strife with emotional heat."

"It's solidly predictable and somewhat grating, only partially redeemed by a reliably watchable cast."

"It only becomes truly compelling in its second half, as Horovitz drives toward darker material and farther away from the light."

"Whatever qualms one might have... it should be warmly greeted by grown-up moviegoers seeking adult but not overly weighty material."

"Playing away from the strengths of its experience cast, this is muddled and charmless."