The Lady in the Van

2015 PG-13 1h 44m Blu-ray / DVD

The Lady in the Van

2015 PG-13 1h 44m Blu-ray / DVD
  • Overview
  • Details
In this touching human drama adapted from writer Alan Bennett's bestselling memoir, he befriends the elderly Miss Shepherd, who's living in a van that's been parked in his driveway for 15 years.
Cast
Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent, Frances de la Tour, Roger Allam, Deborah Findlay, Gwen Taylor, Pandora Colin, Nicholas Burns, David Calder, Marion Bailey, Cecilia Noble, Claire Foy
Director
Nicholas Hytner
Format
Blu-ray DVD
Screen
Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1
Subtitles
English, Spanish (Neutral), French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Korean, Thai
CC
Yes
Audio
English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish (Neutral): Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese (Brazilian): Dolby Digital 5.1, Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
Screen
Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1
Subtitles
English, Spanish (Neutral), French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Korean, Thai, Indonesian
CC
Yes
Audio
English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish (Neutral): Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese (Brazilian): Dolby Digital 5.1, Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
Rating
PG-13 - Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious. Some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers. PG-13 - Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious. Some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers.
age 13+
Common Sense rating OK for kids 13+
age 13+

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that The Lady in the Van is an adaptation of English playwright/author/actor Alan Bennett's diary, memoir, and play about his unusual friendship with Mary Shepherd, an elderly homeless woman who convinced him to let her park her ramshackle van in his London driveway ... for 15 years. Directed by Bennett's friend and longtime artistic collaborator, Nicholas Hytner, and starring Maggie Smith (who also played Mary in the play and TV versions of the story), the movie is an appealing tale of a unique inter-generational friendship. There are a couple of brief shots of a dead body (one bloody, one peaceful) and some subtle allusions to Alan's amorous late-night visits from younger men (though not even kissing is shown), as well as an uncharacteristic utterance of the expletive "f--king." Otherwise, this is a character study and relationship drama about how sometimes the unlikeliest people can change your life.

Sexual Content

Alan subtly flirts with younger men, some of whom "visit" at night, but no sex or even kissing is shown.

Violence

Two potentially disturbing scenes: As the film opens, a bicyclist crashes into a van and falls down dead with a bloody head wound (this scene is repeated later in the film); later, a dead character is shown peacefully "asleep."

Language

A couple of uses of "f--king" and a few British curses like "bloody," "bleeding," "sodding," and "sod off."

Social Behavior

Messages about the importance of friendship, the knowledge that everyone has an inner life (and a back story that's not always apparent to others), and the idea that some people want to help others in the abstract but just aren't up for it in the day to day.

Consumerism

Bedford van.

Drugs / Tobacco / Alcohol

Adults toast at a dinner/get together.

  • Age appropriate
  • Not an issue
  • Depends on your child and your family
  • Parents strongly cautioned
  • Not appropriate for kids of the age

This information for parents is provided by Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving kids' media lives.

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