In 1973 London, playwright Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) develops an unlikely friendship with Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith), a homeless woman who lives in a van in his driveway.

With the personality of Miss Shepard that is akin to a Attila the Hun, conquering this force with the same personality, will Alan be able to survive?

 

Review

“The Chairman” – Let me first say that I am a big fan of British humour and the general sensibility that they have with the genre.

But this movie left me conflicted, great performances by Maggie Smith (as always) and Alex Jennings…..however the movie itself comes off as the same old British movie you have seen before, which in themselves dont have a high re-watchable factor.

So if you are going to watch this movie, look out for some excellent performances but dont put your hopes on any seeing a radically new take on British movies. 7/10

“Ramz” – This film is carried entirely be the two lead actors. Brilliant performances from Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings captivate the audience with the subtlety of the storytelling.

The film is supposedly loosely based on “almost” true events. This is where the comedy comes in because the main character is actually the writer of the story that this story is based on and the conversations he has with his alter ego. It could easily become confusing but the directing is done with such skill that you are kept in the loop throughout the strange tale even at the end when it goes off into the ridiculous.

Great performances from a strong British cast, well directed, sometimes slow, excellent subtle comedy that only the British know how to do, moments of warmth and tenderness and a cleverly told story makes this worth the watch.

If it wasn’t for the ending that seemed a bit out of place for me, I would have given this film a higher rating. 7 /10

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