That title might lead you to expect a soundtrack from Chas and Dave. Actually, it’s a thoughtful emotional drama, written and directed by the veteran playwright Israel Horovitz. The film is a bit sentimental here and there, but well-acted, and when the cinemas are so full of YA, it’s interesting to get some A: a film for grownups. Kevin Kline plays recovering alcoholic Mathias, who shows up in Paris, having been left a handsome apartment by his father; embittered by failures and disappointments, he is relying on this property to boost his self-esteem. But to his horror, he finds it is a viager: it has a sitting tenant – who sold it for a song on condition that she can stay and receive rent for the rest of her life. This is the 92-year-old Mathilde (Maggie Smith) who regards Mathias with polite, queenly tolerance, though her daughter Chloé (Kristin Scott Thomas) is more disdainful. It is perhaps not too hard to guess the narrative direction of this ménage à trois, but there are ingenious twists along the way and the performances make it watchable. A soft-centred piece of movie confectionery, not without charm.
