Maggie Smith works her magic on flawed 'Lady'

"The Lady in the Van" stars recent "Harry Potter" regular Maggie Smith in Nicholas Hytner's adaptation of Alan Bennett's 1999 black comedy based on "a mostly true story" about Mary Shepherd (Smith), an aging homeless woman who parks her broken-down, yellow van in a London playwright's driveway for 15 years.

At the story's start, many years earlier, we watch a much younger Mary fleeing from the cops in her van, with fresh blood smeared over a broken windshield.

Clearly, the guilt suffered as a result of this accident pushes Mary into emotional trauma verging on mental illness. A comedy centered around this hurting, damaged woman probably worked much better on a stage than it does in the more literal medium of movies.

It doesn't help that the story's resident playwright, Bennett, gets a Noel Cowardly treatment by being divided into two characters: one the real Bennett, the other his fanciful playwright self.

The first does stuff. The clone wryly comments on what the first one does and occasionally writes things down for later use. Both Bennetts are played with cool British reserve by Alex Jennings.

Here, the medium of movies provides an ideal format for Jennings to work rather well with himself in the same frame.

As Charlotte Rampling's performance gives us a reason to see "45 Years," Smith's fully committed performance as the psychologically tormented Mary becomes the dramatic crux of "The Lady in the Van."

Smith played Mary on the stage first, allowing her an unusual opportunity to hone her performance down to tiny twitches and curled lips.

She pumps this lady with as much humanity and quiet humor as the material allows.