If you’ve heard anything about The Lady in the Van, you won’t be surprised to hear that I think Maggie Smith is fucking fantastic. In this “mostly true story” written by celebrated playwright Alan Bennett, Smith portrays Miss Shepherd, a homeless woman who parked her van in Bennett’s driveway for 15 years. Smith’s demeanor and turns of mood are convincing and complicated. Her face, expressive as always, works especially hard during her many scenes shot inside the van. And it doesn’t rest entirely on her acting—the character, first performed by Smith onstage in London in 1999, is written beautifully, revealed slowly in layers over the course of the film…