In “Woman in Gold,” Helen Mirren gives a strong performance in the true story of a woman trying to reclaim art stolen from her family by the Nazis.

Since the release of the 2006 documentary “The Rape of Europa,” the Nazis’ wholesale theft of art from Jewish families has drawn interest from filmmakers and audiences. Last year, George Clooney tried to craft a fictional film, “The Monuments Men,” about the Allied team of art experts trying to recover art the Nazis stole, with the same team of experts featured in the documentary, but Clooney’s effort fell flat. 

“Woman in Gold” succeeds by focusing on one woman’s effort to recover paintings stolen from her family home by the Nazis.

Maria Altmann (Mirren) was the daughter of wealthy Jewish parents living with extended family in a spacious home in Vienna when the Nazis showed up and were welcomed by the Austrian government. Years later, Maria is an elegant, aging widow living modestly in Los Angeles when her sister passes away, bequeathing her boxes of family memorabilia. 

Among the letters Maria finds is one that makes her think that it might be possible, after all these years, to reclaim a portrait of her beloved Aunt Adele, a painting the Nazis snatched off the wall of her family home. With no money for a lawyer, Maria asks an old friend whether the friend’s young lawyer son can look at the document and tell her whether there is a chance to get the painting back given the Austrian government’s new policy of restoring stolen art.

Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds) is focused on his new position at a big law firm. But, pressured by his mother, he agrees to meet with Maria. The problem is that the portrait Maria hopes to recover is   considered Austria’s most prized national art treasure: Gustav Klimt’s gold-leaf adorned “Woman in Gold,” more properly titled “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” — Maria’s beloved Aunt Adele.

Randy tells Maria that the chance of recovery is slim, especially because of her limited finances and the fame of the painting, and she seems resigned to that assessment. But something about the feisty, dignified elderly woman gets under the lawyer’s skin, and he starts to look into the legal situation, uncovering something that makes it look possible. 

The elegant old woman and the slightly rumpled young man find themselves on an unlikely legal quest that takes them to Austria’s governmental corridors and even the U.S. Supreme Court. 

“Woman in Gold” is a quiet little drama about two people trying to achieve long-delayed justice. The drama pits the wishes of a nation to retain what has become a national treasure against a woman for whom that same painting represents a beloved family member. 

The Austrians have made a big show of their commitment to restoring stolen art, but the government and the gallery where the painting now hangs have made it clear they are not giving it up. They just didn’t  count on the strength of one little old Jewish lady and her resourceful, tireless young lawyer. The David-and-Goliath nature of the tale is part of its appeal, along with the unlikely friendship. The narrative is well done although, because it is fact-based, we know where the story eventually goes. It is all about the journey and the people on it. 

Mirren is appealing as quick-witted, sharp-tongued Maria, not a woman to be trifled with. Maria’s manner swings between imperiously demanding and motherly familiar, the kind of woman to upbraid her young lawyer for lack of effort one minute and pick lint off his jacket the next. During the course of their quest, this unlikely pair bond. 

While Mirren is terrific, Reynolds is only adequate as the young lawyer. The relationship works, but a stronger actor in the role would have added a bit more emotional richness. 

Daniel Bruhl provides a nice turn in a small role as a young Austrian who helps the pair. The cast also includes Katie Holmes, Charles Dance, Elizabeth McGovern and Jonathan Pryce.

The film has a clever way of incorporating flashbacks to Maria remembering her childhood and young life, and the camera suddenly showing those memories as she looks around a familiar room or at an old object.

“Woman in Gold” is a satisfying, feel-good movie with a nice performance by Mirren and an intriguing theme of justice and art.