Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)

Truly Dreadful Film

Admirable film.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Amy Adams must be an aficionado on costume dramas with a certain fairy tale theme to them. Not too long ago, she starred in another one called "Enchanted" in which she carried her charm, elegance and uplifting talent to both films, she was the principal reason why "Enchanted" and "Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day" so enjoyable to watch. The film is saturated with equal amounts of whimsical moments along with some well-intended romance. The Great Depression era London setting adds just the right amount offers a bittersweet, but yet touching moments of lightness making the settings less stressful. It's seems strangely odds for a story to have a romantic feel considering what time period this movie is set in. In spite of the decade of financial struggling and human suffering, "Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day" succeeds to have a feel- good approach and make you sit through without a worry in the world. Unlike "Enchanted", this movie had a tad bit more adult themes to it. Sure there's no real violence or vulgarity in the film, there are some brief nude moments including some suggestive positions from Adams and Tom Payne does exploit his rear end but at least it was brief and was quickly covered up. In some ways the character of Miss Pettigrew can be a hybrid of two characters from the classic fairy tale Cinderella as both the girl sporting the glass slippers and the fairy godmother who turned the doubtful into something possible. Set in London during the Great Depression in its later stages and with war just around the corner along with the woes of poverty and unemployment. Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) is a poor soul who's a nanny with limited skills is among the many who are destitute striving for food and employment. She eats out of soup kitchens and sleeps in train depots. Good fortunes come her way as she steals a job application from her former agency and is offered a job as a social secretary though she misinterpreted as another nanny position. When she shows up at the door of singer/performer Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams) she becomes perplexed. Nonetheless Miss Pettigrew gets adjusted to her position and becomes a commodity to her employer's overwhelming agenda and her equally harried life. There are three suitors who want to win her love. There's the nightclub owner Nick Calderelli (Mark Strong), there's the theatre producer Phil Goldman (Tom Payne) who would like to cast her in the lead role at the West End and then there's the penniless pianist ex- con Michael Pardue (Lee Pace). We all know who'll be the winner here. While Miss Pettigrew patches Delysia's situations, she's also caught in a love triangle of her own. She becomes smitten by a handsome, debonair lingerie designer named Joe Blomfield (Ciaran Hinds), but in her way is the stuck-up store owner named Edythe Dubarry (Shirley Henderson) There are two essential elements as to why this movie works on so many levels. For starters, the script was well executed by writer David McGee and Simon Beaufoy based off the novel of the same title by Winifred Watson. McGee and Beaufoy truly bring the characters to life as we are able to compare the advantages and disadvantages that both Miss Pettigrew and Delysia possess. Delysia lives the higher grounds of life flaunting everyday like it counts while Miss Petigrew remains grounded and low-key. They respect each other and form a certain bond like in the male versions of buddy movies. The other thing that works splendidly in this film were the performances. Every performer turned in a solid acting job and made their respected characters come to life. Adams was excellent as the energetic free-spirited actor singer while McDormand is very effective as the polar opposite. Lee Pace douses us with his likeness as the rightful underdog who gets the girl. Ciaran Hinds breaks away from villainous characters to play a more likable character which is quite refreshing. And Shirley Henderson is very wonderful in what could've been a one-dimensional bitchy character into making her with a dose of humanity. There's a lot to love about "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day". Keeps itself in an optimistic mindset from an era that was anything but, is very authentic with big band music and stunning costumes to fit the time period. It reflects serious humane issues like Miss Pettigrew helping her employer not fall in despair lie her. Adams steps up her game in her performance as always bringing life to her character. This truly is 90 minutes of time well spent.

Purchased as a closeout DVD, I hadn't a clue about the movie other than my respect for its leading actresses. Even then, I didn't open and play it for months. An absolute delight. The NY Times likened it to French farce; I agree and would throw in English comedy of manners, reflected in the whimsical titles: little letters that dance around until everything falls into place.The acting is wonderful- an ensemble effort with excellent portrayals of slightly over-the-top characters. The intelligent, poignant but sweet writing carries the day: simple and from the heart. Direction is fast paced with quick angles and swings, ordinarily techniques I wouldn't like, but here they carry the story, rather than just leaving me dizzy. The film is well crafted and cohesive from script to music, lighting and costuming to every foot hitting its mark in tempo and on beat. A delightful period piece, there was a tear in my eye and suspension of disbelief. It is sincere storytelling that wraps you in its arms and dances every dance.Like Miss Pettigrew, I watched alone, but the film was a wonderful partner and a romantic date I shall long remember.Charming!

Seems so nostalgically Allen. the dark humor. the flawless acting - marvelous actually. the casting - Wow!! the vintage scenery, costumes- except Mark Strong// Not sure why they decided to outfit him with the ill fitting jacket - totally out of tune with the 1930's Milanese London couture!the music, just mellifluous!are you sure? To me at least, there were ample flavours of Allen.Either way, a very mice movie. Well cast, well acted and obviously well directed.Bharat - nalla irikka - awesome job!! Keep up the good work and pump out more of these fantastic products.

The wacky opening third of this film didn't impress me...not that it didn't have its moments. So, I almost didn't continue watching. But. I'm glad I did...the film becomes more and more charming as the story shifts from the young ones to Miss Pettigrew.One of the challenging things about liking this film is that most of the characters -- all young -- are quite unlikable, and incredibly shallow. So you have to keep in mind that that is one of the main points of the film, and it becomes most apparent after the military planes fly over (keep in mind, this is in the time leading up to World War II) and Miss Pettigrew points out to Joe (Ciarán Hinds) that the young ones don't remember the last war.Frances McDormand is superb as Guinevere Pettigrew, who begins as a unemployed frumpy maid who has hit bottom and eating at a soup kitchen, quickly works her way up to social secretary, and becomes quite alluring to Joe...all in just one day. She does so, quite accidentally, by befriending a rather loose young woman who appears to not have a brain in her head (played by Amy Adams). By the way, you'll think McDormand is British if you're not familiar with her work (as I wasn't), but she American.I was not impressed with Adams, but that was probably due to the shallowness of the character, rather than the acting...but again, the character is supposed to be shallow. Lee Pace -- as one of the suitors of Adams -- was another actor I thought I was not familiar with, who turns in a decent performance here. Tom Payne is quite energetic as another of the suitors, and I imagine we will be seeing much more of him in the future...and he is actually British.However, the most key actor (aside from McDormand) who made this film successful was Ciarán Hinds, an older Irish actor whom I have only begun to appreciate recently. Without him in this film, it might have been a bore, rather than a charming love story.This really is quite a delightful adult love story. Recommended.