Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (27 March 2008)
directed by Bharat Nalluri
starring Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Ciarán Hinds, Shirley Henderson, Lee Pace, Tom Payne, Mark Strong, Christina Cole, Stephanie Cole, Claire Clifford
|
MPAA rating: Studio: Keylight Entertainment Group, Kudos Productions Ltd. Script: David Magee, Simon Beaufoy Based on the book by: Winifred Watson Music: Paul Englishby Running time: 92 minutes Tags: 1930s; blackmail; Comedy; dresses; fashion designers; lingerie; London; love triangles; new job; novel apaptation; pianos; Romance; swing music Tactical strength: [7/10]
|
for some partial nudity and innuendo
In the 1930s, a class of London citizens lead the high life, moving from club to club and worrying about being seen with the right people. Meanwhile, the lower classes struggled to find jobs and often stood in soup lines for a meager meal. Miss Guinevere PettigrewMcDormand) gets sacked from her third job as a governess, and her employment agency refuses to send her out on another assignment. Sneaking a job listing from the agency manager's desk, Miss Pettigrew shows up at the flat of Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams) under the misimpression that Miss Lafosse needs a governess. Miss Lafosse had, in fact, requested a social secretary in an attempt to keep up appearances as her rival Charlotte Warren (Christina Cole). Delysia has complicated her life by entertaining three men: Nick (Mark Strong) the owner of the club where Delysia sings and of the flat where Delysia lives, Phil (Tom Payne) the daddy's-boy theater producer whom Delysia wants to seduce into casting her as the lead in his next play, and Michael (Lee Pace) the pianist for Nick's club for whom Delysia probably has the most sincere feelings.
Miss Pettigrew skillfully manipulates Delysia's beaus, and Delysia takes Miss Pettigrew out shopping to replace her plain governess dress with something more stylish. At a lingerie show, Miss Pettigrew encounters two more of the socialites in Delysia's circle: Joe (Ciarán Hinds) the fashion designer and his ex-fiancee Edythe (Shirley Henderson). Miss Pettigrew starts to realize how Delysia's world works when Edythe (who recognizes Miss Pettigrew from a soup line) threatens to reveal Miss Pettigrew's true background if Miss Pettigrew doesn't work to patch things up between Etythe and Joe. A lot more conniving and back-door dealing goes on than I can easily describe in a short review, but after many changes of heart, awkward revelations, and reconciliations reminiscent of an Oscar Wilde play, Miss Pettigrew finds love and she successfully guides Delysia to sticking with the man that truly means the most to Delysia.
The setting adds to the charm of the film. We watch socialites in tuxedos and evening gowns manage their social life like soldiers planning a tactical assault with a soundtrack of well executed swing music. Really you can't say much more than Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day presents charming characters in a well crafted love polygon. The humor comes easily, the plot never gets too heavy, and you get a double warm-fuzzy feeling as the two leads find true love emerging out of the chaos that swirls around them.
Related Items from Amazon.com
  Paperback |   Soundtrack |   Audio Book |
