Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
(B or 3/4 stars)
'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day' is a comedy directed by Bharat Nalluri. Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand), a middle-aged London governess, gets fired from her job. Homeless, penniless, & with no food, she thrusts herself into the glamorous (or so she thinks) social world of an American singer-actress, Delysia Lafosse (adorable Amy Adams). Over the course of 1 day, these women will empower each other to discover their romantic destinies. The manic energy in 1st half of the screenplay is a detriment. But the 2nd half of the film is very, very nice. Brisk, sweet & light ... this female buddy flick is no more than a pleasant diversion.
London, 1939: World War II looms, casting a shadow over the country's poverty-stricken/unemployed masses. One such is Guinevere Pettigrew. Tired of soup kitchens and sleeping in train stations, the desperate Miss Pettigrew (a vicar's daughter) knows that she must seize the day. How does she do this? By intercepting an employment assignment, Guinevere scurries off to Delysia Lafosse's apartment to be her social secretary. Perplexed by what she finds, it appears that the flibbertigibbet that is Ms. Lafosse is juggling 3 different boyfriends at one time! And it initially 'appears' that all of them are in her life to further her career prospects. With great timing & precision, Miss Pettigrew brings order to Delysia's chaotic love life by using her quick wit.
Delysia's 3 beaus: Nick (Mark Strong) is the man who owns the night club that she sings in. Michael (Lee Pace, fascinating actor) is the penniless piano player at the club. And Phil (Tom Payne) is the producer of a West End play that she wants to star in. It's obvious to us that Michael is the one for her; theirs is the only relationship that's actually rooted on love. But the other gentlemen could further her career. Most of the plot involves Guinevere trying to hone Delysia in on the real man that she should be with. But a good deal of the plot also involves Guinevere's possible love life. Swept into the high society milieu, Miss Pettigrew finds herself attracted to clothes designer, Joe (Ciaran Hinds). However, he's betrothed to a cantankerous store owner, Edythe (Shirley Henderson). Love triangles abound.
Edythe schemes to undermine Guinevere; she knows that this woman is NOT a social secretary. Because of this, a disenchanted Guinevere fears, not only that she may be fired once again, but that her feelings for Joe may also head down a dead end. Meanwhile, Delysia divulges to Guinevere the real reasons why she acts as she does. With similar upbringings, and similar things at stake (in life), Delysia realizes that Miss Pettigrew is not only her secretary, but also a friend. Some serious topics arise here. And in this one critical day, it's up to Guinevere to steer Delysia in the right direction. With war on the horizon, it's more important to live for 'love' than to aim for the stars. Everything culminates in a GREAT climax at the club that Delysia sings at. Even the syrupy last scene is effective.
This film works because the 2 lead actresses compliment each other so well. Each character possesses strengths that the other one lacks. Delysia is full of life, if not a bit flighty, and Guinevere is the rational, grounded one; she has integrity. You pull for both of them. Ciaran Hinds is (for once, not playing a heavy) charming as the suave businessman. The period setting, production design, big band music, & costumes aid the screenplay extremely well. And yet, you also feel that they are there to cover up the contrivances in the plot. As mentioned, the last half of the film is better because it tones down its overbearing exuberance by trying not to impress so hard. All said & done, it's a very nice film for a particular brand of movie-goer.
London, 1939: World War II looms, casting a shadow over the country's poverty-stricken/unemployed masses. One such is Guinevere Pettigrew. Tired of soup kitchens and sleeping in train stations, the desperate Miss Pettigrew (a vicar's daughter) knows that she must seize the day. How does she do this? By intercepting an employment assignment, Guinevere scurries off to Delysia Lafosse's apartment to be her social secretary. Perplexed by what she finds, it appears that the flibbertigibbet that is Ms. Lafosse is juggling 3 different boyfriends at one time! And it initially 'appears' that all of them are in her life to further her career prospects. With great timing & precision, Miss Pettigrew brings order to Delysia's chaotic love life by using her quick wit.
Delysia's 3 beaus: Nick (Mark Strong) is the man who owns the night club that she sings in. Michael (Lee Pace, fascinating actor) is the penniless piano player at the club. And Phil (Tom Payne) is the producer of a West End play that she wants to star in. It's obvious to us that Michael is the one for her; theirs is the only relationship that's actually rooted on love. But the other gentlemen could further her career. Most of the plot involves Guinevere trying to hone Delysia in on the real man that she should be with. But a good deal of the plot also involves Guinevere's possible love life. Swept into the high society milieu, Miss Pettigrew finds herself attracted to clothes designer, Joe (Ciaran Hinds). However, he's betrothed to a cantankerous store owner, Edythe (Shirley Henderson). Love triangles abound.
Edythe schemes to undermine Guinevere; she knows that this woman is NOT a social secretary. Because of this, a disenchanted Guinevere fears, not only that she may be fired once again, but that her feelings for Joe may also head down a dead end. Meanwhile, Delysia divulges to Guinevere the real reasons why she acts as she does. With similar upbringings, and similar things at stake (in life), Delysia realizes that Miss Pettigrew is not only her secretary, but also a friend. Some serious topics arise here. And in this one critical day, it's up to Guinevere to steer Delysia in the right direction. With war on the horizon, it's more important to live for 'love' than to aim for the stars. Everything culminates in a GREAT climax at the club that Delysia sings at. Even the syrupy last scene is effective.
This film works because the 2 lead actresses compliment each other so well. Each character possesses strengths that the other one lacks. Delysia is full of life, if not a bit flighty, and Guinevere is the rational, grounded one; she has integrity. You pull for both of them. Ciaran Hinds is (for once, not playing a heavy) charming as the suave businessman. The period setting, production design, big band music, & costumes aid the screenplay extremely well. And yet, you also feel that they are there to cover up the contrivances in the plot. As mentioned, the last half of the film is better because it tones down its overbearing exuberance by trying not to impress so hard. All said & done, it's a very nice film for a particular brand of movie-goer.