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Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day |
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Tuesday, 11 March 2008 |
 Amy Adams’ Delysia needs some romantic advice from Frances McDormand in ''Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.'' (Courtesy photo)
Senior citizens are not the usual candidates for movie comedies today, but not many have Oscar winner Frances McDormand’s comedic talents. She makes “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” a young people’s movie with her acting talent and sense of humor.
Guinevere Pettigrew (McDormand) is a governess who was just fired and for no apparent reason. She has to hustle to find a new job to pay her bills for the first time in over 20 years, and she thought she was well past that part of her life. Desperate, she reacts in an unorthodox way by taking an employment assignment meant for someone much younger.
She goes to a fancy apartment for the interview and finds herself in a social world she never experienced before. She is now working for successful singer-actress Delysia LaFosse (Amy Adams from “Enchanted”), mainly to help Delysia cope with her love life.
Delysia has three suitors. Michael (Lee Pace) is a pianist. Nightclub owner Nick (Mike Strong) is a bossy bully, and Joe (Ciaran Hinds) is a gentleman designer who happens to be engaged to Edythe (Shirley Henderson). His engagement doesn’t stop him from admiring Delysia, and, to complicate matters and further the plot at the same time, Edythe thinks Miss Pettigrew has designs on Joe, and he is the man she wanted for herself.
The fight is on, and may the best man (and woman) win.
Since Miss Pettigrew gets to live for a day (per the title), you can figure out the rest. The fun is watching it happen in a typically funny Frances McDormand way. She has one of the most expressive faces in the movie industry and knows that every one of her scowls, smiles and giggles develop her character.
In this film, she also has good support. The male characters respond with knowing facial expressions to fill in the blanks, not that there are very many of them.
The key to appreciating “Miss Pettigrew” is to accept her problems with the same confidence she has. There is never any doubt that Miss Pettigrew won’t come through when the situation demands it. Neither are there doubts that she won’t use her infectious smile to let the audience know she intends to stay in control of her character, her delightfully humorous dialogue and the overall movie itself.
The setting itself is one of the characters. It offers the necessary contrast in both social position and job opportunities for a woman like Miss Pettigrew when she realizes that it’s time for her to make every day
count.
Studio rating: PG-13
Bob says: “What a woman!”
3 Stars
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