Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)

I adore this movie. Every time I see it, I fall in love with the characters, the performers, the music, and staging all over again. Amy Adams continues to amaze, but Francis McDormand is so utterly charming that I can't take my eyes off her. Ciaran Hinds and Lee Pace as the love interests hit just the right notes. But my best praise goes to the director, Bharat Nalluri, who directs it like a stage play and sells it like a movie. This film is so inspiring, chic, and self effacing that I am putting it in my personal cue so on bad days, I can watch it and feel inspired again. See it if you like bold panache, lyrical music, big band sounds, handsome acting, and sumptuous decor. Merci!

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.

A late-'30s-era London governess hired to work in the home of a high- profile nightclub chanteuse gets a taste of the good life when she is assigned the task of sorting out the singer's many unseemly affairs in a period comedy entitled Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day,a romantic comedy film directed by Bharat Nalluri.The movie stars Frances McDormand and Amy Adams together with Ciarán Hinds and Lee Pace. The screenplay by David Magee and Simon Beaufoy is based on the novel of the same title by Winifred Watson.Frances McDormand portrays Miss Pettigrew, whose inability to hold a job in London as a governess compromises her well-being shortly before England's entry in World War II. Finessing her way into a position as social secretary to a young, American gold-digger and singer named Delysia Lafosse, the starving Miss Pettigrew finds herself at the center of a whirlwind that is her new employer's life. Hemmed in by lovers and suitors--including a young, theatrical producer looking to cast one of his pleasing girlfriends in a plum role; a creepy nightclub owner in whose flat Delysia lives; and a pianist who genuinely loves her. Delysia needs a map to figure out how to navigate through life. Miss Pettigrew, who suffered a loss during World War I that she does not speak of, nudges the naive songstress toward wise decisions. But she is at the mercy of Delysia's formidable friend, who knows the truth about her impoverished state and is engaged to a much older man. The latter, a fellow of substance who seems to be meandering through life, falls instantly for the soulful Miss Pettigrew.This is a breezy period comedy carried by the strong performances of Amy Adams and Frances McDormand. Wisely cast, this handsome production is a delightful farcical fairy tale, bolstered by moments of depth and emotion.Also,it is a well-acted comedy with enough old-fashioned qualities to make it an enjoyable experience for long-standing audiences that is happens to be an undeniably entertaining film due to its pacey direction.

I stumbled over this gem on IMDb. I wonder why I hadn't heard of it before. It is the story of a penniless nanny (McDormand) who had nothing but bad luck and seems to have reached a dead end in her life. Then she enters the life of a singer and wannabe star who keeps herself busy dating several men at once and throwing lavish parties (Adams). Unlikely as it seems, McDormand has just the skills Adams was looking for to manage her chaotic life and help her pursue her dreams. What first caught me in this movie is the wonderful setting in the 1930s with elegant costumes, old fashioned cars and classy music and parties. Then, of course, it is the sweetness of Amy Adams who first seems careless and self-centered, but actually has a heart of gold. How she enters a room, how she relaxes on a sofa, how she performs on stage - exactly how you would imagine a 1930s starlet, sweet and sexy. In the end, the story is light-hearted, keeps you interested, and all actors fit very well in their roles. But what makes this movie shine out of the multitude of enjoyable but quickly forgotten flicks, is Frances McDormand's performance. She gives a credible and stunning performance. I found myself hoping all through the movie that she gets what she deserves - especially a bite to eat, finally (her hunt for food certainly makes for the best comedic scenes of the movie)! She plays a smart woman who despite all setbacks never gave herself up and who just needed a little push to discover her own abilities. This push she receives by Amy Adams and the (in my opinion not handsome, but in this movie from his first scene on utterly charming) Ciaran Hinds.