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I'll freely admit right up front that my primary reason for wanting to see Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day was Ciaran Hinds in the cast. That said, there are a lot of other reasons I enjoyed MPLfaD. The performances were all spot-on, particularly the titular character as played by Frances McDormand.
What really made me squee was the eye candy, and for once I'm not talking about the male leads. The sets and costumes were fabulous. The apartment of Miss Pettigrew's employer is some of the most astonishing baroque-Art Deco I've ever seen. (There's a bathroom in which the scene of Venus-on-the-Halfshell is recreated tongue-in-cheek.) And I want to sneak into the wardrobe department in the worst way and make off with several of the hats. OMG, the hats! *moans*
Miss Pettigrew is dismissed from her position as a governess, is told by the head of the employment bureau that she's failed once too often and won't be recommended again. In classic cinema sleight-of-hand, she grabs a job lead from the service and presents herself to Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams). It turns out that Delysia needs a social secretary, not a governess, but by then, the two have bonded and Miss P is kept busy trying to straighten out Delysia's tangled love life---she has a sugar daddy, a theatre director she's wooing for a part, and the piano player who loves her. It's the kind of romantic comedy where you can spot the resolutions from a mile away, but the characters are endearing enough to overlook that.
Certain elements of MPLfaD remind me of favorite films of mine, notably Mrs. Henderson Presents for costumes and sets, Auntie Mame for the flamboyant Delysia and her lavish lifestyle, and a bit of Victor/Victoria for Miss P's hard times and the night club bits---although this isn't a musical; there's one brief musical number, not enough to be annoying.
All in all, it's a charming diversion, and if you can't catch it at your local theater, it's worth putting in your movies-by-mail queue.
What really made me squee was the eye candy, and for once I'm not talking about the male leads. The sets and costumes were fabulous. The apartment of Miss Pettigrew's employer is some of the most astonishing baroque-Art Deco I've ever seen. (There's a bathroom in which the scene of Venus-on-the-Halfshell is recreated tongue-in-cheek.) And I want to sneak into the wardrobe department in the worst way and make off with several of the hats. OMG, the hats! *moans*
Miss Pettigrew is dismissed from her position as a governess, is told by the head of the employment bureau that she's failed once too often and won't be recommended again. In classic cinema sleight-of-hand, she grabs a job lead from the service and presents herself to Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams). It turns out that Delysia needs a social secretary, not a governess, but by then, the two have bonded and Miss P is kept busy trying to straighten out Delysia's tangled love life---she has a sugar daddy, a theatre director she's wooing for a part, and the piano player who loves her. It's the kind of romantic comedy where you can spot the resolutions from a mile away, but the characters are endearing enough to overlook that.
Certain elements of MPLfaD remind me of favorite films of mine, notably Mrs. Henderson Presents for costumes and sets, Auntie Mame for the flamboyant Delysia and her lavish lifestyle, and a bit of Victor/Victoria for Miss P's hard times and the night club bits---although this isn't a musical; there's one brief musical number, not enough to be annoying.
All in all, it's a charming diversion, and if you can't catch it at your local theater, it's worth putting in your movies-by-mail queue.
