Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
| Year: | 2008 |
| Production Co: | Keylight Entertainment Group |
| Studio: | Focus Features |
| Director: | Bharat Nalluri |
| Cast: | Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Cirian Hinds |
It's not usually like Frances McDormand to appear in a fluffy comedy, and you might be surprised by how vacuously unchallenging (in a nice way) Miss Pettigrew is.
She's a Mary Poppins-like figure, an impoverished and dour nanny in pre-war London who has trouble keeping a job, but who fakes her way into the graces of local socialite and aspiring actress Delysia (Adams, making mincemeat of her smalltown American girl made good role).
Trying to manage three boyfriends at once, Delysia finds herself in an urgent position and straight away latches on to Pettigrew to help fool them all. Over the course of the day she poses as Delysia's social secretary, trying to navigate high society with dignity intact and get something to eat.
The camaraderie between the women is honest and warm, and the screwball comedy pacing makes you forget any shortcomings. The design and look has a rich texture that really invokes the period, which further lifts the story about its rom-com origins.
She's a Mary Poppins-like figure, an impoverished and dour nanny in pre-war London who has trouble keeping a job, but who fakes her way into the graces of local socialite and aspiring actress Delysia (Adams, making mincemeat of her smalltown American girl made good role).
Trying to manage three boyfriends at once, Delysia finds herself in an urgent position and straight away latches on to Pettigrew to help fool them all. Over the course of the day she poses as Delysia's social secretary, trying to navigate high society with dignity intact and get something to eat.
The camaraderie between the women is honest and warm, and the screwball comedy pacing makes you forget any shortcomings. The design and look has a rich texture that really invokes the period, which further lifts the story about its rom-com origins.