Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)

O Masterpiece
O Excellent
X Rental
O OK
O Mediocrity
O Avoid

Review by Jason Pyles / March 12, 2008

“Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” is an endearing comedy for adults, after the manner of magical nanny movies, except Miss Pettigrew is neither magical nor a nanny. She’s a social secretary … kind of.

Great Britain is on the brink of entering a fray called World War II. In the midst of the wartime worry, Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) works for Miss Holt’s Employment Agency, presumably as a housekeeper or an all-purpose assistant to London’s wealthiest, snootiest residents.

But Pettigrew’s poverty and down-to-earth demeanor prove problematic, so Miss Holt (Stephanie Cole) fires her. On the way out the door, Pettigrew swipes one last assignment for a client named Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams).

Lafosse is in desperate need of a social secretary. She is a loveable tart whose ambitious wants are typically provided by fulfilling her suitors’ “needs.” Yes, her schedule can hardly accommodate her promiscuity, as she often double- and triple- books her part-time lovers and full-time fiend.

The fiend is her boss, Nick (Mark Strong), who owns the Scarlet Peacock, the nightclub where Lafosse sings, as her true love, Michael (Lee Pace), accompanies her on the piano. But Lafosse is an aspiring actress who desperately desires to land the lead role in a musical called “Pile on the Pepper,” which will be playing at The Ambassador Theatre, owned by the father of her third beau, Phil (Tom Payne).

Having helplessly fallen into the madness, Pettigrew develops an uncanny knack for being a social secretary. She skillfully navigates her new client through her advantageous love-life. Zaniness erupts as Pettigrew’s wicked web is woven around Lafosse’s wily wishes.

Amy Adams’ Delysia Lafosse character is very much like her ditzy, bright-eyed Giselle from “Enchanted,” except she’s no innocent princess this time. And Frances McDormand illustrates acting versatility when comparing her performance as Miss Pettigrew with her performance as Marge Gunderson in “Fargo” (1996).

And though the two actresses’ shared screen-time is the intended pleasure of the film, the best actors’ duets take place when McDormand is onscreen with Ciarán Hinds, who plays Joe, a women’s lingerie designer. There is a brief, performance-perfect moment when the two discuss their dread of the oncoming war because of their memories from the first one.

“Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” is well done. It’s the kind of movie whose characters say “jeepers” and cheerfully ends with “The End.” With its fast-paced dialogue and rapid plot developments, it neatly transpires within a 24-hour period of time. And its occasional, 360-degree swirling shots make its cinematography noteworthy, as well.

But “Miss Pettigrew” is not a family film, as some seem to think. Its partial nudity, which presents both a male and a female backside, and its pervasive innuendo make it a movie the kids should probably skip, even though much of it would be over their heads. And despite the film’s undeniable delightfulness, “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” is a perfectly fine viewing choice for a rental, but it’s not necessary to catch it in the theater.

Directed by Bharat Nalluri
Frances McDormand / Amy Adams / Ciarán Hinds
Comedy 92 min.
MPAA: PG-13 (for some partial nudity and innuendo)

U.S. Release Date: March 7, 2008
Copyright 2008: 256