Review: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

I don’t know if I’m the only one out there who didn’t really have this movie come up on my radar (admittedly, it’s not the sort of movie I really seek out information on), but if you haven’t heard of it either, allow me to introduce you to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. I’m a bit at a loss for how to describe it, except as excellent. It’s part romantic comedy, part period piece, part screwball comedy, part . . . something else. The basic premise is simple: a woman (Frances McDormand) in depression-era London finds herself at the end of her rope. Completely out of luck, she pretends to be someone else in order to land a job she doesn’t really understand. She thinks she’s going to be a nanny, but she ends up being a social secretary. Whatever that is. Her employer (Amy Adams) is a flighty aspiring American actress. Entertainment ensues.

The movie took a bit long for me to get going, but once it did, I was completely enthralled. The acting was fantastic–particularly by McDormand. The directing made the film feel like it really had been produced in the thirties. It managed to be sweet without being saccharine. Funny and goofy without being ridiculous. Really, I can’t recommend it heartily enough. Three and a half stars–and I even debated ramping it all the way to four. PG13 for some partial nudity and innuendo. Rent it today.

Anyone else out there seen it already? I’d love to hear your take.

4 thoughts on “Review: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day”

  1. I saw it with Mom in FL when I had heard nothing about it previously, and it was such a wonderful surprise. I agree that it’s a movie that makes you start out not knowing what to think of it and ends up just plain making you happy.
    -Gretel

  2. These kind of “surprise” movies are often the ones I enjoy most. No expectations to get in the way of your experience and entertainment. Glad to hear you liked it.

  3. Amy saw it and really liked it. She also recommended it highly to me. Did you rent it from a movie rental store or from a redbox?
    –Cari

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