Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)

Such a frustrating disappointment

So much average

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

When the film begins, Miss Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) is out of work again and her job prospects are non-existent. However, at the employment agency she learns about a job being a personal assistant and rushes to the apartment to claim the job herself. However, she is shocked to find Dylesia (Amy Adams) to be a very strange woman with a very active sex life. While they are a very oddly mismatched pair, eventually they forge a great relationship and the film follows them through the course of 24 hours.This is a cute film with a few laughs. Amy Adams is particularly memorable but everyone in the film does a great job in this period comedy. It's not exactly brilliant or a film that will change your life, but enjoyable and worth seeing.

War is coming to London. Miss Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) gets fired from another job. She loses her suitcase to Michael (Lee Pace) coming out of prison. She loses her soup kitchen food when she spots Edythe (Shirley Henderson) with a man. Her employment agency won't give her another job and she steals a job with American actress Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams). Delysia is sleeping with producer's son Phil Goldman to get a staring role in a play. Her sugar daddy is possessive nightclub owner Nick Calderelli but her true love is pianist Michael Pardue, the guy coming out of prison who was imprisoned partly due to Delysia. At a party, Guinevere catches the eye of designer Joe Blomfield (Ciarán Hinds). His fiancée Edythe had cheated on him. Delysia has to make a choice with Charlotte Warren (Christina Cole) just as desperate to get her acting role.McDormand and Adams are perfect together. This is jammed packed old style light comedy. There isn't great drama or high tension. Adams' light frothy performance contrast perfectly with McDormand's tough exterior. They have a great chemistry and works as a great team. The only problem is that the movie does try too hard at having fun.

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.

I must say I really enjoyed watching this movie. It is one of those rare films, where every single detail feels to have been thought through and there for a good reason. Throughout the whole movie I felt like I was reading a book, a great one, in fact, and so far the only other movie I've had that feeling about was "Everything is Illuminated". The plot itself is brilliant, interesting and original, the humour is very tasteful and not at all out of place. The actors really fit their roles, especially Amy Adams as Delysia, Frances McDormand as Miss Pettigrew and I also enjoyed the performance of Lee Pace, who played Delysias rich boyfriend. Another great aspect of the movie is the music. I'm not a fan of classical music, but it really set a nice and pleasant mood while watching the film, and contributed to the overall atmosphere very well. It actually made me look up the soundtrack afterwards.Anyway, I wouldn't say it is a fun or hilarious or thought-provoking movie to watch, but it will remind you, what the art of cinema is all about.