Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
Alas, the film, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, is not as wise and funny as the excellent book from Persephone Books, but it is nonetheless entertaining.
The film starts off hyperkinetic, and only when it settled down about twenty minutes in did I begin to enjoy myself. Adams is charming as the American “actress” in London with three boyfriends, and McDormand is utterly sympathetic as a down and out governess who shows up for the wrong job. The sets and costumes are pretty and fun, but I think the director was a bit too enamored of them. There were far too many circling shots; take some Dramamine if you are prone to motion sickness. And there is a decidedly naughty homoerotic subtext for the women. But the quiet performances by McDormand and Ciaran Hinds, plus the hints of the looming war, provide an anchor that doesn’t let this fluffy film completely float away.
March 18th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
thank you so much for talking about this movie. I have been interested in seeing it..good to know what I might expect. I haven’t been able to determine this from the reviews.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed it!