Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
77 %
Reviews Counted: 133 Fresh: 102 Rotten:31 Average Rating: 6.6/10
Consensus:
Miss Pettigrew is a breezy period comedy carried by the strong performances of Amy Adams and Frances McDormand.
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Theatrical Release: Mar 7, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $12,294,036
Synopsis: As in MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS and BEING JULIA, this period comedy brings wit and style to its depiction of 1930s London. Based on Winifred Watson's novel, MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY begins with the title character, a frumpy governess winningly played by Frances McDormand (FARGO), being... [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Lee Pace, Ciaran Hinds, Shirley Henderson
Director: Bharat Nalluri
Screenwriter: David Magee, Simon Beaufoy
Producer: Nellie Bellflower, Stephen Garrett
Composer: Paul Englishby
Screenwriter: David Magee, Simon Beaufoy
Producer: Nellie Bellflower, Stephen Garrett
Composer: Paul Englishby
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Period comedies are a tough act to swallow for some, but if you are on the fence at all, please make sure Miss Pettigrew lives for more than just one day."
Comment
08/27/08
There's not a lot to it really--no deep underlying message other than an exploration of women's roles in society at the time.
08/15/08
In short, Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day is fluffy and forgettable, but it's also undeniably entertaining, thanks to pacey direction and delightful performances from McDormand and Adams.
08/15/08
McDormand is left trying for emotional depth in a sea of middling farce and semi-sophisticated comedy.
08/15/08
It's lucky that Amy Adams and Frances McDormand lend their best charms to Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, otherwise this featherweight Art Deco fancy might drift away like a soap bubble, and go 'pop!'
08/15/08
American Lee Pace, from TV’s Pushing Daisies, manages not one but several creditable English accents, sometimes unfortunately all in the same sentence, but whose emotional depth shows up this ball of fluff as insubstantial. Forgettable.
08/15/08
The laughs are gentle but regular and all roles are played brilliantly, especially McDormand and the gorgeous Amy Adams as Delysia. Miss Pettigrew is 90 minutes of charming escapism – a perfect movie for mums.
08/15/08
Making a film usually involves a script, a director and a budget. Miss Pettigrew, on the other hand, is so unbelievably frothy, it looks as if it was prepared using merely a bucket of warm water and some soap flakes.
08/15/08
I can't imagine it appealing much to anyone below the age of 70. It offers a stale, rather than nostalgic, whiff of brilliantine and moth-eaten antimacassars.
08/15/08
Stagey fluff, yes, but old romantics will spare a sigh for the fairytale fade-out.
08/15/08
They don't make them like that anymore? Well, no. But Miss Pettigrew makes for a fun, fluffy substitute.
08/15/08
Despite its limitations, I found it impossible to dislike this frail little tale.
08/15/08
McDormand is frankly bland and unresponsive in a role she clearly couldn't care less about; Adams's wide-eyed ingenue routine is on autopilot, and the whole thing looks like a sub-prime American TV movie.
08/15/08
It’s a squirming watch, at times quite tortuous because the film can never decide if it’s a musical or a play with far too much music.
08/15/08
A gentle period piece that will look more comfortable on the small screen.
08/15/08
Adams is adorable as the wide-eyed would-be starlet, with McDormand spot-on as the sensible half of the odd couple. A delightfully frivolous screwball comedy.
08/15/08
A charming 1930s Cinderella meets Sex And The City, only faster, funnier and male-friendly, with some depths in its subtler observations of morality.
08/15/08
The movie draws you in and keeps getting better as it went along. I have a feeling I might even enjoy it better a second time.
07/22/08
The story is so satisfying, the spectacle so enjoyable and the dialogue so delectable, I can't wait to see it again. Love it!
07/17/08
Plays like a breeze and ends before we know it. In the current state of cinema, all we can hope for is one like this per year.
06/21/08
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