Plot
Guinevere Pettigrew, a middle-aged London governess, finds herself unfairly dismissed from her job. An attempt to gain new employment catapults her into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse.
Release Year: 2008
Rating: 7.0/10 (11,754 voted)
Critic's Score: 63/100
Director:
Bharat Nalluri
Stars: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Ciarán Hinds
Storyline War threatens London as Miss Pettigrew, a destitute governess, filches a client's card from her agency and presents herself at the door. A singer named Delysia Lafosse wants a social secretary as she seeks a West End role by sleeping with a feckless producer in the bed of Nick, a smarmy nightclub owner with whom she also dallies. She ignores Michael, her piano player, who loves her and has tickets for New York on the Queen Mary. Miss Pettigrew's job is to make sure Delysia gets the part. Over 24 hours, Miss Pettigrew is also called upon to help an ambitious and unfaithful fashion editor patch things up with her older fiancé, a lingerie designer. Has Miss Pettigrew found her calling?
Writers: David Magee, Simon Beaufoy
Cast: Amy Adams
-
Delysia
David Alexander
-
Chestnut Seller
Clare Clifford
-
Margery
Christina Cole
-
Charlotte Warren
Stephanie Cole
-
Miss Holt
Beatie Edney
-
Mrs. Brummegan
Shirley Henderson
-
Edythe
Ciarán Hinds
-
Joe
Sarah Kants
-
Annabel Darlington
Sally Leonard
-
Woman at Train Station
Frances McDormand
-
Miss Pettigrew
Katy Murphy
-
Miss Holt's Assistant
Lee Pace
-
Michael
Tom Payne
-
Phil
Tim Potter
-
Nightclub Patron
Filming Locations: Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK
Opening Weekend: $2,490,942
(USA)
(9 March 2008)
(535 Screens)
Gross: $16,051,363
(Worldwide)
(25 January 2009)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Frances McDormand's character Guinevere Pettigrew claims to be raised by a clergyman, when in real life, McDormand's adoptive father is Canadian minister Vernan McDormand.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When Miss Pettigrew leaves the employment agency with Delysia's card, she is wearing a charcoal-colored coat. As she is walking the street towards that address she is wearing a tan coat. When she walks into the lobby of the building, her coat is again charcoal.
Quotes: Delysia:
There is something so sensual about fur next to the skin, don't you think?
User Review
Miss Pettigrew...Miss Pettigrew...Miss Pettigrew...
Rating: 10/10
Welcome to a world of lavish delights. A world filled with fashion
shows, cocktail parties, and the latest gossip. This is the world Miss
Pettigrew finds her self swept up into, and where she lives her day…to
the fullest.
Miss Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) is a nanny that has just been
dropped by her placement agency after being fired for the third time
from another displeased client. In her desperation for employment she
steals an address card to a new client, and is soon on their doorstep,
posing as the new nanny from the agency. This new client turns out to
be, Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams), a young singer/actress wannabe who is
competing for the lead in a big production play. She has no children
and wants a nanny more as a secretary or "social secretary" as she
later calls Miss Pettigrew. Within a matter of minutes of her arrival
Miss Pettigrew helps Delysia outwit two of the three men she is seeing,
avoiding a possible catastrophe. This makes Delysia worship Miss
Pettigrew and before long she is whisking her away to a fashion show
and salon before a cocktail party in the evening.
As the characters play with love like a fine chess game, Miss Pettigrew
helps Delysia maneuver through this dazzling champagne 'n'
strawberry-drenched world of revelries that the rich use in a desperate
attempt to conceal the looming dread of WWII, meanwhile enjoying
tidbits of luxuries she would never have dreamed of.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is an absolute delight to watch from the
very beginning up until the final end. The production, directing,
writing, and acting are all superb as they recreate the WWII era in
England.
The acting, well Frances McDormand and Amy Adams as the two leads, need
I say more. These two actresses work together so flawlessly. Frances
McDormand masters a British accent and gives a performance of layers.
Few actresses can play a character that "acts" fakily-sweet and still
give such a realistic performance as Amy Adams. Her performance
reminded me of her recent golden-globe nominated performance in
Enchanted.
Overall this is a charming, delightfully entertaining film with
wonderful performances and a sharp script.
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