Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day...
Posted Aug. 20, 2008 at 3:18 pm by Suzie Rugh
...and forever in my heart.
It is impossible to resist the charms of Amy Adams—I dare you to try.
She first caught my eye with her role in Junebug (which won her an Oscar nomination) and after I saw Enchanted, I was officially in love—and also a tiny bit hurt. It’s always a little hard when a favorite actor gets their due credit and suddenly everyone knows their name. Like when your favorite local band goes national. It just stings a little.
But I digress.
Based on a novel by Winifred Watson that was first published way back in 1938, Miss Pettigrew lives for a Day is an amusing little movie that would have been DOA if it weren’t for the magic of Adams. It stars Frances McDormand as Guinevere Pettigrew, a dowdy, down-on-her-luck, religiously raised governess who finds herself employed by the promiscuous flibbertigibbet Delysia Lafosse (Adams). She is at first shocked by Lafosse’s wild ways but is soon won over by her allure and ends up discovering happiness and love along side her flighty new friend over the course of a single day.
All of that storyline pushed into a one day time line could easily have turned this movie into a mess but it whizzes along in a mere 92 minutes so you don’t really have time to get bored or confused. The love, uh, square I guess as there are four lovers involved, doesn’t offer you the option of which guy to root for because it’s pretty obvious. But the film is clever in that it’s not obvious to Lafosse. And you actually see why. Life was tough for a gal in the thirties—she didn't have a whole lot of options. So who can blame her for using her assets to get ahead? Not me, not when it’s Amy Adams.
The film does a particularly good job of posting this lavish, indulgent world against the backdrop of an impending war reminding the viewer that times change, eras come to an end, and love is the only thing that matters. Awwwww. Not being a fan of romantic comedies, that sort of drivel usually has me running for the hills but throw in some period costumes and cast Amy Adams and I’m in.
Look, I’m not saying it’s a great, ground-breaking movie or anything but it’s a fun movie for the dames. And for the fellas who aren’t afraid to like movies for the dames.
Oh, and did I mention Amy Adams? She’s in it too.
released on DVD August 19
Topics: DVD
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Cover Story: Critical Mass
