Scan and Pan
Monday, March 17, 2008
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Miss Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) is a down on her luck governess in late 1930s London. After being fired from several jobs due to her personality, she steals a contact from the agency she works for and suddenly finds herself working as the personal secretary of singer and actress Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams), leading to a whirlwind of a day helping Delysia resolve her romantic entanglements while finding some of her own.
Screenwriters David Magee (Finding Neverland) and Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty) adapt Winifred Watson's novel for the big screen, and along with director Bharat Nalluri (The Crow: Salvation) do a credible job of evoking the spirit of 1930s romantic comedies, but this film could use a bit more screwball and a touch more fizz to really stand out. Nalluri's best work here is with his sparkling cast, but he struggles at times with keeping the tone light and the pacing steady.
Cinematographer John de Borman (The Full Monty, Ella Enchanted) employs soft lighting to play up the romantic angle in an excellent fashion, while production designer Sarah Greenwood (Pride & Prejudice, Atonement) and costume designer Michael O'Connor (Nomad, The Last King of Scotland) convincingly recreate a bygone era. Paul Englishby (Magicians) adds a jazzy score that bounces along from start to finish.
McDormand delivers a winning performance as the dour governess who suddenly blossoms into a fashionable personal secretary under the guidance of a vibrant younger woman. Adams once again demonstrates what a funny and charming light comedic actress she is as the ditzy Delysia, and also gets to show off her singing abilities again (as she did so well in last year's Enchanted). Lee Pace (star of television's Pushing Daisies) is good as Michael, one of Delysia's many paramours, although one wishes that his character had more to do in the film and was written to stand out more as a love interest. Reliable Irish character actor Ciarán Hinds has fun with a more romantic role as a fashion designer who falls for the title character.
Among the other notable performances are Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle in two of the Harry Potter films) as a friend of Delysia and Miss Pettigrew's rival for Hinds' character, Tom Payne as the wealthy young producer of a musical Delysia's trying to get the lead role in, and Mark Strong as Delysia's club-owning sugar daddy.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day lacks some of the zaniness and energy necessary to be really good screwball romantic comedy, but thanks to the cast it's an above average film with decent entertainment value.
[3.5 out of 5 stars]
A light truffle of a romantic comedy that provides a moderate dose of amusement.
Miss Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) is a down on her luck governess in late 1930s London. After being fired from several jobs due to her personality, she steals a contact from the agency she works for and suddenly finds herself working as the personal secretary of singer and actress Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams), leading to a whirlwind of a day helping Delysia resolve her romantic entanglements while finding some of her own.
Screenwriters David Magee (Finding Neverland) and Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty) adapt Winifred Watson's novel for the big screen, and along with director Bharat Nalluri (The Crow: Salvation) do a credible job of evoking the spirit of 1930s romantic comedies, but this film could use a bit more screwball and a touch more fizz to really stand out. Nalluri's best work here is with his sparkling cast, but he struggles at times with keeping the tone light and the pacing steady.
Cinematographer John de Borman (The Full Monty, Ella Enchanted) employs soft lighting to play up the romantic angle in an excellent fashion, while production designer Sarah Greenwood (Pride & Prejudice, Atonement) and costume designer Michael O'Connor (Nomad, The Last King of Scotland) convincingly recreate a bygone era. Paul Englishby (Magicians) adds a jazzy score that bounces along from start to finish.
McDormand delivers a winning performance as the dour governess who suddenly blossoms into a fashionable personal secretary under the guidance of a vibrant younger woman. Adams once again demonstrates what a funny and charming light comedic actress she is as the ditzy Delysia, and also gets to show off her singing abilities again (as she did so well in last year's Enchanted). Lee Pace (star of television's Pushing Daisies) is good as Michael, one of Delysia's many paramours, although one wishes that his character had more to do in the film and was written to stand out more as a love interest. Reliable Irish character actor Ciarán Hinds has fun with a more romantic role as a fashion designer who falls for the title character.
Among the other notable performances are Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle in two of the Harry Potter films) as a friend of Delysia and Miss Pettigrew's rival for Hinds' character, Tom Payne as the wealthy young producer of a musical Delysia's trying to get the lead role in, and Mark Strong as Delysia's club-owning sugar daddy.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day lacks some of the zaniness and energy necessary to be really good screwball romantic comedy, but thanks to the cast it's an above average film with decent entertainment value.
[3.5 out of 5 stars]
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