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.
Comment
08/15/08
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
78
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:139
Fresh:108
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.
Theatrical Release:15-08-2008
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... [More]
Starring: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Lee Pace, Ciaran Hinds
Director: Bharat Nalluri
Reviews for Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
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
Top CriticMcDormand 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
Top CriticIt’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
Top CriticA gentle period piece that will look more comfortable on the small screen.
08/15/08
Top CriticAdams 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
Top CriticA 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
Top CriticA valentine to a by-gone era; one of the ten best films of 2008
02/27/09
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a well-acted comedy with enough old-fashioned qualities to make it an enjoyable experience for long-standing audiences.
02/02/09
The spectre of impending war hangs heavily in the background of this romantic comedy, giving it a bit more heft.
09/17/08
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."
08/27/08
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