Rated PG-13 for some partial nudity and innuendo.
92 Minutes

Directed By: Bharat Nalluri
Written By: David Magee and Simon Beaufoy
Staring: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Shirley Henderson, Lee Pace, Tom Payne, Ciaran Hinds and Mark Strong

I’m afraid I walked in on your guest in his state of nature. I fear that I have outraged his sense of propriety. -Guinevere Pettigrew

Review

This film started off charismatic and full of overwhelming charm and just seemed to fizzle as it went on.  Frances McDormand is one of the most talented actresses working today and Amy Adams has proven she is a young force to be reckoned with.  From the beginning the story grips you by the undeniable energy of Adams and McDormands grounding performance.  There is interest, confusion, and wonder in the beginning, but slowly as the plot unveils itself and the characters are more deeply explored, the mysterious charm of the first thirty minutes have disappeared and the story loses it’s interest.

The beginning starts with a women who is desperate for a job as a nanny but continues to get canned because of her overzealous nature and need for moral superiority.  Offending everyone she’s worked for it seems she isn’t a person that is recommendable.  In a time that threatens a coming war she was willing to try any scandalous scheme to find herself somewhere that wasn’t homeless.  One night of eating in a soup kitchen motivated her new idea.  She picked a name and address from the company she was formerly employed with as a nanny and showed up thinking she would be employed as a nanny.  The job calls for a social assistant rather than nanny, but Pettigrew is desperate and assumes the position.  When things get twisted and turned around she still can’t find it within her to give up her job.

A story like this is only going to work if you have charm overwhelming reality.  Whimsical fun and charisma is the only way to really carry this film and for a bit it works.  Frances McDormand is funny and Amy Adams is beautiful and full of wit, but it isn’t long before it wears off.  The storyline isn’t all that original or interesting.  The topic initially makes Adams an unlikable character, which she barely saves.  There was just nothing memorable or exciting about this movie, even in spite of the cast.

The best thing about Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day was the two lead actors.  There was a lack of overall enthusiasm and stimulation from Miss Pettigrew.  It had moments of charm and likability but overall the audience will find themselves bored or uncaring about the characters.  Moreover it’s forgettable.  I was enthused to see this movie and now simply feel deflated.  Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day is the truth.  The movie actually feels like it lasts for a day rather than it’s short ninety-two minutes.  I like the idea of this being a play rather than a feature film, because as that it just didn’t work.

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