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Desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures. So when dowdy governess Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) finds herself unemployed and living on the street, she sets out to find herself a new job—in any way she can.
Instead of finding a new child to care for, though, Miss Pettigrew finds herself caring for Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams), an aspiring young actress who needs a little help juggling her social schedule—and her men. There’s Nick (Mark Strong), the wealthy club owner who pays for her penthouse. There’s Phil (Tom Payne), the producer who can get her a starring role. And there’s Michael (Lee Pace), the penniless pianist who can give her absolutely nothing—but who loves her for who she is under all the makeup and expensive gowns.
Immersed in a world of glamour and lies (and scandalous undergarments), Miss Pettigrew is completely out of her element—but Delysia is counting on her to make sure that everything works out in the end.
As far as fluffy chick flicks go, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is enjoyable enough. It’s light and funny and entertaining—with clipped and sometimes witty dialogue. And it’s definitely pretty. The sets are beautiful, and the costumes are stunning. But, unfortunately, that’s about as far as it goes.
Francis McDormand is wonderful as the bewildered Miss Pettigrew, but a wonderful performance by a talented actress will only get you so far—and poor Fran can’t make up for the fact that her character is shamefully underdeveloped. We never really find out who Miss Pettigrew is or where she came from—or why we should care.
As for Delysia, we do find out more about her—but the revelation comes a little too late. And while Adams was perfectly perky in Disney’s Enchanted, she overdoes the perkiness this time around—and, after a while, you’ll have a slight (okay…maybe not so slight) urge to smack her.
But perhaps the film’s greatest offense is that it’s all just too…easy. It’s completely predictable, and it comes to an end that’s much too neat and tidy (not to mention totally unlikely).
While I love a fluffy chick flick from time to time, I found Miss Pettigrew somewhat disappointing—because I was hoping for a clever comedy with a little more depth, but all I got was some pretty fluff. So if you’re looking for a brainless chick flick to check out with the girls, Miss Pettigrew is a decent choice—but if you’re looking for something that’s smarter than the average chick flick, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
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