Okay so that is a summary of the plot. As an aside it is based on a book, which is something I didn't know. Winifred Watson (the first name of my great-grandma- or as I knew her- just Grandma- the crazy lady who at 87 would still crawl around on the floor with us playing Doh-Nutters wearing the silly elephant mask too!!) wrote the novel in 1938 and I soooo know I want to read it, and probably will knowing me!! I need a lifetime to read all the books I want to read.
No what made the film for me? It was sharp changes from humorous and poignant that flowed together to make a really charming story, twee but not sickeningly so. That, I think, is down to the actors who really weight down the story and lift it up when the occasion arises. The New York Times simply swooned over Amy Adams in Miss P: "[Delysia] may be an amoral, sociopathic vixen. But in Ms. Adams's portrayal she is also an irresistibly endearing creature of moods and whims, one who melts the hearts of the possessive, egotistical beaus she carelessly juggles while pursuing the leading role in a West End musical." I quite frankly I agree. She is one of the best young actresses to come to the fore in recent years and a better icon than say Jordan and the like. Recently I have watched three very different films of Amy Adams. One was Enchanted- a Disney film (and one I have seen many times because I bloody love its cheese factor), Doubt where she plays a nun alongside Meryl Streep who accuses a priest of molestation and Miss Pettigrew. In each her acting was different and she played each character differently. I like. *Nods head emphatically*
However the New York Times' swooning, however, does touch on the sycophantic: "Beneath their wiles, Ms. Adams's princesses are true-blue souls who would sooner die than hurt anyone. They're just a little ditzy." Yet they hit a key note with me- ditzy. Maybe that is why I like her acting- there is that element of continuity throughout all her roles though different- that ditzy element that is so endearing and classically her. Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan and Sandra Bullock all have an endearing quality. This is her own style. And with the ditzy factor- I think I can relate to her, though she is approximately a third of my size, gorgeous and can act. Meh, trivial aspects teehee...
Yet you cannot forget Frances McDormand the lead role of this film. She is terrific. Believable and loveable. She capturs the time in the way she holds herself and conducts herself as Miss Pettigrew. No one will mess with her not even the slimy Nasty Nick and everyone wants and heeds her advice, an incredible phenomenon but again believable. She is the main reason that the story runs and flows so well juxtaposing laughs with poignancy. In terms of critical review the plot got a wee bit panned saying "[it] is an example of how a little nothing of a story can be inflated into a little something of a move with perfect casting, dexterous tonal manipulation and an astute eye and ear for detail" (NY Times). Okay so it is quite a nice, eloquent panning and accurate in parts- the act is terrific and the directing of the tone and nice nuances really make the film that extra bit special. But this review kind of misses out on the charm of the film. That unerringly jaunty and fast-flowing pace (the film is all set over the course of a day) and the nice sentimental touches that put you back into context that it was the Depression-era, not everyone one was having a fabulously exotic lifestyle like Delysia. The fact that Miss Pettigrew is always so hungry throughout the film and almost on several occasions manages to eat something more than an olive out of a cocktail glass and the cucumbers from her facial but is thwarted. At the conclusion of the film having gone all day without real food, she sees a half eaten apple left in the train station. She makes a lunge at it, but the train porter sweeps it up before she gets there. A moment after that lone shot of the look of grim desperation on her face, Joe turns up. As they walk off into the proverbial sunset together he asks her whether she has eaten- it is soooo sweet and we know that he must have seen her diving for the apple but was gentlemanly enough to let her have a moment to compose himself before entering her eyeline. It is the most amazing and uplifting scene I have seen in ages. The entire film ebbs and flows with such ease and doesn't seem in any way contrived, which can be hard for the kind of twee movies I like to relax to. I sat on the sofa and squealed and laughed and almost shed a tear during the course of this little mountainous film.
I loved it so much so I a) blogged about it, b) am fighting my Dad to keep it on the Sky Plus Box- something he likes to wipe down every day grrrrr- completely unnecessary really, c) am going to buy it on DVD meaning that this week Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day will be receiving plus one more DVD sale! I know Dad won't be able to resist seeing that "Viewed" sign and for fear of the memory being taken up by my stuff will delete it. Bless him. He is so fastidious.
But on a concluding note about the film, as always I recommend to watch all my blogged about movies. This one is for the light-hearted, only takes up a hour and 32 minutes of your time precisely and it will make you feel uber good for the rest of the week after watching it. After that you can watch Persuasion, Doubt and Enchanted XD teehee
Happy Viewing All...
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