Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) ****

The greatness of “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” really hinges on three elements—the presence of the wonderful, underrated Francis McDormand as the title character; the soundtrack featuring jazzy hits by Cole Porter and swingy, Big Band sound by Paul Englishby (who assumes the film’s music credit) and his Orchestra; and best of all, the highly talented Amy Adams, one of the prettiest, most likable actresses in the movies today. Bundled together, these highlights add up to make an otherwise routine romantic farce a sheer delight and one of the biggest surprises of 2008.

The film, directed by Bharat Nalluri from a script by David Magee, Simon Beaufoy and based on a novel by Winifred Watson, takes place in pre-war 1940s London and features McDormand as down-on-her-luck nanny Guinevere Pettigrew. Dirty, disheveled and desperate for work, she schemes her way into a job interview with the beautiful and flighty Delysia Lafosse (Adams), an aspiring singer and actress who maintains a triumvirate of eligible men all courting her affections. The best of whom seems to be Michael (Lee Pace), a soulful musician—at one point, they perform a lovely duet of the romantic ballad “If I Didn’t Care” by the Ink Spots, in which Adams shows some nice vocal range—though Delysia also has her eyes trained on Phil Goldman (Tom Payne), a young theater producer looking for an ingénue for his new play. The battle for her heart comes to a somewhat predictable conclusion, but it’s the fun getting there that matters.

Meanwhile, Guinevere becomes Delysia’s serendipitous social secretary, guiding the capricious starlet through one screwball situation after another with a mixture of wit and wisdom that’s at turns very funny (when one of Delysia’s potential lovers discovers a suspicious cigar and becomes jealous, quick-thinking Guinevere does her best Groucho Marx and begins to casually smoke it) and surprisingly emotional (when the blare of an air raid siren sends them both ducking for cover, Guinevere and Delysia have a touching exchange about finding genuine happiness while there’s still time).

Though much of the picture has the feel of a light, musical comedy—similar to an erstwhile Fred and Ginger romp without the dancing—the grim reality of World War II looming in the background lends it a level of darkness and gravity that is solemn without being heavy-handed. The movie is reminiscent of Woody Allen’s masterful “Radio Days” (1987), which chronicled the comic’s childhood growing up in Brooklyn around the same time.

 
I have not seen all of Amy Adams’ work (a flaw to be remedied eventually), but she proves here—as she did in “Enchanted” and would go on to do in subsequent films like “Julie & Julia,” “The Muppets” and “Leap Year”—to be one of the most gifted and engaging actresses in contemporary cinema. A lot of the laughs in “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” depend on her precise comic timing and bright, expressive eyes. She’s a splendid performer and a considerable delight to watch.