STELLAR cast and Bharat Nalluri’s lively direction greatly elevate this frothy, feelgood comedy, based on the novel by Winifred Watson.
Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) is unemployed and facing the misery of begging for handouts.
By chance, she secures a coveted position as social secretary to flighty, fame-hungry actress Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams), whose giddy whirl of romantic dalliances includes three potential suitors: clingy nightclub impresario Nick (Mark Strong), pretty-boy Phil (Payne) whose father is about to produce a West End play, and penniless pianist Michael (Lee Pace).
Juggling the men in Delysia’s superficial life, Guinevere becomes indispensable to her ditzy mistress.
She is rewarded with an insight into the glamorous world of London high society, including a fancy new wardrobe and the opportunity to meet dashing lingerie designer Joe (Ciaran Hinds).
He takes an immediate shine to Guinevere.
However, his bitchy fiancee Edythe (Shirley Henderson) resents the challenge to the impending nuptials and makes it abundantly clear that if she were ever to lose Joe, Guinevere would be back on the street in an instant.
“It will take me 30 seconds to put you back in the soup kitchen queue,” she snarls.
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day is an enchanting piece of fluff that coasts along on the sparkling rapport between McDormand and Adams, the latter playing to type as the ditzy blonde with a heart of gold, for whom appearances are everything.
“I, for one, am not running around town with Oliver Twist’s mom!” shrieks Delysia, staring aghast at her social secretary’s drab and dowdy attire.
The course of Delysia’s wavering affections is never really in doubt from the moment Guinevere looks adoringly at one of the suitors and sighs, “He is magnificent”.
We forgive McDormand’s English accent for the unabashed joy of seeing her much abused servant cross the class divide to outwit Henderson’s boo-hiss villainess and find a paramour of her own.
Love truly conquers all.
