Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - 2008 | 92 mins | Comedy | Colour

The Production Team

Director: Bharat Nalluri.
Producer: Nellie Bellflower and Stephen Garrett.
Script: David Magee and Simon Beaufoy. (based on the novel by Winifred Watson)
Cinematography: John de Borman.
Film Editing: Barney Pilling.
Production Design: Sarah Greenwood.
Art Direction: Nick Gottschalk and Niall Moroney.
Costume Design: Michael O'Connor.
Makeup Department: Ursula Adelhelm, Francesco Alberico, Anita Burger, Fae Hammond, Sharon Martin and Sue Westwood.
Sound Department: Oliver Brierley, Michael Fentum, Nigel Heath, Dan Morgan, Chris Munro and Julian Slater.
Original Music: Paul Englishby.

The Cast

Frances McDormand - Guinevere Pettigrew
Amy Adams - Delysia Lafosse
Lee Pace - Michael Pardue
Ciarán Hinds - Joe Blumfield
Shirley Henderson - Edythe Dubarry
Tom Payne - Phil Goldman
Mark Strong - Nick Calderelli

Plot Synopsis

Based on Winifred Watson's 1938 novel, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day successfully harks back to the days of the wacky screwball comedies of the '30s and '40s by pairing up a ditzy heiresses and a dowdy governess in an eccentric period culture clash. The film charts a dizzying 24 hours in the life of an exasperated Miss Pettigrew as she deals with her hyperactive employers tangled love life and minor subterfuges. The infectious Amy Adams bounces around the screen in effervescent fashion; sometimes charmingly but occasionally bordering on irritating. The sympathetic McDormand is engaging and together with Ciarán Hinds portray more human character traits and carry the films more serious moments.

Set in London 1939, middle-aged governess Miss Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) is unfairly fired from her most recent post, and now she's homeless and penniless. Without a single prospect in sight, her life looks fairly bleak indeed. An overheard referral at an employment agency has her rushing off to the apartment of glamorous American actress Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams).

When Miss Pettigrew inadvertently helps the bubble headed girl balance the three men in her life - nightclub owner Nick (Mark Strong), novice producer Phil (Tom Payne), and sensitive pianist Michael (Lee Pace) - she's hired as a social secretary. Desperate for a part in a West End musical, Delysia will stop at nothing to get her way. During her adventures, Miss Pettigrew finds herself swept into a heady high-society milieu - and, by the end of the day, discovers her own romantic destiny.