| | | Every Woman Will Have Her Day.
Features: DVD, English, Spanish, French, Dolby, Dolby Digital (5.1)
Academy Award nominee Amy Adams (Enchanted) and Academy Award winner Frances McDormand (Fargo) star in this charming comedy about finding a new life and a new love, all in one day. When Miss Pettigrew (McDormand) stumbles upon the chance to become the new 'social secretary' to glamorous high-society singer and actress Delysia Lafosse (Adams), she seizes the opportunity despite being totally out of her element. Swept up into the glamorous whirl of high society, it's all Miss Pettigrew can do to keep up with Delysia as she juggles her lovelife and career in this "delightful champagne cocktail of a comedy!" (Leah Rozen, People)
"A jubilee for McDormand and jolly good fun for most everyone else." Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
"A good farce is hard to find...Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a particularly effective and cheeky example." Claudia Puig, USA Today
"Adams shines brightly, reinforcing the image she projected in Junebug and enhanced in Enchanted and Charlie Wilson's War." James Berardinelli's ReelViews
"Sustains itself through terrific forward momentum and two glorious star turns by gifted actresses Frances McDormand and Amy Adams." Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
"...an unusual and engaging romantic comedy because it's mostly about how these women ready each other for real love." Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun
"Based on the 1938 novel by Winifred Watson, it's a deluxe romance that most of the time plays like farce." Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
"Frothy and exuberantly entertaining - in part because of the sexual innuendoes - it's the best romantic comedy so far this year." Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
Editor's Note
As in MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS and BEING JULIA, this period comedy brings wit and style to its depiction of 1930s London. Based on Winifred Watson's novel, MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY begins with the title character, a frumpy middle-aged governess winningly played by Frances McDormand (FARGO), being turned away from her employment agency. After losing her job prospects and all her earthly possessions in a mishap, Guinevere Pettigrew isn't sure where her next meal is coming from. But some cleverness leads her to the door of aspiring actress Delysia Lafosse, who needs a social secretary to juggle her three men: a nightclub owner (Mark Strong), a son of a theater producer (Tom Payne), and a piano player (Lee Pace). The first two offer her a chance at stardom, but the pianist can't give her anything but love. In a single day, Miss Pettigrew helps Delysia navigate the ever-stormy waters of love, while she learns that romance may not only be reserved for the young.With its witty script and jazzy score, MISS PETTIGREW may seem feather-light at times, but there's an undercurrent of sadness that gives the comedy a bit of weight. World War II is just about to come to London, and the echoes of the previous war still haunt those who can remember it. Unsurprisingly, McDormand gives a fantastic performance as the title character, but the effervescent Adams continues to surprise, even after turning in great work in JUNEBUG and ENCHANTED. As impressive as the two female leads are, there are some excellent performances from two male costars: Ciáran Hinds (MARGOT AT THE WEDDING) is perfectly warm as a lingerie designer Miss Pettigrew encounters, and Pace (PUSHING DAISIES) wins hearts as the faithful Michael. Costume designer Michael O'Connor also deserves praise for creating the film's eye-catching clothing.
| Features | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Dubbed: French | | Includes Both Widescreen & Full Screen Versions Of The Film! | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Universal |
| Release Date: 1/3/2010 |
| Running Time: 92 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2008 | | Catalog ID: 62102017 | | UPC: 00025195016230 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen/Standard 2.35:1/1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"Acting, of course, has something to do with it. But the charm that emanates from Amy Adams like a perfume in MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY is also a natural gift." 03/07/2008USA Today
"[P]articularly effective and cheeky....Adams and McDormand's performances and winning chemistry are the heart and soul of this screwball comedy set in London in 1939." 03/07/2008 Los Angeles Times
"Bharat Nalluri directs with a light touch and a great eye for costumes and sets....It's pure romantic fantasy..." 03/07/2008 Entertainment Weekly
"[Adams] is a peach. Her sparkle requires only minor character adjustment and twinkle recharging from her recent triumph as the old-fashioned modern heroine in ENCHANTED." 03/14/2008 p.56-57 Sight and Sound
"Clearly no expense has been spared in recreating the backdrop of pre-War London. The make-up and costumes, too, are sensational." 09/01/2008 p.71 Empire
4 stars out of 5 -- "McDormand's comic timing is genius....[Her character's] plight and grateful pleasure for a grand day out feels genuine, insightful and touching." 09/01/2008 p.68 Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "This period tickler is all about the performances -- McDormand is as perpendicular as Adams is delightfully flighty." 03/01/2009 Reel.com 8 of 10
The new film Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day harkens back to those days of ditzy heiresses, silly playboys, and suave leading men. And for the most part, it succeeds...Madcap without being scattered, whimsical with just enough realism to keep us rooted, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a film that definitely lives up to its title...Of course, it helps to have Amy Adams in the lead. If Oscars were given out for hyperactive perkiness alone, she'd have a mantle full of gold...As a foil, McDormand is equally engaging. Successfully maneuvering a clipped British accent, and working her way from zaniness to serious drama, she's like a maudlin Mary Poppins, able to make the players' metaphorical medicine go down with a spoon full of sarcasm, not sugar...Indeed, most of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is won and lost on how well we identify and empathize with these characters. The script by David Magee (Finding Neverland) and Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty) frequently overreaches--the musical moment which finds Adams torching "If I Didn't Care" with Michael is a good example--but Nalluri's sense of balance and control keeps it all approachable. While it's not the most winning example of old genre revitalization ever attempted, this is one turn of the clock that produces more smiles than sighs. - Bill Gibron
Salon.com 8 of 10
Nalluri -- who has worked mostly in television -- doesn't have as much control over the material as he might: This story, set between the two world wars, of an unemployed governess who changes several lives (one of them her own) in the course of a single day is joyously exaggerated and exuberant, but sometimes it's a little too heavy on its feet...But "Miss Pettigrew" is also one of those rare cases where a filmmaker's good intentions, and the enthusiasm of his actors, are enough to fill in the cracks. Based on a 1938 novel by the English author Winifred Watson (the book was republished in 2000 by Persephone Books), the movie, which was shot by John de Borman, with production design by Sarah Greenwood, has a pleasingly retro look and feel..."Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" is a picture about transformation and finding true love, which, depending on your viewpoint, are either staid, overcooked themes or classical ones. But either way, the movie's simplicity is its strong suit: It never pretends to be more than it is. Miss Pettigrew's life is changed in small ways when she dons a new dress in a flattering color and trades her flyaway mouse tresses for a cap of curls. But the real change she undergoes is hardly cosmetic. Watching McDormand navigate that transformation is the kind of thing that can keep your hope in movies, and in actors, alive. - Stephanie Zacharek
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