Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)

Guinevere Pettigrew, a middle-aged London governess, finds herself unfairly dismissed from her job. An attempt to gain new employment catapults her into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse.

Director:

Bharat Nalluri

Writers:

David Magee (screenplay), Simon Beaufoy (screenplay)

Stars:

Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Ciarán Hinds

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Amy Adams	...	Delysia
David Alexander	...	Chestnut Seller
Clare Clifford	...	Margery
Christina Cole	...	Charlotte Warren
Stephanie Cole	...	Miss Holt
Beatie Edney	...	Mrs. Brummegan
Shirley Henderson	...	Edythe
Ciarán Hinds	...	Joe
Sarah Kants	...	Annabel Darlington
Sally Leonard	...	Woman at Train Station
Frances McDormand	...	Miss Pettigrew
Katy Murphy	...	Miss Holt's Assistant
Lee Pace	...	Michael
Tom Payne	...	Phil
Tim Potter	...	Nightclub Patron

Storyline

War threatens London as Miss Pettigrew, a destitute governess, filches a client's card from her agency and presents herself at the door. A singer named Delysia Lafosse wants a social secretary as she seeks a West End role by sleeping with a feckless producer in the bed of Nick, a smarmy nightclub owner with whom she also dallies. She ignores Michael, her piano player, who loves her and has tickets for New York on the Queen Mary. Miss Pettigrew's job is to make sure Delysia gets the part. Over 24 hours, Miss Pettigrew is also called upon to help an ambitious and unfaithful fashion editor patch things up with her older fiancé, a lingerie designer. Has Miss Pettigrew found her calling?

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Plot Keywords:

woman in bathtub | lingerie | manic pixie dream girl | no panties | female rear nudity | 

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Taglines:

Every Woman Will Have Her Day

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some partial nudity and innuendo

Details

Official Sites:

Europa Corp. [France] Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 March 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Vida num Só Dia

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,490,942, 9 March 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$12,294,036, 18 May 2008

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,051,363, 25 January 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, Kudos Productions Ltd., Keylight Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song "If I Didn't Care" was recorded at Abbey Road Studios.

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Goofs

On the balcony, Miss Pettigrew is talking to Edith. The two soldier extras behind Edith are in the shot. Edith switches places and the same two extras are in the shot on the other side of the balcony. As Edith switches back to the first side, the same two extras enter the balcony from the sides she is on. There's no way for them to have gotten from one side of the balcony to other in half a second.

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Quotes

Guinevere Pettigrew: "Four's a Crowd"'s a wonderful movie. Who were you?
Delysia Lafosse: The crowd.

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Crazy Credits

The letters of the opening credits are blown into place, like the wind, swirling into their correct position.

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Connections

References Vigil in the Night (1940)

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Soundtracks

Brother Can You Spare a Dime
Written by E.Y. Harburg (as Y.E. "Yip" Harburg) and Jay Gorney
Arranged and Conducted by Paul Englishby

User Reviews

This Miss is bliss! McDormand is enchanting in the title role and Adams is charming, too

Miss Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) is a penniless nanny, currently out of a job. Although she has worked for a placement agency in the past, they give her the cold shoulder this time, mostly because her last three stints as a nanny, with impossible children, fared badly. Absolutely desperate for work, Miss Pettigrew hears of a position as a social secretary as she is walking out the agency's door. Making a beeline to the appropriate home, she encounters the young starlet, Delysia La Fosse (Amy Adams) who asked for her services. But, what doings! Delysia has had a male guest, overnight, who is not the man who owns the flat where she is currently bunking! The interloper must be ushered out before Mr. Moneybags returns or Delysia will be in a heap of trouble. Not missing a beat, Miss Pettigrew gets the situation under control with her innate wisdom. Delysia is grateful. But, the day is only getting started. There is a third man in Delysia's life and the young beauty is juggling suitors in a quest to become a bonafide star of the screen. Not only that, Delysia whisks Miss Pettigrew off to a fashion show and salon, where the new social secretary gets a makeover and meets a rich, handsome man (Ciaran Hinds) with eyes for HER. Is it possible to go from rags to riches in twenty four hours? Definitely, maybe! This is a lovely film with a great plot and a terrific cast. Adams is engaging as the beautiful but mixed-up starlet while Hinds is marvelous as the man who rediscovers what is important in life. The rest of the players are also wonderful, with a word of mention extended to Shirley Henderson for her nice turn as a conniving, inconvenient woman. But, really, this is McDormand's film, as she is the heart and soul of the picture and deservedly so, for her performance is absolutely enchanting and touching. Needless to say, the sets and costumes from the late 1930's are grand and so are the film's art direction and photography. Congratulations are hereby given to the fine, fine script and story, as well. Do you want to experience movie bliss? Then, don't miss Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, as your day will be as bright as newly minted penny, after a viewing.