Issue date: 3/7/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features [Click to enlarge]

Oscar-winner Frances McDormand is in her 50s, meaning that in the unfair realm of Hollywood, she may not be offered roles as the love interest as often as an actress 20 years younger.

"Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day" is a delightful English World War II love story in which McDormand picks up the role of Guinevere Pettigrew. She is a down-on-her-luck governess shuffling from job to job and ending up as a social secretary solving the love lives of all around her, and ultimately her own as well.

The opening scenes of the Bharat Nalluri-directed film depict Pettigrew getting thrown out of a house where she was employed. She returns to the employment agency only to find out she is unemployable.

Luckily, she overhears a conversation about a job opportunity involving Delysia Lafosse. Pettigrew snatches the business card haphazardly left on the table and shows up at Lafosse's doorstep to secure the position.

The glorious Amy Adams (Enchanted) plays Lafosse. Her cap-sleeves fearing character in "Miss Pettigrew" is a bit of a player, to the tune of three men to be exact. However, Adams seems to be falling into a typecast trend. Her character here feels very similar to that of her previous roles in "Enchanted" and "Junebug."

Lafosse is courting frightening Nick, a nightclub owner whose flat she occupies, even kicking him out at one point with the help of Pettigrew.

Phil Goldman, the 19-year-old son of a movie producer, is Lafosse's second interest. She hopes to gain the lead role in a show he is opening by swooning him into it. Pettigrew meets Goldman in an interesting way. She is sent in to wake what she thinks is Lafosse's son, only to find a nude Goldman "up" but not awake.

The third and truest love interest is poor pianist Michael played by Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies). One can't help but fall for Pace in "Daisies" and he does the job just as well in "Miss Pettigrew."

As the scenes flow on, Pettigrew's goal becomes to delicately weave Lafosse's lies together without the young wannabe actress getting caught in her own web.

Edythe Dubarry (Shirley Henderson) is the villain for this film. Pettigrew sees her cheating while "in queue" at the soup kitchen. This incident breaks off Dubarry's engagement to lingerie designer Joe (Ciarán Hinds), presenting a reason for Dubarry to resent Pettigrew.

Ultimately, strolling along with Pettigrew and Lafosse for 1 hour and 32 minutes is exciting and entertaining. The pair seems to avoid trouble like any oddball duo in these kinds of films. In the end the two women's lives benefit from a little over 24 hours together. "Miss Pettigrew" is a charming film that will please you until the end.

Briana Monasky can be reached at bmonasky@statehornet.com

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