I saw this movie two weeks ago and have thought little about it since, though some aspects of it have annoyed me into writing a review afterall.
It's the story of a middle-aged woman (Frances McDormand of "Fargo") in London just as WWII is breaking out. She's been unfairly dismissed from her position as governess and needs work desparately, but her employment office is unwilling to refer her to new clients, so she surreptitiously acquires the card of a singer who needs a social secretary and goes directly to her apartment to apply.
Amy Adams ("Enchanted") plays Dylesia Lafosse, a young, beautiful, strangely innocent yet amoral stage actress who will do anything to make it big on the London stage. When Miss Pettigrew arrives Dylesia is in a state of panic, trying to simulatneously expel an important overnight paramour and clean the apartment before her official boyfriend returns. Miss Pettigrew starts working immediately, covering for Dylesia with all male parties and hiding evidence of Dylesia's infidelity under the rug. Miss Pettigrew earns Dylesia's devotion within the first twenty minutes of their meeting, becoming a much appreciated, indispensable assistant to her.
As the movie progresses (all of it taking place in a 24-hour period) Miss Pettigrew acquires a new dress, attends a high-brow fashion show, and meets the third man in Dylesia's life, who proposes marriage to his beloved and is instantly rebuffed.
So what annoyed me? Gratuitous nudity, for one thing - just enough to titillate the director, I presume, while preserving the movie's PG-13 rating. I also found the script to be lacking action (and if I thought it lacked action, it really lacked action. Given the right circumstances, I can be entertained watching grass grow.) But more than anything I was annoyed by the implication that Miss Pettigrew wasn't living, really living, until she enterred the chaotic world of Dylesia Lafosse. Miss Pettigrew had been living all along - less fashionably than Dylesia, but living nonetheless, and with a great deal more peace and self-respect. I believe it's always best not to assume that one person's life is any better than another person's life. Everyone has a life, and every life has ups and downs. Miss Pettigrew exhibited maturity, perseverence, independence, and a constancy of character all of the other characters in the movie lacked.
Despite this negative review, I would recommend this movie as an inexpensive rental to be viewed on a rainy afternoon. It has its humorous moments.
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