David Magee and Simon Beaufoy weave appropriate period-piece banter into their classically structured script.
Comment
03/07/08
Rate this Movie 
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
78
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:139
Fresh:108
Rotten:31
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: Miss Pettigrew is a breezy period comedy carried by the strong performances of Amy Adams and Frances McDormand.
Theatrical Release:Mar 7, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $12,294,036
Synopsis: 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... [More]
Starring: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Lee Pace, Ciaran Hinds
Director: Bharat Nalluri
Get This Movie
Reviews for Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
This nostalgic Cinderella story starring Hollywood's scandalously underutilized treasure is a jubilee for McDormand and jolly good fun for most everyone else.
03/07/08
Top CriticIf you felt the problem with Atonement was that it took all of the fun out of World War II, well, somebody's made a movie just for you.
03/07/08
It’s about time somebody brought the wide-eyed wonder back to movies, and it’s wonder indeed we experience whenever we get to witness the divine Ms. Adams at work.
03/07/08
I adore Frances McDor mand, but she's seri ously miscast -- in a title role Emma Thompson could play in her sleep -- in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, an uneasy blend of screwball comedy and pathos set in 1939 London.
03/07/08
Top CriticIn adapting Winifred Watson's 1938 novel, director Bharat Nalluri strains frantically to evoke the champagne fizz of classic screwball comedies.
03/07/08
A snappy adaptation of a nearly forgotten 1938 British novel. Madcap chorines, long-suffering domestics, a giddy playboy foolishly sinking Daddy's money into a show -- it's all here, along with a happy ending.
03/07/08
Top CriticA mixture of strange and obscure ingredients that Bharat Nalluri, a TV director, and Finding Neverland co-writer David Magee never bring to a boil.
03/07/08
It's hard not to like a movie in which Frances McDormand spends half her screen time staring longingly at leftover scraps of bread and half-eaten apples, as she does in the charmingly featherweight Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.
03/07/08
Top CriticIt's based on the 1938 novel by Winifred Watson, and it's quick, witty and charming throughout.
03/07/08
Working from an unabashedly contrived but splendidly clever script by David Magee and Simon Beaufoy, director Bharat Nalluri keeps the mood light, the pace brisk and the wordplay pleasurable.
03/07/08
Top CriticFrom the premise to the sets to the performances, everything about this lively comic fable is dead predictable.
03/07/08
There's an easy congeniality and air of old-school wit to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, and even if the film tries too hard at times, it's awfully enjoyable despite itself.
03/07/08
It sparkles mostly because of McDormand and her two main co-stars, Amy Adams and Shirley Henderson, a lesser-known actress from Scotland who just about steals the show.
03/07/08
It's fortunate that Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day stars Frances McDormand and Amy Adams. Actors' showcases are only worthwhile if the actors are worth watching.
03/07/08
Director Bharat Nalluri tries to goose the bedroom farce with swing music, heavy on the brushes and clarinet, and the blossoming romance between the frumpy Pettigrew and an urbane fashion designer seems willfully ignorant of British class codes.
03/07/08
If dour Miss Pettigrew does indeed live for a day, good for her. That's 24 hours longer than this movie seems to.
03/07/08
Top CriticMiss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is an improbably airy entertainment: It's like a cheery 1930s pop song with lyrics about innocence and experience.
03/07/08
Less a shocking discovery than the starting-off point for a swell stage play or, as here, a novel from the prefeminist trenches.
03/07/08
After a slow and tiresome start, Miss Pettigrew forges ahead with true British fortitude and class, an endearing bond forming between McDormand and Adams, who are ably backed by a top-notch supporting cast led by Ciaran Hinds and Shirley Henderson.
03/07/08
Top CriticLatest News for Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
January 07, 2009:
People's Choice Awards Winners Announced
The 35th annual People's Choice Awards were handed out on January 7, 2009. A complete list of film nominees, with winners in bold, follows below. More...
August 21, 2008:
A neo-screwball hip comedy jazzed up with a classy swing score and a fresh coat of salty, rapid-fire conversations, this midlife Cinderella satire embraces the rude antics of the scandalous UK elite, as world war looms all around their silly, empty heads. 
More...
August 18, 2008:
RT on DVD: Watch Terminator, Scorpion King 2 Exclusive Clips!
It's a monster week for DVD lovers, as we'll see tons of new movies, television shows, and direct-to-video flicks hit shelves. Read on for the week's highs (Terminator: The... More...
March 06, 2008:
Critics Consensus: 10,000 B.C. is Primitive; Bank Gets the Job Done
This week at the movies, we've got prehistoric passion (10,000 B.C., starring Steven Strait and Camilla Belle), travel travails (College Road Trip, starring Maritn Lawrence and... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
MSN's Year in Review
Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.
Moviefone's Year End Poll
What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!
Tarantino's Characters
Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
RSS Feeds