An enjoyable period romance with great performances on all sides. I didn't have any real thoughts or expectations going in, because I hadn't read much press on the movie or heard much about it, beyond seeing the trailers for it in the theater seeing other films. Interestingly, the bulk of the movie does actually take place in one day, which was a somewhat interesting approach to a romance movie -- especially a romantic comedy, the lifeblood of which is usually the buildup and awkward mishaps in the beginning of a relationship.
The story is a fairly classic one as far as romantic comedies go, but the film manages not to feel like most of its kin do: overproduced, too formulaic, stars with the same performance they gave in their last film, just another chick flick churned out from the Hollywood machine. Miss Pettigrew has an entirely original feel, a refreshing change from the same romantic comedy that we've pretty much seen twenty times before (I'm looking at you, 27 Dresses).
Frances McDormand is typecast yet again as the frumpy governess, but she turns in a lovely performance as Miss Guinevere Pettigrew, a vicar's stubborn daughter and down-on-her-luck governess who becomes the new "social secretary" of a young, pretty actress trying to make it big in London's West End. She goes from a conservative, hard-headed woman who is kicked out of her job agency and goes into a silent snit at a suggestive comment, to a more relaxed, more enlightened, happier woman. Amy Adams is the flighty Delysia LaFosse, an American singer and actress who, when we first meet her, is fresh from bed with a big producer -- well, a producer -- well, the son of a producer. At times she goes a little over-the-top, but it actually contrasts well with the more honest moments with Miss Pettigrew and the man she loves (a different man from the producer, who is a different man from who she lives with), giving a performance that seems like a person who has to act and pretend so often that she does it all the time. Shirley Henderson gives an understated but blindingly brilliant performance as the shrewish Edythe DuBarry. The cast is rounded out with Tom Payne, Lee Pace, and Mark Strong, Delysia's three love interests, and Ciaran Hinds, the love interest of Edythe and Miss Pettigrew.
Overall, if you get a chance to see this in the theater, do so, but if not, certainly buy the DVD. It is a bit of a chick flick, but men will enjoy it too, and it makes for a great date movie. The great 30's jazz and swing soundtrack and excellent sets, costumes, and bit players round out a highly enjoyable movie. It's worth it solely for Shirley Henderson, who is once again underused, but brilliant with what she's given.
Acting: 10 of 10
Writing: 9 of 10
Direction: 8 of 10
SFX: 8.5 of 10
Overall: 9 of 10
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