Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Focus Features | Release Date: March 7, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
9
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
Frothy and exuberantly entertaining - in part because of the sexual innuendoes - it's the best romantic comedy so far this year. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Adams shines brightly, reinforcing the image she projected in Junebug and enhanced in Enchanted and Charlie Wilson's War. At this time of the year, it's tough to find a more diverting way to spend 90 minutes in a multiplex. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Based on the 1938 novel by Winifred Watson, it's a deluxe romance that most of the time plays like farce. Read full review
83
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
It's an unusual and engaging romantic comedy because it's mostly about how these women ready each other for real love. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Sustains itself through terrific forward momentum and two glorious star turns by gifted actresses Frances McDormand and Amy Adams. Read full review
80
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Watching McDormand navigate that transformation is the kind of thing that can keep your hope in movies, and in actors, alive. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Style is a tricky, elusive thing, and this film doesn’t so much have it as strive for it, constantly. But something in Watson’s story endures: The wish-fulfillment truly satisfies. And with the war clouds gathering by story’s end, the fairy tale acquires a bittersweet edge, nicely cutting all that whipped cream. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Looks and sounds great, and is at its best when it isn't trying too hard to have fun. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
A good farce is hard to find. Particularly one that holds up for the entirety of the story and keeps us engrossed, while smiling. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a particularly effective and cheeky example. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
The only thing missing from this winsome, madcap throwback set in London on the eve of World War II is an actual Brit in the title role. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
A jubilee for McDormand and jolly good fun for most everyone else. Read full review
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
McDormand's performance slowly builds a solid integrity, and contrasts well with Adams' more flamboyant turn. Read full review
70
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
The film's flaws are nothing compared with the pleasures it offers, chiefly in its unapologetic pursuit of old-fashioned sweetness and romance. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen Holden
How light is this movie? So buoyant that even an air raid warning, signaling that this whole world is about to crumble under the blitz, can’t dampen its giddy spirits. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Bharat Nalluri directs with a light touch and a great eye for costumes and sets, which are gorgeous enough to make up for any contrivances in the plot. It's pure romantic fantasy, and you won't believe it for a minute. But it's fun to watch Miss Pettigrew and Miss Lafosse live for a couple of hours. Read full review
70
Film ThreatMatthew Sorrento
Plays like a breeze and ends before we know it. In the current state of cinema, all we can hope for is one like this per year. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
The film is lovely to look at -- so overflowing with lavish furniture, jewelry and interiors that it's almost like a visit to Paris' Musée des Arts Décoratifs. If you're a fan of such things, "Pettigrew" is worth seeing solely for its sets. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
It's left to the ideally cast McDormand to keep everything on track and, as expected, she weathers every tonal change with competence, confidence and a perfectly stiff upper lip. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Adams, of course, is a peach. Her sparkle requires only minor character adjustment and twinkle recharging from her recent triumph as the old-fashioned modern heroine in "Enchanted." Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
In trying to recapture the spirit of classic '30s screwball comedies, the film too often mistakes manic energy for wit, and it ends on a note of gloppy sentimentality that wouldn't have held water in Old Hollywood. Read full review
50
Village VoiceElla Taylor
What makes Watson's novel a delight is its guilelessly homoerotic subtext. By downplaying that, the movie argues the case for Watson's innocent sensuality--and against its own worldly update. Read full review
50
PremiereGlenn Kenny
Although McDormand's performance is consistently focused -- one would expect no less from the actress -- the movie itself can't settle on whether Miss Pettigrew is Mary Poppins minus the sugar spoonful or just plain Carrie Nation. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
This was shot at the legendary Ealing Studios, but I hesitate to call it a British comedy: its two stars are American, it currently has no UK release date, and its innocuous naughtiness seems pitched at grandmothers who watch BBC America. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
I adore Frances McDor mand, but she's seriously miscast in a title role Emma Thompson could play in her sleep. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
The comedic success of this pair of dramatic archetypes, the radiant flibbertigibbet and the gray, lumpen elder spinster, in a lightweight bit of piffle such as this is a testament to both Adams' and McDormand's smarts. It's tough to play dumb when you're not and even more difficult to dial down your own innate brilliance. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
It's polished-looking, yet dull. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
At least Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day has the good grace to go wrong quickly, you don't have to sit there squirming with doubt. Read full review
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