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20
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82
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xx
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52
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63
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36
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35
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47
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60
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71
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70
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93
WALL-E
27
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47
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93
WALL-E
82
Dark Knight, The
73
Kung Fu Panda
72
Ghost Town
71
Tropic Thunder
70
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
64
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
63
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, The
63
Burn After Reading
60
Traitor
58
Express, The
58
City of Ember
58
Body of Lies
57
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
57
Flash of Genius
55
House Bunny, The
54
Get Smart
53
Rocker, The
53
Quarantine
53
Lucky Ones, The
52
Secret Life of Bees, The
52
Longshots, The
51
Mamma Mia!
49
Family That Preys, The
48
Sex Drive
47
Swing Vote
47
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
46
Lakeview Terrace
45
Blindness
43
Eagle Eye
43
Meet Dave
43
Death Race
41
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
39
Nights in Rodanthe
37
Miracle at St. Anna
36
Space Chimps
36
Righteous Kill
36
Fly Me to the Moon
35
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
35
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
35
Mirrors
34
My Best Friend's Girl
27
Women, The
26
Babylon A.D.
24
Bangkok Dangerous
20
American Carol, An
15
Disaster Movie
15
College
xx
Max Payne
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

xx
All of Us
53
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57
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63
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68
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68
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62
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83
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55
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xx
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xx
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63
Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story
56
Bottle Shock
50
Breakfast with Scot
61
Brick Lane
43
Call and Response
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
47
Choke
43
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41
Cthulhu
62
Duchess, The
85
Edge of Heaven, The
66
Elegy
xx
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80
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26
Everybody Wants to Be Italian
64
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28
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28
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65
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37
Forever Strong
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82
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73
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73
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51
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82
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44
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31
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40
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80
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55
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76
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82
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56
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56
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55
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72
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45
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57
Sixty Six
82
Tell No One
63
Thousand Years of Good Prayers, A
57
Towelhead
72
Transsiberian
83
Trouble the Water
xx
Tru Loved
83
U2 3D
84
Up the Yangtze
52
Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived
79
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46
W.
61
Wackness, The
52
What Just Happened?
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
89
Man on Wire
86
Momma's Man
85
Edge of Heaven, The
84
Up the Yangtze
83
Ballast
83
U2 3D
83
Trouble the Water
82
Tell No One
82
Happy-Go-Lucky
82
Frozen River
82
Rachel Getting Married
80
Encounters at the End of the World
80
Moving Midway
79
Visitor, The
78
Last Mistress, The
76
Pool, The
73
Girl Cut in Two, A
73
Obscene
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
72
Secret, A
72
Transsiberian
72
I Served the King of England
68
I.O.U.S. A
68
August Evening
68
Ashes of Time Redux
66
Elegy
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
65
Flow: For Love of Water
64
Fall, The
64
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
63
Thousand Years of Good Prayers, A
63
Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story
63
Appaloosa
63
Man Named Pearl, A
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
62
Kabluey
62
Duchess, The
62
Mister Foe
62
Baghead
61
Wackness, The
61
Brick Lane
57
Towelhead
57
Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela, The
57
Sixty Six
56
Religulous
56
Bottle Shock
56
RocknRolla
55
Save Me
55
Battle in Seattle
55
Ping Pong Playa
53
Humboldt County
53
Allah Made Me Funny: Live in Concert
53
Nights and Weekends
52
Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived
52
What Just Happened?
51
Good Dick
50
Breakfast with Scot
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
47
Choke
46
W.
45
Shoot on Sight
44
Henry Poole is Here
43
Choose Connor
43
Call and Response
41
Cthulhu
40
Igor
37
Forever Strong
31
Hounddog
28
Filth and Wisdom
28
Fireproof
26
Everybody Wants to Be Italian
xx
Frontrunners
xx
Phoebe in Wonderland
xx
All of Us
xx
Elephant King, The
xx
Billy: The Early Years
xx
Mary
xx
Morning Light
xx
Tru Loved
xx
Just Buried
xx
Beer for My Horses
xx
Lower Learning
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Focus Features
 |
|
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for some partial nudity and innuendo
Starring
Frances McDormand,
Amy Adams,
Ciaran Hinds,
Shirley Henderson,
and
Lee Pace
In 1939 London, Miss Guinevere Pettigrew is a middle-aged governess who finds herself once again unfairly dismissed from her job. Without so much as severance pay, Miss Pettigrew realizes that she must--for the first time in two decades--seize the day. This she does, by intercepting an employment assignment outside of her comfort level--as "social secretary." Arriving at a penthouse apartment for the interview, Miss Pettigrew is catapulted into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse. Within minutes, Miss Pettigrew finds herself swept into a heady high-society milieu--and, within hours, living it up. Taking the "social secretary" designation to heart, she tries to help her new friend Delysia navigate a love life and career, both of which are complicated by the three men in Delysia's orbit: devoted pianist Michael, intimidating nightclub owner Nick, and impressionable junior impresario Phil. Miss Pettigrew herself is blushingly drawn to the gallant Joe, a successful designer who is tenuously engaged to haughty fashion maven Edythe, the one person who senses that the new "social secretary" may be out of her element and schemes to undermine her.
During the next 24 hours, Guinevere and Delysia will empower one another to discover their romantic destinies. (Focus Features)
| GENRE(S): |
Comedy
|
Drama
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
David Magee
Simon Beaufoy
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Bharat Nalluri
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: August 19, 2008
Theatrical: March 7, 2008
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
92 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
UK |

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
San Francisco Chronicle
Ruthe Stein
Frothy and exuberantly entertaining - in part because of the sexual innuendoes - it's the best romantic comedy so far this year.

88
ReelViews
James 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.

83
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
Based on the 1938 novel by Winifred Watson, it's a deluxe romance that most of the time plays like farce.

83
Baltimore Sun
Michael Sragow
It's an unusual and engaging romantic comedy because it's mostly about how these women ready each other for real love.

80
Salon.com
Stephanie Zacharek
Watching McDormand navigate that transformation is the kind of thing that can keep your hope in movies, and in actors, alive.

80
The Hollywood Reporter
Kirk Honeycutt
Sustains itself through terrific forward momentum and two glorious star turns by gifted actresses Frances McDormand and Amy Adams.

75
Chicago Tribune
Michael 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.

75
TV Guide
Ken Fox
Looks and sounds great, and is at its best when it isn't trying too hard to have fun.

75
USA Today
Claudia 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.

75
Miami Herald
Connie 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.

75
Philadelphia Inquirer
Carrie Rickey
A jubilee for McDormand and jolly good fun for most everyone else.

70
Film Threat
Matthew 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.

70
Los Angeles Times
Carina 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.

70
Washington Post
Ann Hornaday
The film's flaws are nothing compared with the pleasures it offers, chiefly in its unapologetic pursuit of old-fashioned sweetness and romance.

70
The New York Times
Stephen 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.

70
Variety
Todd McCarthy
McDormand's performance slowly builds a solid integrity, and contrasts well with Adams' more flamboyant turn.

67
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William 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.

63
New York Daily News
Elizabeth 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.

58
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa 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."

58
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Scott 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.

50
Premiere
Glenn 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.

50
Village Voice
Ella 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.

50
Chicago Reader
J.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.

50
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
I adore Frances McDor mand, but she's seriously miscast in a title role Emma Thompson could play in her sleep.

50
Austin Chronicle
Marc 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.

50
Boston Globe
Wesley Morris
It's polished-looking, yet dull.

40
Wall Street Journal
Joe 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.


The average user rating for this movie is 7.5 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes
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