Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Play trailer

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

PG-13

Released Mar 7, 2008

1h 32m

Romance

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

149 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

It's 1939 and governess Guinevere Pettigrew finds herself out of work and on the bread line. Middle-aged and running out of options, Miss Pettigrew takes an uncharacteristic gamble when, after being refused work at an employment agency,she steals the details of a juicy assignment and pursues the job herself.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Miss Pettigrew is a breezy period comedy carried by the strong performances of Amy Adams and Frances McDormand.

Read Critics Reviews

Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

McDormand is left trying for emotional depth in a sea of middling farce and semi-sophisticated comedy.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 15, 2008

Full Review

Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

Metro Newspaper (UK)

McDormand brings a Chaplinesque pathos to this snappy period comedy. Fabulous frocks, tasty men, female bonding, art deco apartments to die for; it's like Sex And The City set in 1930s London. I could have happily watched it for hours...

Rated: 4/5

Aug 15, 2008

Full Review

Anthony Quinn

Independent (UK)

It's lucky that Amy Adams and Frances McDormand lend their best charms to Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, otherwise this featherweight Art Deco fancy might drift away like a soap bubble, and go 'pop!'

Rated: 3/5

Aug 15, 2008

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day reminds us why Golden Age cinema works, why those perfect endings were perfect, and why sometimes knowing with whom everyone will end up delights rather than feels predictable.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 6, 2023

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

An engaging yet desperately generic feel-good dramedy.

Rated: 4/10

Nov 28, 2020

Full Review

Ali Jawetz

PopMatters

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, provides pleasant respite in these times of doom and gloom.

Rated: 7/10

Nov 20, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

B J

Delightful in every way. Fun, feel good movie with enough gravitas to reflect London on the precipice of WWII, which nevertheless does nothing to dampen the irrepressible, indomitable spirit of the characters. Great performances by an amazing cast.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie is the perfect chocolate caramel in your box of Godiva chocolates - maybe expected, but a delight nonetheless. Every actor is on their comedic toes. The sets and costumes are lush. The drama is calculated. It all ends exactly the way you want it to, for the best. Sometimes you need something perfectly simple and delicious - this movie is it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

steve d

Too lighthearted for its own good but Adams makes it well worth a watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Shari H

Sweet and fun. A nice little theatrical piece

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/14/20

Full Review

Audience Member

I love this film for the hope it offers to the downtrodden Miss Pettigrew and the millions like her looking for one last chance. It's part farce, part moral indictment, not unlike the best of Capra, with McDormand and Adams at their most charming. What a joy!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

james e

Two charming, willful women (both going down for the count, in their own ways) bend fantasy and reality to rescue one another and find their true selves. Great performances.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Bharat Nalluri

Director

Frances McDormand

Miss Pettigrew

Amy Adams

Delysia Lafosse

Lee Pace

Michael

Ciarán Hinds

Joe

Mark Strong

Nick

Broken English

65%

62%

Broken English

Watchlist

Meet the Browns

33%

90%

Meet the Browns

Watchlist

Waitress

89%

74%

Waitress

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Waitress

Under the Tuscan Sun

62%

78%

Under the Tuscan Sun

Watchlist

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

68%

64%

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

11 Hidden Gems Starring the Justice League Cast

14 Under-the-Radar Films Featuring Game of Thrones Stars

People’s Choice Awards Winners Announced

An In-Depth Breakdown of 'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day'

15:03

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

It's 1939 and governess Guinevere Pettigrew finds herself out of work and on the bread line. Middle-aged and running out of options, Miss Pettigrew takes an uncharacteristic gamble when, after being refused work at an employment agency,she steals the details of a juicy assignment and pursues the job herself.

Director: Bharat Nalluri
Producer: Nellie Bellflower, Stephen Garrett
Screenwriter: David Magee, Simon Beaufoy
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Shine Pictures, Focus Features, Keylight Productions, Kudos Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Some Partial Nudity|Innuendo)
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 7, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 22, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.3M
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now