Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2007)

  • 77% of critics liked it
    (142 reviews)

  • 69% of users liked it
    (79,792 ratings)

A late-'30s-era London governess hired to work in the home of a high-profile nightclub chanteuse gets a taste of the good life when she is assigned the task of sorting out the singer's many unseemly affairs in a period comedy starring Frances McDormand and adapted from the novel by Winifred Watson.… More

Play Trailer

PG-13, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By
Bharat Nalluri
Written By
David Magee, Simon Beaufoy
Genres
Drama, Comedy
In Theaters
Mar 7, 2008 Wide
On DVD
Aug 19, 2008
Focus Features

Critic Reviews

  • Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

    [Ciaran Hinds is] a terrific character actor, and he actually gets to play somewhat of a romantic lead in the story with Frances McDormand, which I thought was so sweet and gave this film just a little bit of gravity.

  • Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

    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.

  • Claudia Puig, USA Today

    Based on the 1938 novel by Winifred Watson, Miss Pettigrew is a veritable treat. Wisely cast, this handsome production is a delightful farcical fairy tale, bolstered by moments of depth and emotion.

  • Philip Marchand, Toronto Star

    You can't criticize a soufflé for not being a side of beef.

  • Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

    Miss Pettigrew is one of those rare cases where a filmmaker's good intentions, and the enthusiasm of his actors, are enough to fill in the cracks.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • ♥˩ƳИИ &


    Cast: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Ciarán Hinds, Clare Clifford, Sarah Kants, Shirley Henderson, Lee Pace, Mark Strong Director: Bharat Nalluri Summary: When her gruff demeanor costs her yet another nanny position, desperate Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) wangles a… More

  • Jennifer X


    The movie has almost no plot complications or suspenseful moments, yet I love it SO MUCH! It's a floating, pattering, whirling confection of a movie, and Amy Adams fits snugly inside Delysia Lafosse. I think she can have a tendency to be pigeonholed into the ingenue role, but she… More

  • Spencer S


    Lee Pace and Amy Adams give their usually cute performances while Frances McDormand proves yet again that she can pull any film by its coat tails.

  • Red L


    I enjoyed this movie. Frances McDormand plays a down-on-her-luck governess who finds work as the social secretary for a ditsy actress. They are just what each other needs.

  • Lanning :


    There is only one reason to see this, ah, happy little movie: the growth of the relationship between Frances McDormand and Ciarán Hinds. That part of the movie is beautifully done. The rest of it, however, is a bit of a wash. For McDormand and Hinds, this is a wonderful love story… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

See full cast

Trailers & Clips

facebook_logo

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!

  • Discover movies your friends are watching
  • Keep track of what you want to see
  • Add your reviews to your Timeline