We're barely three full months into 2008, and yet once again I find myself asking (to no one in particular), "How is Amy Adams so friggin' adorable?" Seriously, she cannot be stopped. Just like she did with "Enchanted", "Charlie Wilson's War", and "Junebug", she makes a movie totally worth watching. Not to ding her costars however; Frances McDormand makes a perfect foil for her and Lee Pace, Ciaran Hinds (is there any movie that he ISN'T in these days?), and Shirley Henderson, brilliantly support her in this breezy and delightful comedy/drama/romance. Story centers on McDormand's Miss Pettigrew, an out of work governess in pre WW2 London who can't seem to hold a job. On impulse, she steals a job that leads her to the home (sort of) of club singer and aspiring actress Delysia Lafosse (Adams). Over the course of the day Miss Pettigrew helps sort out various problems, including Delysia's relationships with three different men, each of whom hold a very different future for her. It's all pretty predictable, but for the most part it's enjoyable fluff bolstered by nicely done performances from the full ensemble. In the first half of the film, the film suffers from occasionally odd pauses of nothingness between funny one liners, and in the latter half director Bharat Nalluri tries too hard to justify his charming fluff by adding in foreshadowing of WW2, along with low key references to WW1. Production and costume design are all lovely and match the era perfectly, while Paul Englishby's jazzy score helps things feel faster than the slightly lax editing does. As contradictory as it sounds, the best way to sum up "Miss Pettigrew" is: Forgettable is rarely this charming and memorable.
Grade: B-
Current Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director - Bharat Nalluri, Best Actress - Amy Adams(#1), Best Actress - Frances McDormand(#2), Best Supporting Actress - Shirley Henderson(#1), Best Supporting Actor - Lee Pace(#3), Best Adapted Screeplay, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Original Score - Paul Englishby(#2).
Number of 2008 films seen: 3
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