ShareThisHaving been laid off as a governess, lost the suitcase with all her clothes and resorted to dining at a soup kitchen, poor Miss Pettigrew is all but kneeling in the 1930s London streets, arms reaching toward the sky, screaming, "Please, Lord, turn my life into a makeover movie!"And thus it's so. Shortly after the start of "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day," she's stumbled into a messy home where singer-actress Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams) hires her as a social secretary. In dry, British fashion, Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) endures Lafosse's life of whirlwind extravagance and revolving-door sex with a straight face, with every sight and sound offending her straitlaced demeanor.Maybe, just maybe, these two opposites will become the best of friends. Pettigrew may help Lafosse find her center with analytic conversation, while Lafosse will coax Pettigrew to cut loose in a wild day on the town, complete with shopping and partying. If things don't work out, at least Pettigrew will get a new dress and a haircut out of the deal.Director Bharat Nalluri's flat, predictable comedy never quite jumps to life in the laughs or sentiment department. The closest it comes to being interesting is when air-raid sirens blare, bringing all the nonsense to a halt for a too-brief respite.But there are only so many air raids to go around. Eventually we have to get back to the story, in which the usually solid Adams irritatingly recycles her "Enchanted" persona as an oblivious princess who speaks in a squeaky voice and floats around with her hands perked up at chest level.The one thing the movie has going for it is McDormand, who is genetically unable to play an uninteresting character. Pettigrew endearingly takes everything on the fly, doing her best to adapt her rigid standards to the loosest of situations. Lafosse has Pettigrew coaxing naked men out of her bed, talking a producer into getting her a plum role, patching up relationships of acquaintances and rescuing her from unwanted dates.Ugh. As a movie fan you live for the day when a film opens that's worthy of McDormand's talent.2 stars out of 4Rated: PG-13 for some partial nudity and innuendo.Family call: Not for young kids.Running time: 93 minutes.(Phil Villarreal is the author of the novel "Stormin' Mormon," due out in March and available on Amazon.com. Contact him at pvillarreal(at)azstarnet.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
McDormand the one bright spot in 'Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day'
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