All it takes is a single moment for your life to change – and for the frumpish but well-meaning Guinevere Pettigrew, it was a glance at her employment agency that allowed her to rise above her paltry working-class life and sample instead from London’s high society after finagling herself into the life of a well-to-do singer who employs her as a personal secretary after her resourcefulness proves to be quite useful, and over a single day, Miss Pettigrew sees a different side of life entirely. This is the premise of the novel Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson, which was published in 1938 and serves to be a fascinating document about the lives of people in London during quite a tumultuous period, as seen through the growing friendship between two women from different ends of the societal spectrum, but who find common ground in the process. The novel was adapted into a film written by David Magee and Simon Beaufoy (both exceptionally reliable screenwriters) and directed by journeyman filmmaker Bharat Nalluri, who sets out to capture the wildly entertaining and deeply moving world incited by the original text, turning it into a delightful and extremely charming period comedy that has as much heart as it does humour, both of which exist in an abundance. Not a particularly complex film, but rather one that has a strong sense of self-awareness and a genuine fondness for its characters and what they represent, this is a delightfully charming and frequently very funny film that navigates a range of compelling ideas with the most sincere attention to detail and a profound love for what it represents, which is certainly something that more films could benefit from employing, even if only to the extent of being able to capture the simple pleasures of everyday life.

As a novel, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day had quite a long journey to the screen – from the moment it was published, Hollywood had intended to bring it to life, although the fact that it took 70 years for someone to set this plan in motion is inexplicable, since this is not a particularly complex film, nor one that would be necessarily difficult or too challenging for those involved in its creation. Perhaps it was just never the right moment, especially considering that beneath the delightful veneer, there was something slightly deeper underpinning this story. Watson wrote the book while standing in the shadow of the Second World War – it had not started yet, but it was looming enough for the text to have at least some element in which it was aware of the social and political statement. However, the film augments this idea by making the references to the impending war far more obvious, but not in a way that feels gaudy or shoehorned in to give it additional meaning, but rather through finding points to introduce these ideas without it overtaking the narrative. Ultimately, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a film that functions as not only a wonderfully eccentric diversion focused on the friendship between its protagonists but also as a glimpse into the lives of people existing between the wars, a period of seemingly endless social upheaval, in which far too many people found themselves not quite knowing how to navigate these challenges. The film doesn’t spend too much time exploring these ideas, but they are notable enough to stir our interest, and it consistently captures our attention in a truly extraordinary way, even in the quieter moments where it is allowed to meditate on several ideas, each one developed beautifully and with such wonderful consistency, never coming across as inauthentic or artificial, which is something that this film manages to accomplish extremely well.

The majority of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day was sold on the pairing of its two lead actors, with Frances McDormand and Amy Adams making their way to London to play the lead roles in this delightfully charming comedy that gives them both a wonderful opportunity to do something more upbeat, drawing on their inherent talents to play these eccentric but grounded characters. It would be foolish to suggest these were the only actors who could play the roles, since the two protagonists of the story are constructed in such a way that they are never entirely defined by any particular physical attributes, so just about anyone could have done reasonably well with the parts. However, it is still wonderful to have received performances that feel this engaging and captivating, which is something we have come to expect from these two actors, who prove to be formidable in just about any film to which they lend their talents. McDormand uses her very maternal persona to play the dedicated and complex titular character, while Adams is the epitome of glamour as the young singer who may seem airheaded at first but is much deeper than we may have initially imagined. The film is a wonderful opportunity for both actors, as well as those in the supporting cast, particularly Lee Pace, Mark Strong and Tom Payne as Adams’ suitors, and the debonair Ciarán Hinds as the man who steals McDormand’s heart. A film like Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day can only work if the actors are entirely committed to the premise, and the entire cast works together in perfect synchronicity to bring this delightful story to life in such vibrant detail.

When dealing with a film with the subject matter contained in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, we can all agree that this is a universally compelling film, since it features the kind of comforting, gentle humour that many of us enjoy encountering from time to time, which is one of the several reasons the film is such an incredibly captivating experience, and one of the more effective comedies of its year. However, we need to take a few steps back to fully comprehend exactly what it is that makes this such an engaging and enduring film. Most of this comes in the two-pronged approach that we find in many of these charming but lightweight comedies – the characterization is strong, and the emotions evoked in the process are kept authentic, even when the scenarios that surround them stretch the boundaries of plausibility. In this film, we have the very simple premise of the friendship between two women who come from very different social strata, but who find common ground in the process, which makes them such engaging and captivating presences and the reason for our instantaneous connection with these people. The odd couple trope is one of the most commonly used narrative devices, but it has proven to be extremely reliable and always very engaging, which is not something that can always be said about other more experimental approaches, which is why a film like Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day feels so charming, despite its simplicity, which is a useful element that keeps the film so incredibly charming. The emotions that accompany this story are also very engaging and feel like they are coming from a place of genuine fondness, rather than just being a series of lacklustre plot elements that are there simply to push the narrative forward. For all of its small faults, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a lovely film that knows exactly how to capture our attention and hold onto it with such incredible consistency.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day occupies a very specific niche in the culture, being the kind of film that doesn’t offer anything particularly new or revolutionary, but rather functions as a delightful and comforting work, and that is not something that should ever be dismissed or seen as inferior to the more complex films that occur alongside it. The heart and humour that define this film are what make it so incredibly engaging, and there are several moments where it feels like this film is genuinely trying to accomplish something new and unique, even when it isn’t necessarily at its most complex, instead working with the very simple resources in its possession to create a story that is engaging and entertaining, but as far from cliched as possible, which is not always feasible considering there is going to consistently be a sense of conventions in how the plot details unravel and work together as the story progresses. It’s a simple film with a lot of heart – the deeper meaning is present and is always delightful, and the humour is sharp and precise, which is assisted by the presence of a few genuinely wonderful performances that fit in perfectly with the story and become the foundation for such a delightfully charming and irreverent series of moments between the characters. Hilarious, upbeat and nostalgic, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is an absolutely lovely film in every way and one of the more lovable comedies one could hope to encounter.