Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

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Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

PG-13

2008

1h 32m

Romance

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

77%

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148 Reviews

71%

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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.

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Critics Consensus

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

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

Aug 15, 2008

2/5

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

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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

Metro Newspaper (UK)

Aug 15, 2008

4/5

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...

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Anthony Quinn

Independent (UK)

Aug 15, 2008

3/5

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!'

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Sep 6, 2023

4/4

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.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Nov 28, 2020

4/10

An engaging yet desperately generic feel-good dramedy.

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Ali Jawetz

PopMatters

Nov 20, 2020

7/10

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

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Ed L

@ed65love Jan 9, 2026

Absolutely wonderful story! Deep, moving, funny, and full of great acting. How could anybody not enjoy this?! I just don't understand. It's an adult film in the best meaning of the word: a film for adults. If you can't get into the usual crud made these days, this is a treat.

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Aaron L.

@RT22785826 Nov 12, 2025

GOAT chemistry between Amy Adams and Lee Pace. I can rewatch this movie every year and love it more every time.

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B J

@zentraveljen Oct 31, 2023

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.

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Feb 22, 2021

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.

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steve d

@RT35616104 Jun 22, 2020

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

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Shari H

@RT68167224 Jun 14, 2020

Sweet and fun. A nice little theatrical piece

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Bharat Nalluri

Director

Frances McDormand

Miss Pettigrew

Amy Adams

Delysia Lafosse

Lee Pace

Michael

Ciarán Hinds

Joe

Mark Strong

Nick

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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)

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