DVD Review - Safety Not Guaranteed

The Movie: Safety Not Guaranteed
The Players: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson
The Makers: Colin Trevorrow (director), Derek Connolly (writer) 
Run time: 120 minutes 

I first heard about this movie last year when David and Margaret reviewed it, and thought it sounded quirky and interesting. And it was!

Darius (Aubrey Plaza) and Arnau (Karan Soni) are interns at Seattle Magazine. Darius is a bored, directionless college graduate who seems to be in a permanant "funk", as her widowed father puts it. At a meeting one day, Jeff, one of the magazine writers, proposes an interview with the author of a classified ad that reads:

Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. P.O. Box 91 Ocean View, WA 99393. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before. 

Darius and Arnau are assigned to help him, and the three of them travel to the seaside town Ocean View to find the author and write a story about him. Staking out the PO box belonging to the letter writer, Darius follows him and discovers he is Kenneth Calloway (Mark Duplass), a local supermarket employee. After Jeff fails to get any information out of Kenneth, Darius approaches him in the supermarket, piquing his interest. They arrange to meet up later on, and he takes Darius through a series of training exercises to determine whether she is worthy of accompanying him on "the mission." 

While Darius gets more involved in training for the time travel expedition, Jeff reveals an ulterior motive and tracks down an old girlfriend, Liz, from his youth. As Darius and Arnau continue learning more about Kenneth, Jeff gets involved with Liz and realises that life in Seattle might not compare to beachside life with his old flame. Things get complicated, though, when Darius begins to fall for Kenneth, and the trio from Seattle discover that Kenneth's claims that he's being followed turn out to be true, and that his past isn't quite what he's made it out to be. Kenneth tells Darius to meet him at the launching site, determined to continued with his mission. Darius is torn, trying not to let her feelings for Kenneth get in the way of getting a good story.

Disguised as a sort of sci-fi film, this is more of a romance. Aubrey Plaza, who I've always found kind of bland (possibly because of the permanent bored expression on her face), actually gives a sweet performance. She's cool and collected, but her gentle inquisitiveness creates a lovely bond between her and Kenneth. Jake Johnson provides a welcome side of humor as the arrogant magazine writer using interns to do the hard work for him, while he uses the business trip as an excuse to rekindle his romance with Liz. One of the strongest points of the writing is that the film isn't used as a tool for time travel debate or cynicism, or as a way of painting Kenneth as some outlandish conspiracy theorist. Instead the characters each embark on their own journey of discovery, as their memories and past hurts push them towards some form of realisation that the past can't be changed.

This was an incredibly sweet film that subtly captures the first moments of falling in love - the highs, the lows, the doubts, and the discoveries. It's a gentle story that doesn't try to argue too much, or convince the audience it must believe in one side over the other. Instead, we watch and wait, letting the belief that Darius begins to find creeping over her slowly washing over us as well. It's well worth watching.

In a word: sweet


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DVD Review - One For The Money

The Movie: One For The Money
The Players: Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara, Daniel Sunjata, Sherri Shepherd
The Makers: Julie Anne Robinson (director), Stacy Sherman, Karen Ray, Liz Brixius (writers) 
Run time: 107 minutes 

Based on Janet Evanovich's best selling novel, the film adaptation of One For The Money had so much potential. The novel was a breath of fresh air in the nineties, and female protagonist Stephanie Plum was a plucky, out of luck Jersey girl willing to do almost any job to pay her rent and keep herself out of her parents' house.

The film's plot somewhat mimics the novel - Plum takes a job with her scumbag cousin Vinnie in his bond agency recapturing criminals who have failed to appear at their court hearing.  Much the same as in the novel Stephanie gets herself set up as a bounty hunter with the help of Vinnie's office manager, Connie, and fellow bounty hunter Ranger, and the audience is treated to cutesy scenes of clumsy Stephanie fumbling her way through learning to shoot a gun and bringing in her first Failure To Appear crim.

When Stephanie discovers that cop Joe Morelli is an FTA with a fifty thousand dollar bond reward fee, she vows to be the one to bring him in. Her motives aren't purely monetary based though; she wants to bring in the guy who took her virginity at sixteen and never called her again. And so the scene is set. Stephanie begins hunting for Joe, who is wanted for murder, only to discover that there is more to his crime than she first realised. She quickly gets in over her head when she starts sniffing around boxer Benito Ramirez after linking him to Morelli's missing witness, and her friendship with confidante hooker, Lula, puts lives in danger. Threats to her own life, a car bomb, and seeing Lula get beaten into a bloody mess convince Stephanie that Morelli is actually innocent, and bringing him in to collect her reward money becomes secondary to finding out what he's mixed up in.

Where the novel was witty and action packed, the film is disjointed and awkward. It's not quite sure if it's a comedy, a thriller, or a romance, and while a lot of the issues lie in the poorly constructed script, it's Heigl as Stephanie Plum that creates most of the awkwardness. The audience is very much aware that they are watching Katherine Heigl Play A Jersey Girl rather than watching Jersey girl Stephanie Plum navigate through life in Trenton. Personally, I think a relatively unknown actress would have been a better casting choice for Stephanie. Jason O'Mara as Joe Morelli is mostly satisfactory, and Daniel Sunjata makes a perfect Ranger. It's just a shame that neither of their characters in the film resemble the characters in the novel. Morelli isn't enough of a cop, and Ranger is nothing like the sharply mysterious man in the book. Another failing of the film is the exclusion of Plum's family, particularly Grandma Mazur, who would have added some much needed comic relief to an otherwise dull film. Sure, they appear in a couple of scenes, but it's very obviously filler material to set up a family dynamic that is ignored for the rest of the film.

While the film got the location and sets fairly spot on, it's disappointing that the two characters most resembling their novel counterparts are office manager Connie and hooker Lula, who are both are secondary characters at best. The film is a disappointment from the beginning, which is unfortunate given the writers had perfectly useable source material. As a Stephanie Plum fan, I was really disappointed with this adaptation, and unfortunately I think this film has destroyed any future attempts at bringing further Stephanie Plum novels to the big screen.

In a word: average

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DVD Review - Disney's Prom

This DVD was provided to me for review by the kind folks at Haystac Marketing.

The Movie: Prom
The Players: Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonnell, Danielle Campbell
The Makers: Joe Nussbaum (director), Justin Springer, Ted Griffin (producers), Katie Wech (writer) 
Run time: 99 minutes 

Genre: Drama - Comedy

Classification: PG 

 

The final days of high school are upon Nova Prescott and her friends Mei, Jordan, Lloyd and Rolo, but there's one more major event they've spent the past four years of their lives eagerly awaiting: Prom!

Nova is a popular, gorgeous over-achiever and she's head of the prom committee. She's spent months coordinating and creating the backdrop for what she hopes is the best prom ever, and just as the preparations are finalised, disaster strikes three weeks before the big event. A fire burns down the storage unit containing all the decorations the committee has carefully built and no one has time to recreate their efforts.

Meanwhile, Nova's friends are struggling with their own secrets and insecurities. Mei is avoiding telling her boyfriend she'll be going to college in New York and leaving him in Michigan, Jordan has realised her perfect jock boyfriend is two-timing her and clumsy Lloyd has left his prom plans too late and can't find a date for love nor money, despite his creative but clueless efforts. Sophmore Lucas is harboring a crush on fellow classmate Simone but is too chicken to ask her out, while Simone is hiding a secret that could ruin everything.

With so much tension going on in her friends' lives, it falls to Nova to begin prom preparations again, and the principal orders bad boy Jesse to help her. A rebel and a loner, Jesse has a reputation that precedes him, and tensions flair between he and Nova as his blase attitude towards prom become apparent. Nova's determination to give her classmates the perfect night, despite having no date of her own, drives her to work tirelessly to recreate the magic. As she and Jesse spend their nights building backdrops they're able to change their perspectives and they become friends....and more.

Disney's Prom is light-hearted look at the tumultuous final days of high school, where the atmosphere and emotion is heightened as everyone focuses on that one special night. The film focuses on this group of students, seamlessly knitting their stories together as the film comes to a close. Friday Night Lights fans will recognise Aimee Teegarden as the likeable Nova, and the ensemble cast works nicely together as a group of bright and bubbly high schoolers on the brink of adulthood.

This film is something the whole family can enjoy together, and will particularly appeal to kids (probably girls) around eleven to fifteen years old - I mean, what teenage girl doesn't love a movie about prom? It probably doesn't hurt that the actor playing bad boy Jesse has a very convincing young Johnny Depp thing going on! With a snappy soundtrack and a likeable cast, Prom is sure to be popular with all ages.

Disney's Prom is available to buy on a 2-disc blu-ray ($49.95) and a 1 disc DVD ($39.95) from November 2. The DVD features a making of featurette and a cute bloopers reel, as does the blu-ray. The blu-ray also features a short film about Lloyd's efforts to find a prom date, four deleted scenes and seven music videos.

In a word: good

But wait, there's more - check out this trailer of the film!

And this music video from Thomas McDonell's band Moon (bad boy Jesse)!

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DVD Review - I Am Number Four

The Movie: I Am Number Four
The Players: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Dianna Agron, Teresa Palmer
The Makers: D.J. Caruso (director), Michael Bay, Chris Bender, J.C. Spink, David Valdes (producers), Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Marti Noxon (writers) 
Run time: 114 minutes 

John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) is an alien from the planet Lorien, and is one of eight others sent to earth to escape the invading race known as the Mogadorians (or Mogs). Protected by his warrior and guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John has to keep a low profile or risk being hunted down and killed by the Mogs, who are searching earth for the eight remaining members of the Lorien race.


This is more difficult than it sounds, though, as John's powers, referred to as "legacies" begin to gather strength before he learns to control them. An increase in body strength, speed, agility and the power to generate light through his hands lands John in trouble early on in the film. He and Henri leave their home in Florida and head to Ohio to start hiding all over again, since the Mogs have picked up their trail and John, number four, is the next target on their hit list


Paradise, Ohio allows them a little more breathing space initially, and John settles into life at the high school, quickly befriending Sam, the son of a missing conspiracy theorist, and falls in love with Sarah, fellow student and amateur photographer. He also makes an enemy out of Mark, a popular jock, who takes an instant dislike to John. 


People quickly become suspicious of John and Henri, as John struggles to control his legacies and his temper. But before they can leave town and start over, Henri is captured and murdered by the Mogs, leaving John to fight the Mogs with a mysterious girl who claims to be Number Six from Lorien.


Based on the book I Am Number Four by James Frey and Jobie Hughes, the film has a quick pace with a relatively vague back story. It jumps straight into the here and now of John Smith's existence, and there is little explanation to how and why the Mogs destroyed Lorien and are intent on killing the eight remaining members of the race.


Pettyfer is a perfectly acceptable leading man, but his friendship with Sam remains fairly secondary to his blossoming relationship with Sarah, which is disappointing. One suspects the writers could have delved deeper into Sam's backstory and his father's conspiracies as a way of linking back to the Mogs' reason for hunting down John Smith. The script is fairly formulaic and lacking great dialogue, which I found disappointing after realising Buffy alum Marti Noxon was one of the screenwriters. But teenage audiences will find appeal in the slick action scenes that bring explosions-a-plenty and are reminiscent of Twilight-esque stunts as John and Number Six fight the Mogs.


Intended as the start of a franchise, it will be interesting to see if more attention and investment is paid to the script for any sequels that are made, because the potential to create a blockbuster set of films is definitely there. It just all depends on how much the studio wants to create a teen sci-fi action film with some real punch and a solid backstory versus a teen action film with a bunch of explosions and some pretty people that doesn't offer much susbtance.


In a word: okay Pin It

Movie Review - The Green Hornet

The Movie: The Green Hornet
The Players: Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz, Jay Chou
The Makers: Michel Gondry (director), Neal H. Moritz (producer), Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg (writers) 
Run time: 108 minutes

2011’s remake of The Green Hornet, directed by Michel Gondry, is a superhero action comedy co-written and starring the Judd Apatow alum Seth Rogen. Rogen stars as Britt Reid, the irresponsible son of newspaper magnate James Reid. Reid senior finds nothing but disappointment in his son, a fact he doesn’t try to hide throughout the boy’s life. When James dies suddenly, Britt finds himself in charge of his father’s newspaper, the Daily Sentinel, which is a mere inconvenience to his playboy lifestyle. He forms a friendship with his father’s mechanic/barista, Kato, and after a night of drunken mischief where they’re mistaken as criminals, they decide to continue working together as a crime-fighting duo. Before long, their escapades are front page news, and Britt realises that as the owner of a newspaper, he can spin the stories to his advantage, with the help of his new secretary, Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz).

Britt decides he and Kato should pose as criminals to try and infiltrate the Los Angeles underworld in an attempt to clean up the streets of the city, and they quickly make an enemy out of Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz), a Russian mobster who controls the crime in LA. As Britt and Kato are unwittingly drawn deeper into a tangled web of blackmail, involving his late father, the District Attorney and Chudnofsky, they begin to realise there are powers at work that are well beyond their amateur crime fighting skill and understanding. Britt and Kato’s partnership also becomes more and more competitive, as does their affection for the beautiful and intelligent Lenore. As The Green Hornet’s profile rises, so to does the price on Britt's head, with Chudnofsky and the District Attorney eager to remove him from the picture.

The film starts of with the potential to be a slick, comic book franchise film, but its weaknesses are apparent from the start. Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s script is insubstantial and lacks the punchy, comedic, and heroic dialogue that should be one of the main drawcards for audiences. Rogen’s portrayal of Britt Reid is somewhat uneven, as the character swings between boyishly amusing and brazenly obnoxious, often making him unlikeable. Christoph Waltz is disappointingly underused as the movie’s villain and Cameron Diaz doesn’t quite seem like the right fit for Lenore Case. However, it’s Taiwanese musician and singer-songwriter Jay Chou as The Green Hornet’s sidekick who brings the most humour to the film. His impressive superhero gadgetry, witty banter and the madcap car chase antics between Kato and Reid are what saves this film from being a complete disaster. One definitely gets the feeling that Michel Gondry’s individual style was quashed in by the studio, which disappointingly could have been the deciding factor that turned a mediocre action film into a quirky, memorable and fun superhero flick.

In a word: disappointing Pin It

Movie Review - Easy Virtue

The Movie: Easy Virtue
The Players: Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth, Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes
The Makers: Noel Coward (play), Stephan Elliott (director), Sheridan Jobbins & Stephan Elliott (writers)
Run time: 97 minutes

 

It's the 1920s and Larita (Biel), an outgoing, successful American race car driver meets John Whittaker (Barnes), a younger British man in Monaco. They fall in love, get married and he takes her home to meet the family at their family mansion in the rural English countryside. Larita receives a frosty reception from John's mother, Veronica (Scott Thomas) and is treated with curious indifference by John's sisters Hilda and Marion. John's father, Jim (Firth), is a war veteran who seemingly couldn't care less about the goings on of the house. 

Life at the mansion is difficult for Larita from the outset. While trying to forge a relationship with her new mother-in-law, she's constantly ignored, belittled and suffers horrific hayfever, much to Veronica's amusement. Her sisters-in-law become increasingly malicious toward her, particularly after a joke about not wearing underwear is misinterpreted (with hilarious results) and her new husband seems ignorant to her difficulties adjusting to life in the isolated countryside. Larita and John's plan was to move to London swiftly so Larita can establish a career in the UK, but it becomes apparent that John's desire to stay at the mansion is stronger than his desire to keep his new wife happy.

When Larita decides to stop bending over backwards to please her new family, the claws come out and she uses they brash, American-ness they dislike so much to her advantage. She finds an unlikely ally in her father-in-law, a bitterly unhappy man who uses wry barbs and unrepentant honestly to get under his wife's skin. As the honeymoon period comes to a fast end, a secret from Larita's past is revealed, making John's view of his new wife become tinted with doubt. Larita struggles to keep her marriage on track and the women in the house rejoice at the seemingly impending demise of the union, while having to face some harsh realities of their own.

I popped this movie into the DVD player as background noise while I was doing other stuff. I quickly abandoned the other stuff and let myself become engrossed in life at the mansion. The story moved along at a cracking pace, and Biel played her role perfectly. Glamorous and outspoken, she shines as Larita, completely endearing and amusingly stubborn, which makes for some great scenes between her and Kristin Scott Thomas. The interaction between Jim and Larita brings out her gentler, reflective nature, and gives the audience a fleeting insight into Jim's life during the war years. There's great supporting work from the sisters-in-law, particularly Marion, played by The IT Crowd's Katherine Parkinson, who is dim-witted and droll at the same time. The household butler, Furber, also provides excellent one-liners and some great comic relief (it's actually a shame he's not featured more heavily), but it's Firth's portrayal of Jim as an unexpected ally for Larita that provides much of the entertainment as the other members of the Whittaker family become more and more amusingly horrible.

This film is a nice piece of light entertainment, and while it's probably not the best period film ever made, there's no denying it's pretty to look at and has sparkling wit. Besides Biel's gorgeous wardrobe and the impressive mansion used for filming, the soundtrack has a delightfully modern twist, with The Easy Virtue Orchestra performing rousing renditions of Sexbomb, Let's Misbehave and When the Going Gets Tough the Tough Get Going, to name a few. The orchestra brings a fresh feel to the film, which could easily have been scored with slow, meandering instrumental songs. The end result is a fun romp through life in the 1920s in Britain, seen through the eyes of an American. It's definitely worth watching, perhaps with a nice cup of hot chocolate and some scones with jam and cream.

In a word: fun

Oh, here are some pics of Jessica Biel's wardrobe:

 

You know, because we can all use a little 1920s wardrobe porn every now and then.

The whole time I watched the film I wished I had an arse suited to high waisted pants. Alas, I do not.

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Movie Review - Ramona and Beezus

The Movie: Ramona and Beezus
The Players: John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Selena Gomez, Joey King, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Duhamel
The Makers: Elizabeth Allen (director), Laurie Craid, Nick Pustay (writers), Beverly Cleary (novel)
Run time: 103 minutes

Anyone familiar with the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary will instantly have an idea of what this film is about, but here's a brief synopsis anyway!

Ramona is an eight year old girl who is anything but ordinary. She's a talented artist, an imaginative, brave little girl who gets easily frustrated and upset at unfair situations and adults. Her older sister, Beezus (short for Beatrice), is the complete opposite - friendly, mature and perfect. Obviously her mother's favourite (according to Ramona). They live on Klickitat Street in Oregon, a fairly ordinary middle class neighbourhood, with their parents and baby sister Roberta, and next door to Ramona's best friend Howie and his family. Ramona is the kind of girl who takes an idea and runs with it, often trying to mimic the behaviour she sees on television, or pitch in and "help" with disastrous results.

The film adaptation of Beezus and Ramona was actually an amalgamation of all of the Ramona books combined into one neat and tidy narrative. The film begins with some great scenes of basic introduction to the Quimby family for the audience. From the get-go, it's obvious that the writers have kept the script as close to the books as possible, just modernising it slightly. The initial scenes deal with the renovations to the Quimby house and the chaos that it brings to their lives. To Ramona and Howie, it's the most amazing thing that's ever happened and they spend endless hours playing amongst the building, which makes for some cute scenes as the hole in the house provides a nice vehicle for Ramona's fantasies.

Tension heats up though, when Ramona's dad is made redundant from his job. Money woes mean that Dorothy has to go back to work part time and Bob becomes a stay at home dad, allowing him more time with his girls. While the threat of unpaid bills hangs over their heads, the film manages to continue with it's entertaining, light tone. In amongst these tense scences, Ramona goes to school, hangs out with Howie and looks forward to visits from the always fun, always glamorous Aunt Bea (Ginnifer Goodwin). The film incorporates many of the hilarious messes Ramona manages to find herself in, which readers of the books will instantly recognise, from her audition for a television commercial with a crown made from burrs, saying a "bad" word, cracking a raw egg over her head, and running away from home with the help of her mother, just to name a few.

I have to say that I really, really enjoyed this film. Obviously my affection for the Ramona books makes me biased, but I think even if you didn't read the books when you were younger this film would appeal to you. It's a gorgeous snapshot of life for an average family, with a daughter whose inquisitive nature makes life chaotic and fun. Her adventures, while full of good intentions, often end up causing her family a lot more hassle than expected. Director Elizabeth Allen doesn't have many feature films under her belt, but she has painted a rich and colourful environment for one of the most loved characters from children's literature, with help from a wonderful cast.

Even if you don't have kids, this film is perfect for a rainy day, and if you do have kids I recommed that you rent this to watch as a family because I guarantee each and every person will find some enjoyment in it.

In a word: Charming





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DVD review: Up in the Air

The Players: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick
The Makers: Jason Reitman (director, writer), Sheldon Turner (writer), Paramount Pictures
Based on: Novel Up in the Air by Walter Kim, 2001
Run time: 108 minutes
Extras: Deleted scenes, commentary with Jason Reitman, a few gag reels

Ryan Bingham (Clooney) is more than a seasoned traveller - he spends more time up in the air than he does on the ground, travelling the United States daily as a corporate downsizer (fancy talk for someone who fires people professionally). He plane-hops around the country with a stack of "information packets" and a well-rehearsed party line. Bingham is professional, smooth and he loves his job because he's just so damn good at it. The other thing he loves about his job? The miles. He collects mileage points for absolutely everything when he travels, and his secret goal is to collect ten million miles.

A chance meeting in an hotel bar with business woman Alex Goran (Farmiga) has them comparing membership mileage cards and swapping travel stories about the best car rental places, the best hotels and the best way to earn more miles. They begin an affair, trying to synch up their schedules whevener they know they'll be i nthe same city, and they both seem perfectly happy with this arrangement.

A sudden request from his boss, Craig (Jason Bateman), for him to come into the office for a meeting reveals his wings are being clipped and he's being grounded, so to speak. Bingham and his fellow corporate downsizers are introduced to Natalie Keener (Kendrick), a perky, efficient college graduate with big plans for the company. She's introducing video conferencing as a means of firing people, keeping Bingham and his colleagues in the office full-time. Bingham is outraged, and challenges Natalie to come on the road with him so she understand the personal touches involved in well-rehearsed redundancies. She agrees, and they set out on a sort of road trip, travelling from place to place, firing employees from different companies.

For a film that focuses mainly on three characters, the storyline is surprisingly well written. Ryan is self-assured and smooth, Alex is confident but guarded, and Natalie is naïve but determined. What is surprising, though, are the depths of Bingham's character that are gently revealed, piece by piece as the story develops. Instead of a business man hardened by life in the air and uninterested in personal connections, we see his quiet desire for companionship as his relationship with Alex progresses. When she accompanies his to his youngest sister's wedding, his reticient, previously unrealised regret of not being around his family is subtly illustrated through touching rehearsal dinner and wedding day scenes.

The character of Natalie is the standout through, and it's no surprise Kendrick was nominated for an Oscar in this supporting role. At times she's so determined it seems as though she's poised to take over the company at any second. Just as quickly though, she reverts to the typical early twenty-somethings girl who dreams of marrying the man of her dreams and settling down. She's still finding her feet in the world after college, and Kendrick portrays Natalie's naïvety and self-assuredness with ease (and often at the same time in any given scene).

Given that this was released as the world recovers from the GFC, it's contextual significance speaks volumes to viewers. I was completely immersed in this film, and I think Reitman did an exceptional job with it. The story never meanders, the characters are engaging and likeable, and it swings between a romcom and a coming of age story quite nicely, without being too patronising. I can't recommend this film highly enough!

In a word: Excellent.





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DVD Review

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
The Players: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Lee Pace, Tom Payne, Mark Strong
The Makers: Bharat Balluri (Director), David Magee & Simon Beaufoy (Writers), Focus Features.
Based On: Winifred Watson’s 1938 novel of the same name.
Run Time: 92 minutes
Extras: Making Of, Deleted Scenes, Commentary with the Director.

It’s hard to decide who is more perfect in their role: Frances McDormand as the reserved Guinevere Pettigrew or Amy Adams as voracious Delysia LaFosse. The two main characters of this film are wonderfully portrayed separately and as a duo. It’s 1939 in London and the war is about to break out at any second. Miss Pettigrew, a frizzy haired, destitute and unemployed governess shows up on Delysia LaFosse’s doorstep expecting to be employed to look after her son. Instead she finds a bubbling ball of nervous energy in the form of red headed Delysia, an aspiring actress and nightclub singer in desperate need of a social secretary to help keep her out of trouble. High jinks ensue as Miss Pettigrew undergoes a make over and helps Delysia stay out of the beds three potential suitors, each offering her different parts of the high society world she so desperately wants to live in. For audiences, and certainly for Miss Pettigrew herself, on the surface the film is a fun look at a day in the life of a hopeful, young wannabe screen siren. However, director Bharat Nalluri has created a visually delicious look at London’s pre-war high society that keeps viewers enthralled throughout the entire film, with gorgeous art deco sets that leave no opulent stone unturned and a cast draped in stunning suits and evening gowns that emulate 1930s style perfectly. Performances by the leading ladies are both touching and comedic, as they play off each other in every scene, while the supporting actors playing Delysia’s suitors are wonderfully portrayed with cocky arrogance by Lee Pace, Tom Payne and Mark Strong, each one likeable and frustrating at the same time. The DVD offers some great inside looks at how Nalluri and the actors worked to create their 1930s personas and the behind the scenes footage of modern London transformed back to the pre-war era is well worth a look. This film is a wonderful romp through a day in the life of two completely opposing characters thrown together in ridiculous circumstances and is highly recommended.

In A Word: Delightful! Pin It