I can't believe this film received positive reviews. I was bored silly. This felt like someone's vanity piece; some producer or director who loved '30s era screwball comedies wanted to make one of their own. But it doesn't work. I didn't laugh at all during this movie. Amy Adams' character is flighty and breathless, running around her pad with no idea what she's doing. Neither she, nor her three "lovers" are likable or memorable. McDormand is little more than a neutral character, despite being the title character, because we never get to know her. The film basically takes place over a one-day period and has only three sets: the apartment, a nightclub, and the Savoy Hotel. Everything has to take place in this limited setting, but the plot is too thin and the dialog too weak to be effective. The only times this film has some life are when Hinds and McDormand share screen time alone, with the other totally uninteresting characters off the screen.
Review of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
