When you see a film called Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, what do you think it is going to be? That is a question you are going to have to answer for yourself. However, I can tell you that thoughts of an entertaining movie did not enter my mind. Seriously, does that look like a good movie title? Whenever I mentioned it to friends, they generally responded with a quizzical look, as if I had two heads.

Anyway, I gave the trailer a view and to my surprise it did not look half bad. It did have the advantage of an appealing cast, featuring a couple of stars on the rise, and the project looked like fun. I know, I was surprised, too. So off I went to the theater, which I shared with scant few. Judging by the audience's reactions, I was not the only one who enjoyed it.

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day brings to mind the era of screwball comedies of the 1930s and '40s. You remember, films like Bringing Up Baby, The Lady Eve, and His Girl Friday. It was an era that saw the likes of Howard Hawks and Preston Sturges delivering memorable comedy to the screen, and influencing later films such as Some Like it Hot and Pillow Talk. The influence can even be felt in more recent years, even before Pettigrew, with the likes of Down with Love. Needless to say, it is a type of comedy whose heyday was long ago, but whose ripples are still felt today.

It may have been one of those ripples that inspired the creative team behind this film to take a look back to that era for inspiration in bringing this underserved genre back to the big screen. You see, Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day is based on the novel of the same name, originally published in 1939 and written by Winifred Watson. It is interesting to note that Miss Watson did have trouble getting the book published at first. Her prior novels were dramas and there was less interest in a "fun" novel.

However, once it was published, Universal bought the film rights and had intentions of making the adaptation with the lead played by Billie Burke (Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz). Before the film could get made, WWII broke out, Pearl Harbor happened and many film projects were dumped. Interest in the project did not resurface until 2002, shortly before the death of Winifred Watson at the age of 95.

Back to the movie at hand.

This is a film filled with crackling dialogue. Yes, it is an odd phrase and no, I am not exactly sure what it means, but it seems fitting with the snappy patter that is peppered throughout. After getting through the slow opening minutes a manic energy steps in and takes control of much of the film. There is madcap action as people get juggled, manipulated, pushed, pulled, and moved around the cinematic chessboard. It is a blast to watch, and never becomes overly complicated, even with the number of players in the mix.