Direction: Anthony Fabian
Country: UK / France / Hungary
This third adaptation of the 1958 classic novel by Paul Gallico, originally titled Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris, ensures an over-the-top fun that other versions couldn’t manage to get. The plot, set in the 1950s, hinges on the scintillating performance by Lesley Manville (Another Year, 2010; Phantom Thread, 2017), who plays the eternally optimistic and good-hearted Ada Harris, a widowed residential housekeeper from London who falls head over heels for a haute couture Dior dress. This capricious circumstance takes her to Paris, where she meets Christian Dior in person, and befriends some of his employees.
Here you have a gloriously enchanting old-fashioned tale retaken to the screen with polished and colorful new tones, balancing happy and sad moments with virtue. The story, depicted with a sweet retro flavor, takes unexpected poignant overtones along the way, but Manville simpers with affection, making every impossible dream come true with benevolence and soul.
Isabelle Huppert is great as the snob Dior director, Claudine Colbert, and other on-target supporting roles by Lambert Wilson, Alba Baptista, and Lucas Bravo help to get the film out of the ordinary. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is both funny and full-bodied, pleasurable and bouncing. It’s the type of cozy, uplifting film that can easily brighten someone’s day.
