Mrs Harris Goes to Paris Movie Review: Coming from director Anthony Fabian, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris is a delightful adventure that is set in the backdrop of 1950s Europe that has a simplistic feel to it alongside a feel-good story. With a certain escapism attached to it that feels like drinking a warm cup of English tea, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris turned out to be an eternal ball of joy that focused more on showcasing the best of the human nature. Black Adam Movie Review: Dwayne Johnson’s Anti-Hero Could Not Save This Rushed and Messy DC Film (Today News 24 Exclusive).
Following Ada Harris (Lesley Manville), a widowed cleaning lady, who embraces her work with a smile on her face and tries to live her best life with her best mate Vi Butterfield (Ellen Thomas), she dares to dream big when she stumbles upon a Dior dress that costs more than she can afford. Being obsessed with wanting one for herself, Ada saves up her pennies and travels to the city of Paris in hopes of getting one for her own.
A Still From Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
The most incredible part of Mrs Harris Goes to Paris is Lesley Manville. With an infectious positivity attached to her in bringing the delightful Ada Harris to life, Manville does her best in providing an escapist romp where the good guys always win. A particularly feel-good take that doesn’t come off as pretentious, there is a natural shade to Harris where she starts focusing on the lavish lifestyle of high-society Europe.
Exclaiming that the head of Dior looks like her milkman, the fish-out-of-water scenario of her being in Paris is played to its fullest. With a cast of side-characters that feel cartoonishly French in their portrayal of the snobbish, romantic and few with a penchant of being a gentleman, Ada comes across a colourful cast that fuel the foundations of her story.
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Arriving to the House of Dior, she is quickly met by Natasha (Alba Baptista), a model for Dior, whom Ada helps up after she stumbles down and is greeted by various other members that end up making the rest of the cast. When being denied to see the demo of the clothes as she didn’t have an invitation, a posh gentleman by the name of Marquis de Chassagne (Lambert Wilson) invites her as his plus-one to see the exquisite clothes.
There is plenty of romance to go by in Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, sadly, the ultimate payoff of Ada’s story with Marquis ends up feeling like a disappointment. While the old flirt tries to show Ada around Paris, there story quirkily pulls the rug underneath from you in setting up a shock factor reveal that honestly comes off as a disservice rather than a natural progression of things.
A Still From Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
Thankfully, the side-romance of Natasha, with Dior’s accountant Andre Fauvel, played by the go-to French hunk Lucas Bravo, helps spice things up. There is also the side story with Dior’s director Claudine, played by the wonderful Isabelle Huppert, who tries her best to showcase a cold shoulder to Ada at every chance she gets, and the story there presents for some interesting themes that proves for a nice tale of redemption that helps showcase Ada’s goodness to the best.
While the French side-characters do end up getting their time to shine, the English one’s are also charming in their own respective way. Ellen Thomas makes the best out of her time as Vi Butterfield, while Jason Isaacs turns in a surprise with his limited portrayal as Archie. Just a note to filmmakers, if you have THE Jason Isaacs in your film, then probably give him more to do; he is too good to just have five-minutes of screen-time. The White Lotus Season 2 Review: Aubrey Plaza, Michael Imperioli Stand Out in This Brilliant Return of Mike White’s Addictive Drama! (Today News 24 Exclusive).
A Still From Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
While the end of the journey that Mrs Harris Goes to Paris delivers feels satisfying, the pacing in those last 20-minutes do begin to drag a lot. With some scenes feeling stretched out, the eventual point that Mrs Harris Goes to Paris tries to make does start to get tiring and it did leave me a bit bored for the duration until the final few minutes, but the movie does have a few tricks up its sleeve and provides a meaningful conclusion that will leave you smiling.
Yay!
Lesley Manville
Side-Characters
Nay!
Ending Feels Stretched Out
Final Thoughts
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris is something that will definitely leave you with a smile even though its ending might drag a bit. Providing an escapist romp that’s fueled by Lesley Manville’s delightful and infectiously positive performance, this is a film to brighten up your gloomy mood. Mrs Harris Goes to Paris releases in theatres on November 4, 2022.
(The above story first appeared on Today News 24 on Nov 03, 2022 10:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website todaynews24.top).