Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (2022) - Lesley Manville is radiant in the epitome of feel-good fun
Credit: allocine.fr
Sporting a ‘cor blimey’ accent and a (probably handmade) headscarf, Academy award nominee Lesley Manville positively shines in Mrs Harris Goes To Paris, a feel-good film that is as formulaic as it is joyful. No doubt a perfect film to cosy up to as the long and dreary autumnal nights settle in, there are no surprises to be had throughout Anthony Fabian’s latest tale of a widowed cleaning lady whose coup de foudre with Paris fashion leads her on a whirlwind, life-changing adventure. Despite a couple of hiccups, you know how it’s going to end: the answer is as clear as Manville’s character is jolly.
Hailing from Battersea, Ada Harris spends her days cleaning up after the rich and counting her pennies in her basement flat. Ellen Thomas provides a jovial performance as Ada’s fellow cleaner friend Vi, while Jason Isaacs plays the warm-hearted, flirty Archie, who works at the races. Priorities such as gas and electricity are cast aside when Ada falls in love with a Dior dress in one of her clients’ (an entertaining performance from Anna Chancellor) houses, and decides she must have one of her own. On the other side of the Channel, Ada’s strong will disarms the staff at Dior, who are either irritated by her lowly cardigans (the resilient Mme Colbert, played by Isabelle Huppert) or charmed by her kindness (quiet accountant André, played by Lucas Bravo).
Credit: allocine.fr
Playing – as has become custom – to the postcard Paris in which everyone has a view of the Eiffel Tower from their bedroom window, Mrs Harris oozes with the splendour of haute couture, scenic walks along the Seine, and can-can performances topped with champagne. It is fun escapism that quickly overlooks any underlying political or social issues, be it the garbage men on strike or Mme Colbert’s sick husband at home, who is but a plot device to contrast the strong, red-lipped director of operations at Dior with the overburdened housewife with messy hair at home. Some of the dialogue is also a bit awkward, and the romance subplot between André and one of Dior’s models Natasha (Alba Baptista in an allusion to marinière Audrey Hepburn), rapidly caving under the weight of the limelight, is nothing short of soppy, as they quote Sartre to each other in smitten astonishment. But what does it matter, when Ada Harris has barged in with her no nonsense attitude, breaking all the rules of Paris’ supposed snootiness? Paul Gallico’s original story, on which the film is based, is full of love for people, people of all kinds, a joy and compassion and wonderment for the world that echoes long after the film is over.