Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris: A Delightful Dream

Once in a while, I get to watch a perfect movie at the absolute perfect time. This month, that movie was Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. Based on the 1958 novel by Paul Gallico, this adaptation is a wondrous delight of a film, full of whimsy and heart, and of course, some very beautiful dresses.

The absolutely scintillating Lesley Manville plays Ada Harris, a cleaning lady in 1957 London. Her life has been on pause for a while as her husband was missing in action during the War, but at the beginning of this movie, she receives confirmation that she has in fact been widowed. When she sees a haute couture Dior dress that one of her rich clients bought from Paris, she is suddenly consumed by this dream - she must go to Paris and get a Dior dress of her own. What follows is a series of events, some good, some bad, that lead her on an adventure of a lifetime.

I won't give away any more, because you need to simply let this movie wash over you. It is so gentle yet firm, like Mrs. Harris herself, an outspoken but spectacularly kind woman who is always trying to help others around her but has forgotten to help herself. This is a story about older women, and how they can feel invisible in a patriarchal society that doesn't acknowledge their worth and beauty. This is a story about capitalism, and how once in a while workers need to strike and demand their rights from the grasping bourgeoisie. And with costume designer Jenny Beavan at the helm, this is also very much a story about the House of Dior and their incredible creations. I am someone who buys all her clothes at Old Navy, but when Mrs. Harris laid her eyes on that beautiful gown, I immediately felt like I wanted one too.

Isabelle Huppert also stars as a snooty Dior executive who is appalled when Mrs. Harris shows up at her door, demanding equal treatment to the richer clientele who more regularly appear at the Dior showings. While Huppert is cast as the film's very stereotypical French villain (if she was a man, she would definitely twirl her mustache at some point), there's some growth and evolution to this character, and a final scene between her and Mrs. Harris that felt like a triumphant take down of the patriarchy. The gorgeous Lucas Bravo and Alba Baptista also have supporting roles as two Dior employees who are on Mrs. Harris's side, and while they have a very tropey side-plot that is oh-so-French, it is also oh-so-cute. And meanwhile, we have Jason Isaacs and Ellen Thomas back home in London, playing some of the people who are always by Mrs. Harris's side and care deeply for her. Everyone is perfectly cast and they all play off Lesley Manville so well: it's heaven.

The production design by Luciana Arrighi combined with Felix Wiedemann's cinematography will make you want to hop on a plane for a trip to London and Paris posthaste. Director and co-writer Anthony Fabian has done a marvelous job gathering all these departments together to create this delectable film, and I was entranced from the first scene to the last. So if you're in dire need of a break from your daily existence, or ruminating on how to find more joy in your life, can I suggest you run, not walk to the theater? Mrs. Harris knows exactly how to help.