Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

A 1950s London cleaning lady falls in love with an haute couture dress by Christian Dior and decides to gamble everything for the sake of this folly.

  • Released: 2022-07-15
  • Runtime: 120 minutes
  • Genre: Comedy, Drama
  • Stars: Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Lucas Bravo, Lambert Wilson, Alba Baptista, Anna Chancellor, Rose Williams, Ellen Thomas, Jason Isaacs, Roxane Duran, Bertrand Poncet, Christian McKay, Freddie Fox, Philippe Bertin, Guilaine Londez, Dorottya Ilosvai, Delroy Atkinson, Vincent Martin, Harry Szovik, Péter Végh, Csémy Balázs, Igor Szász, Jeremy Wheeler, Ben Addis, Zsolt Páll, Declan Hannigan, Stephen Saracco, Sarah Rickman, Wayne Brett, Panka Murányi, Emese Sarkadi-Szabo, Guizani Douraied, Jade Lopez, Anett Földi, Germaine Queen Ottley, Sába Kapás, Saruul Delgerbayar, Isabella Brett, Cintia Örvendi, Barnabás Réti
  • Director: Anthony Fabian
 Comments
  • gipsyblood - 1 April 2024
    Delightful
    Delightful film that transports viewers to the 1950s era of London and Paris. The film tells the heartwarming tale of Mrs. Harris, a London cleaning lady, who dreams of owning a Christian Dior dress. Lesley Manville's portrayal of Mrs. Harris is both endearing and captivating, adding depth to the character. The narrative is akin to a fairy tale, filled with dreams, aspirations, and the pursuit of beauty. The film does a commendable job of recreating the charm and elegance of the 1950s, making it a visual treat for the audience. Overall, "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris" is a charming film that beautifully captures the spirit of an era and the timeless allure of fashion.
  • lee_eisenberg - 22 November 2023
    Ada Harris puts the class in working class
    Full disclosure: I've never read the book on which the Academy Award-nominated "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris" is based. That said, it's an enjoyable movie. The protagonist could very much qualify as the working class hero sung about by John Lennon.

    Lesley Manville plays the lead, a house cleaner in 1957 England who gets a chance to go to France and bid on one of Christian Dior's latest designs. We could be cynical and say that the whole thing is a fantasy - and it doesn't change Mrs. Harris's status on the economic ladder - but it doesn't pretend to be anything that it isn't. The movie is just a fun way to pass time. More importantly, it does address class issues.

    Not a masterpiece, but worth seeing nevertheless. The rest of the cast includes Isabelle Huppert, Lambert Wilson (The Merovingian in the Matrix movies) and Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies).
  • mls4182 - 4 June 2023
    Relax and warm your heart
    It has been ages if at all since I have seen a film that has made me feel so good. It is more than a Cinderella story. It is a story about a lonely, tired soul who gets her just deserts finally.

    This film might be unrealistic even by 1957 standards. Well, the world has been through so much in the last three years. I think we have all earned a bit of peace, even if it long enough to watch this film.

    Relax and be happy for this delightful lady. Keep the hope that something equally wonderful could happen to you. I hope it does.

    Wonderful locales, rightful cast, lovely story and of course beautiful dresses.
  • amca1960 - 10 December 2022
    A charmer; just lovely
    What a delightful, warm film this is. And Lesley Manville in the title role is perfection - never overplaying; at her most delighted or downcast, she endeavours to display the classic "stiff upper lip" so beloved by the English. The film plays with national stereotypes (possibly more strongly held when the original novel was written): the no-nonsense, practical, English; against the slightly ineffectual and overly cerebral French. But it is impossible not to warm to Manville's Mrs Harris, who with charm, courage (and plenty of good luck) realizes her dream in the end.

    She is very ably supported by an excellent cast; the standouts for me were Jason Isaacs as the laconic Archie, Alba Baptista as the beautiful but disenchanted model Natasha (and she seemed to be trying to be the second Audrey Hepburn), and of course Ellen Thomas as Mrs Harris' doughty friend Vi.

    I did think the film dragged a bit in one or two places, and possibly it could have been tightened a bit. And there were scenes (mainly set in the House of Dior, in Paris) where it was necessary to suspend disbelief. The ease by which Mrs Harris inveigled herself into the inner sanctum of Dior seemed to me to be very unlikely; on the other hand it makes for such a good story than one wishes it was true.

    But don't mind me, it really is a corker of a film, and we sure do need some charm and delight in our lives, which this film delivers in spades.
  • TxMike - 14 November 2022
    British lady's pleasantly entertaining caper to Paris.
    This movie is set in England right near the end of WW2, everyone has tightened their belts, this lady is hoping against hope that her husband will return from the war. But he doesn't. She is making ends meet by doing housework for a series of families, some don't treat her particularly well. In one home she encounters the most beautiful dress she has ever seen, she finds out it is a Christian Dior. She decides she will get one, she will go to Paris. Not realizing the only way to buy one is at the headquarters where you have it specially made.

    Lesley Manville plays the character as a very sweet, caring person who is not world-wise at all. She also has a knack for saying or doing things among strangers that most would not say or do. Ultimately she has quite an experience in Paris and ends up having life-changing influences on others.

    All in all this is not a very significant story but it is entertaining. I was able to watch it at home, streaming on Amazon.
  • rdc-20959 - 28 October 2022
    Didn't Know What To Expect
    It was by chance of circumstance that I ended up accompanying my wife to this movie. She gave me an overview of the story and for a older male it wasn't the sort of movie that would normally appeal to me.

    The storyline was relatively simple but what I liked was the acting and the morale of the tale. Working class people dreaming about wanting something special, despite it not necessarily being practical.

    The clashes in ideologies that occurred were not intense and were resolved. It would not be a movie for the worldly wise cynic but it will for those who see the magic in an unlikely plot. I didn't know I had that in me.