Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris

''Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris'' is a 2022 historical comedy drama film directed and produced by Anthony Fabian. It is the third film adaptation of the 1958 novel ''Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris'' by Paul Gallico. The film stars Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Lambert Wilson, Alba Baptista, Lucas Bravo, Ellen Thomas, Rose Williams, and Jason Isaacs. The film enjoyed strong box office success in the United States arthouse circuit. Manville received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for her performance. The film also won a British Independent Film Award and received a nomination for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design.

Plot

In London in 1957, Mrs Ada Harris, a widow, works as a cleaning lady. Though she is hardworking and generous, Ada's clients offer her little consideration in return. She has two close friends in Vi and Archie, both her own age.

Ada becomes obsessed with a client's ''haute couture'' Dior dress and longs for a similar dress of her own. After unexpectedly receiving a war widow's pension, she travels to Paris to try to purchase one. She stumbles into a showing of Dior's 10th-anniversary collection and is befriended by André, the Dior accountant, and Natasha, a Dior model. However, the Dior director, Claudine, resents Ada's intrusion into the exclusive world of ''haute couture'' and initially declines to accept Ada as a client. Fortunately for Ada, Dior has fallen on hard times and the company eventually agrees to accept a commission for payment in cash. Ada falls in love with a red dress called the ''Temptation'', but a high-profile client spots her interest and spitefully places a competing order. Dior prioritizes the high profile client, a regular, and Ada has to make do with a different style, in green.

While in Paris for fittings, Ada stays with André and encourages him to express his affection for Natasha, who shares his interest in existential philosophy. Ada herself catches the attention of a Marquis, who shows her kindness and invites her to spend time with him. She faces disappointment when the Marquis reveals he was only interested in Ada because she reminded him of a cleaning lady he had adored as a child. When Claudine sacks several Dior workers for financial reasons, Ada organises a strike and forces Claudine and Christian Dior to listen to André's ideas to modernise the business, including making the shop more accessible to less affluent buyers like Ada. Claudine resigns in disgust, but is convinced by Ada to return, citing her leadership skills. Ada convinces André to reveal his romantic feelings for Natasha, leading to the two becoming a couple.

Ada returns to London with her dress, intending to show it off at a community dance. Before the dance, she lends it to a client, Pamela, an up-and-coming actress, who wears it to a social event. After Pamela stands too close to a heater, the dress catches fire and is ruined. When Ada's friends from Dior read about it in the newspaper, they send her the red dress she had originally wanted, after the buyer failed to pay. Ada wears the dress to the dance, where she becomes the centre of attention. Seeing her resplendent in her dress, Archie tells Ada that she is a beautiful person, both inside and out. Archie and Ada dance.

Cast

Production

In October 2020, it was announced that Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Jason Isaacs, Lambert Wilson, Alba Baptista and Lucas Bravo had joined the cast of the film, with Anthony Fabian, based upon the novel ''Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris'' by Paul Gallico. Manville was set as executive producer.

Principal photography began in October 2020. Filming took place over 40 days in Budapest, before production moved to London and Paris.

The film was supported by the National Film Institute Hungary with 279.5M HUF.

Release

In March 2021, Focus Features acquired worldwide distribution rights to ''Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris'' for approximately $15 million and distributed the film in the United States, while parent company Universal Pictures distributed it internationally. It
was released theatrically in the United States on 15 July 2022, though it was originally scheduled to be released on 6 May. It was released in the United Kingdom on 30 September 2022, in Hungary on 6 October 2022, and in France on 2 November 2022.

It was released on VOD platforms on 2 August 2022, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on 6 September 2022.

Reception

Box office

In the United States, the film made $2 million from 980 theaters in its opening weekend; 44% of its audience were women over the age of 55. It eventually grossed more than $10 million in the United States theatrically. ''Deadline Hollywood'' described its box office performance as "strong."

Critical response

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.

Accolades

References

External links

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{{Anthony Fabian

2022 films
2022 comedy-drama films
2022 multilingual films
2020s British films
2020s English-language films
2020s French films
2020s French-language films
2020s historical comedy-drama films
British historical comedy-drama films
British multilingual films
English-language French films
English-language Hungarian films
Lionsgate Canada films
Films about dresses
Films about fashion in France
Films based on American novels
Films based on works by Paul Gallico
Films set in 1957
Films set in London
Films set in Paris
Films shot in Budapest
Films shot in London
Films shot in Paris
Focus Features films
French historical comedy-drama films
French multilingual films
French-language British films
Hungarian comedy-drama films
Hungarian historical comedy films
Hungarian historical drama films
Hungarian multilingual films
Universal Pictures films
Films scored by Rael Jones
English-language historical comedy-drama films