‘Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris’ Review: This Heartwarming Tale Of A Woman’s Dreams Of High Fashion Was Shattered By Shoddy Writing
One of the most common misconceptions people have about me is that I am unapproachable and mean. I guess my resting bitch face is to blame here but honestly, I am just an awkward bundle of insecurities who is secretly a sap that tears up over the stupidest things. So when I got the opportunity to watch and review Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, a film based on a book by Paul Gallico named Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris I was excited to be my sappy self and tear up over some wholesomeness. The film is directed and produced by Anthony Fabian with a brilliant cast including Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Jason Isaacs, Ellen Thomas, Lucas Bravo, and Alba Baptista. So having washed this sappy film, I have my opinion on it, and here is what I thought of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.
The Plot
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is set in 1950s London and revolves around Mrs. Ada Harris who is a widowed cleaning lady, her love for a couture Dior dress, her dream to buy one, and her journey of fulfilling that dream. After she ends up with a sizeable amount of money due to her war widow’s pension and some other sources, she decides to take the trip to Paris and buy herself the dress. The story is an adorable tale that will teach you how important it is to have dreams and the want to fulfill them.
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The Execution
Firstly, let’s just say that I enjoyed every performance in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. Lesley Manville was brilliant as the titular character, Mrs. Harris. The rest of the cast really played well off each other making for a fun watch. Let’s discuss the actual film now.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is by no means any sort of serious story, It is light-hearted, humorous, and will leave you feeling warm inside. Mrs. Harris’ character is absolutely adorable as she is a woman who while having a strong sense of self-respect doesn’t take herself too seriously. Her kind, loving, and trusting nature might come off as naive but is extremely refreshing to see in today’s time when most characters shown on screen are dark and intense. I like that while having a few incidences where Mrs. Harris’ kind nature does come back to bite her, she generally attracts and meets really good people, just like herself. Call me naive but in a time when most media we consume and talk about is full of misery and pain, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a breath of fresh air. With its likable characters and endearing messaging, the story will have you invested, for the most part.
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I anyway have soft spot for stories about older characters who are trying to fulfill their dream and ambition in life. While many might argue that Mrs. Harris’ dream of owning a Dior dress is materialistic and maybe should have been more ambitious but I disagree. Firstly, we are talking about a cleaning lady from the 1950s, this is probably what “ambition” meant to her. But moreover, I love that her materialistic want is a wholesome one like wanting a dress. Mrs. Harris doesn’t care about being rich or powerful. No. All she wants is a Dior dress. There is a certain child-like innocence to that which really melted my heart. Manville really brings life to Mrs. Harris’ character with her dreamy eyes and joyful smile where she kept staring at all the Dior dresses in sheer wonderment. I like that the story focuses on something materialistic because we have somehow come to criticising people for wanting materialistic things which is some extremely privileged thinking if you ask me. I like that the message of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris isn’t just about fulfilling one’s dream but also that wanting things simply for yourself or for the heck of wanting them or for nothing but vanity isn’t wrong.
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Now, having pointed out all the positives, let’s discuss what I didn’t enjoy about Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. The writing was all over the place, in my opinion. While Mrs. Harris’ storyline was linear, the side plots and characters’ stories were barely given any time. Their stories and/or backgrounds were introduced and then forgotten throughout the film and then given shoddy and hastened conclusions with no explanation. Furthermore, they feature Christian Dior himself in the movie but he is literally treated like a random nobody and not as though he is the owner of one of the biggest fashion houses in the world. I also felt like the story was well-paced in the beginning and then the writers somehow let go of that in the second half which kinda ruined the viewing experience for me.
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Verdict
Having said all this, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a fun movie full of warm and hearty laughter. It is a typical feel-good story with likable characters and a relatable plot. So while I have my qualms with some aspects of the writing, I wouldn’t say it isn’t worth a watch. With that, I give Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris a solid 3/5.
