mrs harris goes to paris christian movie review

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Mrs. harris goes to paris.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 7 Reviews
• Kids Say 4 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Charming 1950s-set comedy drama has drinking, smoking.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a charming 1950s-set comedy drama, adapted from a novel of the same name, with plenty of positive messages. It follows a cleaner, Mrs. Harris (Lesley Manville), who sets her sights on owning a couture dress. Using her savings, along with her newly…

Why Age 10+?

Occasional language includes "bloody," "arse," "bloomin'," "balls," and "t-ts."

Christian Dior mentioned repeatedly, scenes set at the House of Dior. Discussion

Characters drink alcohol on a number of occasions in bars, at events, and with d

Provocative cabaret shown, with performers wearing sexy costumes and making sugg

Mention of war and a plane crash. Death of partners discussed. Brief dangerous d

Any Positive Content?

Kindness can be rewarding, and selfishness doesn't pay. Friendship is important,

Mrs. Harris is kind, smart, capable. She often puts others first, but proves abl

While many gender roles are in keeping with the wartime setting, women are shown

Occasional language includes "bloody," "arse," "bloomin'," "balls," and "t-ts." "Christ" and "God" are used as exclamations. The British phrase "Gordon Bennett" is used to express surprise and frustration.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Christian Dior mentioned repeatedly, scenes set at the House of Dior. Discussion of £500 dress and expensive wedding. Some gambling is shown, including placing a bet at a horse race.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Characters drink alcohol on a number of occasions in bars, at events, and with dinner. A character drinks alcohol from a stranger's bottle in a public space. One scene involves a character missing a meeting because of a hangover. Characters smoke cigarettes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Provocative cabaret shown, with performers wearing sexy costumes and making suggestive moves. Characters kiss on the lips.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

Mention of war and a plane crash. Death of partners discussed. Brief dangerous driving in the street. Two characters accidentally knock heads but are uninjured.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Kindness can be rewarding, and selfishness doesn't pay. Friendship is important, as is self-respect and perseverance. Follow your dreams.

Positive Role Models

Mrs. Harris is kind, smart, capable. She often puts others first, but proves able to stand up for what she believes in. Her best friend is supportive, encouraging, self-assured. Some strangers in Paris show kindness and an open mind; those who do not get their comeuppance.

Diverse Representations

While many gender roles are in keeping with the wartime setting, women are shown as strong and capable. Comment from an older single woman about not cleaning up after a man. Mention of older women feeling invisible. But Mrs. Harris and her friend make themselves visible by making an impact on those around them. Some racial diversity in cast, with Mrs. Harris' best friend, Vi, played by a Black actor, and further racial diversity in smaller roles. Some class snobbery is shown, but Mrs. Harris -- a cleaner -- is shown to hold her own in the Paris fashion environment.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Parents need to know that Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a charming 1950s-set comedy drama, adapted from a novel of the same name, with plenty of positive messages. It follows a cleaner, Mrs. Harris ( Lesley Manville ), who sets her sights on owning a couture dress. Using her savings, along with her newly discovered war widow's pension, she travels to Paris to make her dream come true. There is some smoking, befitting the time period. Characters are also seen drinking. In one instance, a character misses work due to a hangover. The brand Dior is mentioned frequently, and there is occasional language, including "bloody," "arse," and "t-ts." The movie is generally mild and well meaning, as well as smart and funny, and will likely be enjoyed by families with older kids. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (7)
• Kids say (4)

Based on 7 parent reviews

** Note the "Sex, Romance, and Nudity" rating.

For grown-ups, what's the story.

In MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS, widowed cleaner Mrs. Harris ( Lesley Manville ) falls in love with her client's Dior dress and dreams of affording one of her own. But saving the money to travel to Paris is just the start of an adventure that will open her eyes to a whole new world.

Is It Any Good?

There's a strong fairytale aspect to this charming comedy drama about a kind, put-upon cleaner who works her way into the world of high fashion. And, in this case, the titular character in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris will go to the ball -- albeit a tea dance in a local hall. Manville (Oscar-nominated for her role in the 2017 dressmaking drama Phantom Thread ) makes for a sympathetic, likable character whose inner resolve shines through her subservient position in a way that will resonate with many.

Pessimists (and even realists) may need to suspend disbelief, as the plot quickly unveils a cascade of unlikely events -- particularly once Mrs. Harris hits Paris, and her worldly outlook is blinded by shiny things. Realistic, it's not. At heart it's an uplifting underdog story, where characters learn about what's important and people get their comeuppance. But it's also smart, funny, and beautiful to look at. Sets and costumes really capture the era, from Mrs. Harris' dimly lit terraced home to the glittering Paris theaters. It's a Cinderella story about kindness, courage, and being seen. About believing in a little magic -- no matter how unlikely it seems.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can discuss the representation of women in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris . How did it compare to other films set in the 1950s? Would you describe Mrs. Harris as a positive female role model? What makes a good role model ?

There are plenty of positive messages within the movie, including examples of perseverance , courage , and curiosity . Why are these such important character strengths to have?

How are drinking and smoking depicted in the film? Are they glamorized? Do you think our behavior has changed when it comes to drinking and smoking, from when the movie was set until now?

Movie Details

• In theaters : July 15, 2022
• On DVD or streaming : August 1, 2022
• Cast : Lesley Manville , Jason Isaacs , Alba Baptista
• Director : Anthony Fabian
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors
• Studio : Focus Features
• Genre : Comedy
• Topics : Book Characters , Friendship , History
• Character Strengths : Courage , Curiosity , Perseverance
• Run time : 92 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG
• MPAA explanation : suggestive material, language and smoking
• Award : Common Sense Selection
• Last updated : May 4, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, chaz's journal, great movies, contributors, mrs. harris goes to paris.

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Imagine lovingly gazing into a French patisserie’s window display of colorful confections: chocolatey éclairs, fluffy macarons, shiny religieuses ... Cinematically speaking, Anthony Fabian ’s genial and disarming “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” is the closest you can get to that mouthwatering sweet-tooth sensation without the calories. Adapted from Paul Gallico ’s 1958 novel (charmingly called “Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris”) by a crowded group of screenwriters that includes Carroll Cartwright , Keith Thompson , and Olivia Hetreed in addition to Fabian, this mid-century-set treat is as pretty and heartwarming as you can imagine in following a modest housekeeper’s dreamy quest to head to Paris and purchase her very own Christian Dior gown. 

It helps that the titular heroine Ada—a London-based war widow, making ends meet as a humble housekeeper—is played by the ever alluring Lesley Manville , a performer of both effortless grace and unyielding vigor. It’s impossible not to recall her character from “ Phantom Thread ” here, given both films are circa-'50s, couture-focused outings. But the affable Mrs. Harris is worlds removed from the steely House of Woodcock head Cyril of click-clacking heels and a no-nonsense demeanor. On the contrary, the tireless do-gooder Ada is as warmhearted as a human being can be. And Manville secures the audience's goodwill so quickly that you don’t, even for a second, question why a hardworking cleaning lady from limited means would blow off all her life’s savings on a superfluous indulgence like a designer gown. After all, this is a lighthearted fairy tale and who is to say that Mrs. Harris’ dream—one she acquires as soon as she lays her eyes on a Dior dress owned by one of her wealthy clients for the first time—isn’t as valid as anyone’s romantic pursuits?

Indeed, fashion equals love in “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” which understands on a deep level why a handsome dress or a head-to-toe put-together outfit can feel like an armor of invincibility. (On that note, even with her small budget, Ada is never less than polished, or even a little fancy, with her pretty prints and hopeful florals that dominate her daywear.) So you root for Mrs. Harris’ goal unequivocally, especially once she saves up enough cash with a little help from her friends and strangers that she consistently wins over. And after a string of chance gambles and strange pursuits like dog races, Ava finds herself at the storied House of Dior, legendarily on Avenue Montaigne.

The script doesn’t dwell on logistical details and plausibility so much. In that regard, don’t ask how a Pollyanna-esque civilian who doesn’t really look like the haughty Dior type casually strolls into the designer house and before you know it, mingles with the label’s head Claudine Colbert ( Isabelle Huppert , giving Cyril Woodcock a run for her money), the brand’s handsome accountant André ( Lucas Bravo ), and top model Natasha ( Alba Baptista ). Still, that is exactly what happens once the handsome suitor Marquis de Chassagne ( Lambert Wilson ) openly supports Mrs. Harris and invites her to join him on the label’s upcoming fashion show.

That centerpiece display—flaunting various New Look-era frocks, including an iteration of the iconic Bar Suit—is really what you come to “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” for, with Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan marvelously in charge. And how could Ada not fall in love with every single piece of clothing that she sees, especially an emerald-green gown called Venus and her favorite: the shimmery, crimson-red tea-length dress, Temptation ? But once the initially villainous (but increasingly sympathetic) Claudine announces that Temptation is exclusively promised to a repeat Dior client, Ada settles with Venus , the expedited making of which would take the house’s miracle cutters a couple of speedy weeks.

Moving in with the kindly André during this time and even putting her skills as a matchmaker to work—yes, André and the brainy Natasha are would-be love interests—Ada settles into a new routine in Paris, once again earning the love and trust of everyone she crosses paths with. In any other setting, the film’s farfetched ending—so outlandishly whimsical and neatly wrapped that even the likes of Cinderella would envy it—would garner nothing but eye rolls. But in the fable-esque world that Fabian builds, it feels just right, even rightfully deserved. The world isn’t the happiest place to be these days, so why not cheer a little bit for a wholesome, decent character in a lovely dress?

Now playing in theaters.

Tomris Laffly

Tomris Laffly is a freelance film writer and critic based in New York. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), she regularly contributes to  RogerEbert.com , Variety and Time Out New York, with bylines in Filmmaker Magazine, Film Journal International, Vulture, The Playlist and The Wrap, among other outlets.

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Film credits.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)

Rated PG for suggestive material, language and smoking.

Lesley Manville as Ada Harris

Isabelle Huppert as Louise Colbert

Lucas Bravo as André Fauvel

Lambert Wilson as Marquis de Chassagne

Alba Baptista as Natasha

Anna Chancellor as Lady Dant

Rose Williams as Pamela Penrose

• Anthony Fabian

Writer (novel)

• Paul Gallico
• Carroll Cartwright
• Keith Thompson
• Olivia Hetreed

Cinematographer

• Felix Wiedemann
• Barney Pilling

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‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’ Review: How Far Would You Go for the Perfect Dior Dress?

Mike Leigh regular Lesley Manville plays a modest English cleaning woman intent on owning a Christian Dior gown in this affable homage to haute couture.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

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For those tired of movies in which something as grand as the fate of our existence is at stake — threatened by aliens or wizards or something so far removed from reality — the simply titled and even more simply plotted “ Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris ” offers a pleasant reprieve. Here, in a fresh adaptation of Paul Gallico’s 1958 novel, we get an arm’s-reach fairy tale about an indefatigably chipper English charwoman whose most ardent dream is to own a gown from Christian Dior (a designer whose name she naively — but not un-endearingly — mispronounces, much the way Nomi speaks of her new “Versayce” in “Showgirls”).

Mrs. Harris’ goal may not seem so far-fetched, but it can only be realized by stepping out of her comfort zone, which means saving up her pennies and making a trip across the Channel to the land of Chanel, where dresses are made to order and what she craves is pronounced “Creest-yon Dee-yor.” This is 1957 we’re talking about, and the most exclusive French fashion houses don’t sell to just anyone — and certainly not to a client as common as this working-class war widow, so modestly embodied by frequent Mike Leigh collaborator Lesley Manville (“Another Year”).

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In Paul Thomas Anderson’s fashion-world power drama “Phantom Thread,” Manville shone at the opposite end of the snobbery spectrum, playing Daniel Day-Lewis’ taskmaster sister — the tough, invisible woman behind the great man, as it were. Now, she’s up against just that sort of person in Mme. Colbert, the cold and condescending director of the House of Dior, played by big-screen ice queen Isabelle Huppert . “A Christian Dior gown is not for pennies,” Mme. Colbert huffs when Mrs. Harris shows up, looking clueless and slightly disheveled, at 30 avenue Montaigne.

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Evidently, it wasn’t enough to come up with the funds — though Mrs. Harris’ unconventional process for doing so drives the perky first act of this featherweight adaptation from director Anthony Fabian . (Gallico’s thin but well-liked book previously spawned three sequels, a 1992 TV movie starring Angela Lansbury in the title role and a 2016 stage musical, “Flowers for Mrs. Harris.”) In the film’s fanciful way, Mrs. Harris must add winning over Mme. Colbert to the list of hurdles she must clear before acquiring a wearable work of art. Fortunately for her, nearly everyone else Mrs. Harris meets in Paris — from the affable winos at Gare du Nord to the romantically inclined Marquis de Chassagne (Lambert Wilson) — finds her just delightful.

Manville makes her so, playing Mrs. Harris as a good-natured woman who believes in luck and kindness, but also in a kind of socialist equality. “My money’s as good as anybody’s,” she insists, organizing the underappreciated artisans who actually make Dior’s dresses into an impromptu labor strike for the film’s loony climax. This finale doesn’t really work, nor does the movie’s feel-good epilogue, in which we finally see Mrs. Harris wearing Dior: While Manville is hardly frowsy, the “frock” — as Mrs. Harris refers to the more alluringly named “Temptation” gown — doesn’t have nearly the same effect on her that it did on Dior’s top model, Natasha (Alba Baptista, a gorgeous Portuguese actor whose classic appeal suggests a cross between Audrey Hepburn and Alicia Vikander).

This may be Mrs. Harris’ princess fantasy, set in a “Funny Face”-era evocation of midcentury Paris (much of it doubled on the streets of Budapest), but that whimsical spirit doesn’t seduce audiences so much as it excuses the too-convenient plotting and largely one-dimensional characterizations. Fabian’s film is charming enough, though his attempts at romance remain earthbound as he makes a clean break from the TV version, offering a different interpretation of the character.

Much as Lansbury’s Broadway version of “Mame” had nothing to do with the earlier Rosalind Russell incarnation, Manville borrows nothing from Lansbury’s performance. Manville plays Mrs. Harris as a pragmatic but also superstitious woman. She gambles on dog races and believes that her late husband has sent her on a mission to find love. Could this be her chance? Frankly, it’s more interesting to watch how Mrs. Harris inspires others, as when she encourages the budding attraction between Natasha and Dior’s awkward accountant, André (Lucas Bravo, of obvious influence “Emily in Paris”), who share an interest in Sartre’s existentialist tract “Being and Nothingness.”

For the most part, Fabian and his three co-writers (which seems rather a lot for so slight a project) have done well to boost the intellect and assertiveness of the novel’s female characters. Still, we’re miles behind the punk-infused empowerment anthem that was last year’s “Cruella.” By contrast, “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” aims to please an older and decidedly more conservative demographic, dazzling them with a vintage Dior défilé: the 10th anniversary collection, handsomely re-created/re-imagined by “Cruella” costume designer Jenny Beavan.

The movie wouldn’t have been possible without Dior’s buy-in, which could explain scenes in which dresses are over-ripely described as a “poem” or a “moonbeam.” (Worth noting: Christian Dior died in 1957, and there’s no mention of Yves Saint Laurent, the prodigy who succeeded him.) Sure, there’s magic in watching a fashion masterpiece come together, though the movie ignores all the care that goes into custom-tailoring it to Mrs. Harris’ body when she gets home and loans the garment to a character with a completely different figure. One size does not fit all, no matter how much this winsome movie wishes that were so.

Reviewed at Wilshire Screening Room, Los Angeles, July 6, 2022. MPA Rating: PG. Running time: 115 MIN.

• Production: A Focus Features release and presentation, in association with eOne, the National Film Institute of Hungary. Producers, Guillaume Benski, Xavier Marchand, Anthony Fabian.
• Crew: Director: Anthony Fabian. Screenplay: Carroll Cartwright, Anthony Fabian, Olivia Hetreed, Keith Thompson, based on the novel by Paul Gallico. Camera: Felix Wiedemann. Editor: Barney Piling. Music: Rael Jones.
• With: Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Jason Isaacs, Ellen Thomas, Anna Chancellor, Lambert Wilson, Alba Baptista, Lucas Bravo, Rose Williams.

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Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Film Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Clothing is our most intimate environment. — Susan W. Watkins

Every day we make choices about what to wear. Our clothes communicate to the world information about our age, sex, and class. They reflect our mood, personality, origin, occupation, tastes, and erotic yearnings. They indicate whether we are comfortable conforming to societal standards. Clothing creates community, signaling that we belong to a particular group. In turn, it can create borders and boundaries between people.

To change clothes can be an important way to change one’s way of being in the world. Clothing doesn’t just shape identity. It reveals our identity to the people we meet. We all get dressed, but how often do we think about what our clothes say?

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a comedy-drama directed and produced by Anthony Fabian. He wrote the screenplay with Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson, and Olivia Hetreed based on the 1958 novel by Paul Gallico. The story encourages us to reflect on what our clothes mean to us.

The story is set in the mid-1950s in London. Mrs. Ada Harris (Lesley Manville) is a cleaning lady whose husband did not come back from World War II. One day she sees a haute couture Christian Dior gown at one of her client’s. Enchanted by its beauty, she makes the bold decision to travel to Paris to purchase her own Dior dress. But first she needs to raise 500 pounds! She takes on extra hours and tries her luck at the races. Then to her surprise she receives a war widow’s pension going back many years. Mrs. Harris goes to Paris.

Through several fortunate happenings, she gets into the headquarters of Christian Dior and then is invited to join a gentleman (Lambert Wilson) at the showing of Dior’s anniversary collection. Her enthusiasm, kind nature, and humble charm help her connect with Andre (Lucas Bravo), the Dior accountant, and Natasha (Alba Baptista), a Dior model. But Claudine (Isabelle Huppert), the Dior director, does not want their brand associated with someone of her class. Nevertheless, Ada picks out a dress and stays on in Paris for the personal fittings.

This working-class woman’s exploration of clothing leads her into a confrontation with the fashion industry, consumer society, and the ways in which our wardrobes can lead to golden prisons of wealth and privilege. And although her dress is very beautiful, what those around her notice the most is her inner beauty.

GOING DEEPER

For your further exploration of the themes of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris , we encourage you to read our review of Michele Saracino’s book Clothing , which is part of the Fortress series “Compass Christian Explorations of Daily Living” edited by David Jensen. Here are some suggestions for accessing the film’s meaning adapted from the book’s Reader’s Guide:

1. Keep a clothing journal for a week annotating your positive and negative emotions about what you choose to wear. 2. How did you learn what appropriate dress is? Have your views changed over the years? 3. How does your dress illustrate the story of your life? 4. What values have influenced your discernment of what is masculine and feminine clothing? 5. Discuss your views on the use and treatment of animals in the creation of clothes. 6. Have you ever been given “hand me down” clothes? What was your response to them? 7. What are your feelings about designer labels, i.e. the role of fashion-taste-makers? 8. What is your view of safety in terms of dress? 9. List some of the clothing trends which are now dominant in your culture.

Focus Features, 07/22

Film Feature

PG – suggestive material, smoking, language

Main Practice

Other practices.

• cultural criticism

ALSO RECOMMENDED

Book: Clothing by Michele Saracino

Dressed: A Philosophy of Clothes by Shahidha Bari

• Entertainment
• <i>Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris</i> Is the Rare Movie That Values the Mere Idea of Beauty

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Is the Rare Movie That Values the Mere Idea of Beauty

W atching Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is like stepping through a portal in time—not back to the 1950s, the movie’s setting, but to the 1990s, when sweet-natured, visually resplendent pictures like this were plentiful. In this adaptation of a popular 1958 novel by Paul Gallico, kindhearted London cleaning woman Ada Harris (Lesley Manville), a war widow, falls in love with a client’s swoon-worthy Christian Dior gown and vows to buy one for herself, even though the price is far beyond her means. With some luck, she scrapes the money together and treks to Paris, where she’s at first rebuffed by the master’s right-hand woman (a frosty-chic Isabelle Huppert), only to win over everyone at the house with her forthright warmth.

This is a story about following one’s dreams and then learning there’s a lesson attached to those dreams—you might catch more than a perfume whiff of sanctimoniousness here. But it’s rare to find movies that value the mere idea of beauty, and this one—directed by Anthony Fabian—does so unapologetically. For some of us, the words 1950s couture fashion show are tantamount to summoning a cat with “Here, kitty-kitty,” and Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris does not disappoint: the film was made with Dior’s cooperation, and the featured garments are so gorgeously detailed, you might wish to examine them at close range.

Manville’s performance has a similar understated elegance. Her Ada is uncompromising not just in her fashion sense but also in defining her own happiness. If she has all the twinkling charm of the nighttime Eiffel Tower, she also stands just as proud. In the end, Ada creates her own enchantment. The dress is just a red herring—albeit a gorgeous one.

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Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

In 1950s London, a widowed cleaning lady falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, deciding she must have one. She embarks on an adventure to Paris that will change not only her own out... Read all In 1950s London, a widowed cleaning lady falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, deciding she must have one. She embarks on an adventure to Paris that will change not only her own outlook -- but the very future of the House of Dior. In 1950s London, a widowed cleaning lady falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, deciding she must have one. She embarks on an adventure to Paris that will change not only her own outlook -- but the very future of the House of Dior.

• Anthony Fabian
• Paul Gallico
• Carroll Cartwright
• Lesley Manville
• Isabelle Huppert
• Lambert Wilson
• 211 User reviews
• 139 Critic reviews
• 70 Metascore
• 4 wins & 13 nominations total

Top cast 75

• Claudine Colbert

• Marquis de Chassagne

• André Fauvel

• Violet Butterfield

• Pamela Penrose

• Monsieur Carré

• Giles Newcombe

• RAF Officer

• Madame Avallon
• Christian Dior

• Mathilde Avallon

• Michel Simon
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Costume designer Jenny Beavan utilized Dior's historical archives, which contained the designer's original sketchbooks, workbooks, and patterns, to recreate the Dior dresses seen in the movie. Some were vintage pieces borrowed from the house of Dior, some were replicas, and some were inventions designed in the Dior tradition.
• Goofs Mrs. Harris spends the better part of a week having a dress fitted to her form, and yet it is able to be worn by another woman who obviously has different measurements.

Ada Harris : Them days are over when you can treat people like scum and expect loyalty in return.

• Crazy credits Line drawings of Dior (?) gowns appear during the closing credits.
• Connections Featured in The Oscars (2023)
• Soundtracks Johnny B. Goode Written and performed by Chuck Berry

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 55 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris Review: An Endlessly Charming Comedy That’s Ready To Wear For All Moviegoers

Modern sensibilities, combined with a perfect cast, make this uplifting romp a perfect fit..

With the right approach, the simplest goal can become the grandest of stakes. On paper, the goal of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a woman wanting to buy a Christian Dior dress in the name of living her fantasies of elegance. That logline alone not only launched a series of successful novels, but it was also the inspiration for a new cinematic adaptation in the modern age of filmmaking. Shelve all doubts that this sort of project is not meant for the movies, as Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is an endlessly charming comedy that’s ready to wear for all moviegoers. 

Ada Harris (Lesley Manville) spends her days making the rounds and cleaning the residences of her valued customers. Making a living for herself in post-World War II London, she lives in constant hope that her missing husband will return, until one day, she learns he died in a crash landing. This unfortunate news coincides with a new desire, which is made possible by her late husband’s war pension. 

Though she’s been delivered the worst news in the world, Mrs. Harris is bound for Paris to purchase that Christian Dior gown of her dreams. She’ll encounter new friends (Lucas Bravo, Alba Baptiste and Lambert Wilson) and those who need a little more convincing (Isabelle Huppert) in the name of fashion and chasing her dreams. Along the way she'll turn heads, and warm hearts, while inspiring everyone in her wake to do the same.

Co-writer/director Anthony Fabian takes Paul Gallico’s original novel and expands it into a richer experience in every sense.

Anthony Fabian, along with the team of Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson and Olivia Hetreed, have taken Paul Gallico’s classic novel and turned it into something even more special. Expanding on the backstory of why Ada Harris wants her dress, Fabian draws a deeper motivation for Gallico’s character than was ever presented in the source. Which is how and why Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris took a story about purchasing a dress and turned it into an even richer experience than ever before. 

Enriching its protagonist in all the right ways, the film that results from such a decision is absolutely captivating at every turn. Though Mrs. Harris does indeed go to Paris, this isn’t a mere sightseeing journey. The landscapes on display are the Dior gowns, historical and fabricated, that costume designer Jenny Beavan has brought to stunning life. The House of Dior is the major Parisian landmark on display in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris , and in the way it’s captured on film, that setting is just as mythic and breathtaking as the Eiffel Tower itself. 

A personal film in size and scope, Anthony Fabian doesn’t skimp on the visual or thematic detail, as he not only co-wrote the film, but also serves as its director. Imbuing the film with a fairytale-like quality, the entire experience glides along its runtime in an organically beautiful manner. This is also thanks to the efforts of the masterful cast assembled to revamp Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris for a modern audience.

Lesley Manville dazzles in this grown-up fairytale alongside a refreshing cast of characters.

It cannot be said enough that Lesley Manville absolutely captivates every inch of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. That’s not to say she doesn’t share the floor with an amazing roster that includes Jason Isaacs , Isabelle Huppert and Lambert Wilson. Each one of these actors is known for roles that have, in the past, required intensity and villainy at work. Yet each and every one of them is clearly having fun playing to the softer side of their craft. Even in the antagonist of Huppert’s Madame Colbert, her actions to seemingly uphold the dignity of the Dior brand are never out of malice, but out of reverence for tradition.

Perhaps the greatest contribution that Anthony Fabian and his co-writers have given to Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is that of the reinvention of Ada Harris’ best friend Vi Butterfield (Ellen Thomas). In order to “highlight the important contributions of African Caribbean people to the UK war effort,” Fabian cast Thomas to diversify the character in a historically accurate way. Yet the material makes no extravagant deal out of it, allowing the viewer to take in the true significance of such a move. It’s also advantageous in the fact that Manville and Thomas are one of the best pairs of friends to hit the screen in some time.

It’s rather fitting to see Lesley Manville holding court in the fashion world again, as she was previously seen playing Daniel Day Lewis’ imposing sister in Phantom Thread . This time around, instead of owning the room with a scowl or a well-played barb, Manville conquers with extraordinary levels of charm and grace. There are shots of Ada Harris marveling at Dior dresses that focus solely on Lesley Manville’s expressions of joy, leaving her to light up the screen sheerly by her presence. 

Much like Ada herself, Manville doesn’t forget to share the wealth with everyone else in this world; giving as much as she takes from this rich landscape. This is especially true in the scenes she shares with Jason Isaacs' Archie, a man who is protective of Ada and a potential romantic interest presented in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. While fashion is indeed a passion here, character is still king.

You only need to have ever had a dream in order to relate to Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris.

Some potential audience members might be turned off by Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris , be it by the appropriately retro energy or the seemingly fashion-based storyline. Anyone who rejects this film on that basis is doing a great disservice to themselves, as you only have to have ever had a dream in order to relate with this tale of haute couture. While the pursuit of Ada Harris’ dress is the thread that sews everything together, there’s romance, political commentary and human understanding that are woven into this cinematic garment as well. 

Kindness is key in the world of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris , and in that respect this movie is akin to something like the Paddington films. Only instead of a children’s tale where a kindly bear sets the world straight, we’re treated to a cleaning lady’s journey of similar growth. As Ada Harris moves closer to her dream dress, she starts to speak up for herself more in life, reclaiming her dignity stronger than ever. When all is said and done, the world is changed in its own way because Mrs. Harris made it so. To watch that process yields one of the most humane cinematic experiences of this year, which why it’s also one of the best films of 2022.

Escapism is an important component in cinema, as anything from a new setting to a new pair of shoes can be the gateway to flights of fancy. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris just happens to be able to use both of those factors to its benefit, and with a triumphant musical score from composer Rael Jones to boot. Both a film that’s contemporary in its values, yet classic in its look and feel, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a tale of beauty and kindness at a time when we need it. Combining an appreciation for high fashion with a better understanding of our fellow humans, it's a film that will leave you smiling ear to ear with a full and happy heart.

Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.

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‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’ Review: A Delightful Tale Brimming With Humanity, Joy, and Heart

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When handled correctly, there are few things better than optimism and kindness in entertainment. Something like Paddington 2 or Ted Lasso can feel like a comforting hug or like getting under a warm blanket. Tenderness and humanity are underrated commodities in entertainment, which is why a film like Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a breath of fresh air, brimming with humanity and heart, led by an extremely lovely lead performance by Lesley Manville .

Manville plays the eponymous Ada Harris, a cleaning lady in 1950s London who does her best to look on the bright side of life. To her, every day is a lucky day, even if she occasionally gets bogged down by feeling invisible to the world around her. For over a decade, Mrs. Harris has been waiting to hear about Mr. Harris, who went missing during the war, holding out hope for the best. But one day after seeing a gorgeous Christian Dior dress at one of the homes she cleans, Mrs. Harris decides to pull her money together and buy one for herself.

While getting the money together for the dress is one part of her ordeal, actually getting the dress is another. Mrs. Harris has to go to Paris, find some place to stay while Christian Dior fits her dress, and she has to deal with the Dior’s directrice, Claudine Colbert (a fittingly thorny Isabelle Huppert ), who doesn’t understand Harris’ desire for haute couture. In this journey, Harris meets a collection of people helping her on her quest, like supermodel Natasha ( Alba Baptista ), Dior’s accountant André ( Lucas Bravo ), and Marquis de Chassagne ( Lambert Wilson ), who takes a liking to Harris at a fashion show.

RELATED: 'Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris' Trailer Reveals Whimsical Comedy About Love for a Dior Dress

Director Anthony Fabian turns Mrs. Harris’ quest into a story brimming with beauty and color. When Mrs. Harris first arrives in Paris, she notices that there is litter strewn on the streets, due to a worker’s strike, yet even amongst the filth, she sees the best in the city. Fabian and cinematographer Felix Wiedemann make the colors of the city pop, breathing life into Harris’ story, and making the audience also feel the overwhelming power of the city.

Even without an existing love of fashion, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris puts us in Harris’ shoes, and allows us to understand why she would come all this way to spend so much money on one of these creations. The costume designs by three-time Oscar winner Jenny Beavan ( Cruella , Mad Max: Fury Road ) are overwhelmingly beautiful. Naturally, the Christian Dior outfits on display all look like a work of art, yet even the costumes outside the fashion house are gorgeous to look at. Not only does Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris make us appreciate the tremendous amount of work that goes into these expensive dresses, it also makes us take note of the everyday fashion of those outside the walls of Dior, and the beauty in those outfits as well.

But Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris doesn’t work without the delightful performance of Manville, who becomes the embodiment of loveliness here. Through Manville, we see the ups and downs of thinking the best of people, and the hopes and joy that make Harris tick. So much of this beauty is seen through Mrs. Harris’ eyes, and her viewpoint is infectious, especially in the overwhelming shots of Harris seeing a staggering dress that bowls her over. While it’s the work of Fabian and Wiedemann that brings this colorful world to life, it’s Harris’ view of the world that makes it a reality. But Manville’s Mrs. Harris is an absolute delight to spend time with, a respite from the usual darkness of the world, and a light in a world that too often shows its darkness.

Alongside Manville’s wonderful portrayal of Mrs. Harris is an equally fantastic supporting cast. Huppert is a perfect counterbalance to the exuberance that Mrs. Harris inherently gives off. Also enchanting is Jason Isaacs as Mrs. Harris’ hometown friend Archie, who clearly has a thing for Harris. While Isaacs doesn’t have a lot of screen time here, Isaacs and Manville play beautifully off each other. The same is true of Wilson’s Marquis, who offers the first glimmer of hope once Mrs. Harris arrives in Paris. If Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris has a flaw, it’s in the covert relationship between Baptista’s Natasha and Bravo’s André. While this relationship is occasionally charming, it’s never quite as captivating as the rest of the story, and never reaches the same level of romance that the rest of the film is running on.

Yet despite its almost fairy tale nature, as if Mrs. Harris is a fairy godmother who finally gets her happy ending, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris manages to never present too idealized a version of the world that becomes saccharine sweet. By also presenting the darkness, Fabian, along with co-writers Caroll Cartwright , Keith Thompson , and Olivia Hetreed , only make the lightness even more poignant.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a quiet delight, a perfect summer interlude that exudes beauty, optimism and charm in every scene. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris feels like capturing joy in a bottle.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is in theaters now.

• Movie Reviews
• Lesley Manville

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Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Reviews

da advocates for weaponized incompetence, women performing all the practical labor but not having any authority or a right to make any decisions. Women do not own their labor, it is owed for the world to function even when they are not respected.

Full Review | Jun 8, 2024

In the midst of high voltage blockbusters, your summer escape is here.

Full Review | Jul 26, 2023

Mrs. Harris’ unrestrained enthusiasm for life rubs off on everyone she meets and, if they let it, that magic will rub off on the audience too.

Full Review | Jul 24, 2023

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, starring Lesley Manville, dazzles from start to finish while brimming with unparalleled hope.

Full Review | Jul 23, 2023

Manville is perfect in the title role and the film, though fanciful, is very easy to take.

Full Review | Mar 15, 2023

MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS is thus a film that proves to be both a welcome distraction when judged at face value and a massive disappointment when judged against the potential of what it could have been.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Mar 10, 2023

A pleasant, hopeful experience that could even end up bringing a couple of tears to certain members of the audience (I was VERY close to crying at one point). Full review in Spanish.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 23, 2023

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris movingly weaves a tale about finding an outer beauty that reflects the purity of heart within. It’s as pleasant as you want a movie like this to be, yet it does so without simplification that patronizes the audience.

Full Review | Jan 18, 2023

This is almost pure wish fulfilment fantasy, but it's delivered with confidence and style.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jan 6, 2023

...a thoroughly agreeable endeavor that benefits from the superb efforts of Manville and her various costars...

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 16, 2022

It takes a lot of sophistication to keep a film like this from becoming cloying. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is the champagne of nicecore.

Full Review | Dec 16, 2022

... Makes you feel at ease, like having a snack by the stove in a cozy room. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 12, 2022

Anthony Fabian wagers the tone of the Paddington movies, with a Wes Anderson aesthetic and Mike Leigh's vindicating spirit. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 9, 2022

A film in which Manville pulls out all her weapons as a professional actress, shining well above the story she leads by herself to its happy ending. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 5, 2022

What takes it from a watch-on-a-plane movie to a must-see matinee is a galvanizing and endearing performance by Manville.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Nov 28, 2022

There is much to be enjoyed, but this might ultimately prove too disposable for its own good. The film works best as an escapist fairytale and as such, it’s ravishing.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 19, 2022

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris substitutes the yearning for a man's love with a dress. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Nov 2, 2022

Such an endeavour won’t change the course of cinema, but, my word, will it make you feel special; and, right now, that’s more than enough of a reason to support this European excursion.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 31, 2022

It's a familiar formula but that's part of the charm.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 30, 2022

The film’s designers spent a lot of time exploring the Dior archives and it shows. It’s Mrs Harris’s story, but it’s also a fond tribute to a world that has changed beyond recognition.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 28, 2022

Home » ‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’ review: A humble trip worth taking

‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’ review: A humble trip worth taking

Though there’s something to be said about entertainment that values good feelings over thematic truth, the “nicecore movement” — be it on the big or small screen — is here to stay. And with good reason, too. As we continuously find ourselves in a perpetual state of doom and gloom, as the pandemic constantly looms and civil unrest will only ensue, it’s understandable that modern entertainment has turned into a safe haven for common decency and renewed interest in one’s good-hearted human spirit. There’s a thin line between patronizing and invigorating, and when you have a sweet, kind-natured, but not preachy or pompous film like Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris , you thankfully get more of the latter than the former. And that can feel pretty good. 

Based on Paul Gallico’s 1958 novel, Flowers for Mrs. Harris , which was later retitled Mrs. ‘arris Goes to Paris in the United States, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris follows our loving, downtrodden eponymous character ( Lesley Manville , terrific as always) in the midst of a reinvention of sorts.

Not-so-recently widowed, but having only worked up the courage to learn the truth of this recently, the hard-working chairwoman hasn’t lived a life of luxury or good fortune up until now. But the tides slowly start to turn when she lays eyes upon a gorgeous Dior dress, one that suddenly brings sharp focus to her uneventful life. Suddenly, invigorated with desire, Mrs. Harris works tirelessly to muster up the funds to fly out to Paris and purchase a 500-quid Dior dress, one that’ll renew that sparkle in her gaze and reward her tireless years of hard labor. But, of course, nothing is quite as simple as it seems in our mind’s eye, even in a fantastical adventure like this charming period piece.

A “Brittanican” in Paris.

After a string of great luck that’s befitting of a children’s storybook (that’s a compliment, by the way), Mrs. Harris whisks off to Paris, where she makes the mixed company of some less than accommodating French personalities, including the antagonistic Claudine Colbert (Isabelle Huppert) and kind Natasha (Alba Baptista), a young, gorgeous fashion model who would rather spend her time reading literature than walk the red carpet.

She also meets Marquis de Chassagne (Lambert Wilson), a fellow widower who fills Mrs. Harris with the potential promise of romantic interest, and Andre (Lucas Bravo), a bookish, mild-mannered Dior employee with a boyish crush on sweet Natasha. There’s even Christian Dior (Philippe Bertin), though only in a fleeting manner.

All of these personalities, whether sweet-natured or not, don’t quite know what to make of this low-class Brit who fancies one of the finest dresses in the world. But even the most reserved find themselves charmed by Mrs. Harris’ guileless appeal. It’s a quality that’s easier to relate to on the page than on the screen, but that’s no problem for our lead, who brings humble appeal and warm-hearted wit to this longstanding literary figure.

Though easy to take as a slight, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris can be best enjoyed as a bit of whimsical, almost fairy-tale-esque escapism. It’s all so fun and fancy free. It owes as much to our reality as Aquaman owes to marine biology, but it doesn’t matter. Because, not unlike Paddington 1 and 2 , Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a British rallying call for the empathetic need to celebrate altruism, while also delighting in something as trifling as a selfless woman finally getting a chance to enjoy herself.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is compassionate, but above all else, it’s just meant to be delightful.

Perhaps the mileage may vary there, but it’s hard to imagine many people not taking at least some pleasure in Manville’s guileless performance. It’s endearing without being cloying, and it’s winsome without losing its humanity. Mrs. Harris is a kind woman, but also not a perfect one. She can lose her temper. She can make careless mistakes. She can sometimes assume the best in others and get hurt in the process. But Manville knows how to make this time-honored personality feel fresh while also winningly real. Only an actor as dependably great as Manville could make such a dotty character naturalistic.

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What’s perhaps less tied to authenticity is the movie’s general look and design, which can often be too green-screen heavy, thus losing the spark of the City of Light’s texture and history. It’s hard to be swept up in France’s majesty when we’re watching what can seem like a colleague of screen-saver backdrops. But not unlike An American In Paris , there’s still a charm found in what’s clearly a fabricated depiction of the world’s most romantic city.

Cinema has always made Paris seem mystical and magical.

So this movie shouldn’t be given flack for doing the same. But if we’re meant to be taken on a cinematic adventure, it does feel a bit cheapened to know that we aren’t quite there. It’s not quite right. But since we’re endeared to the characters, it doesn’t make too much of a difference. Plus, it should be noted that director Anthony Fabian provides more lovely imagery than you might expect, allowing us to see the wondrous delightful splendors of the city through Mrs. Harris’ rose-tinted eyes and be wowed by the goodness that populates this world, should you look for it and, more importantly, allow yourself the chance to seek it out.

Perhaps what doesn’t go down quite as sweetly is the in-house advertisement for Dior, which factors into the plot, to be sure, but never escapes the feeling that we’re being sold the product so brazenly. Indeed, as the movie notes, Dior can be appreciated by everyone, not merely the wealthy and well-to-do. But in that spirit, you can often feel as though you’re being advertised on its rich and divine splendors.

Certainly, it’s a tricky balancing act. You need to be saddled into Mrs. Harris’ run-down, worn-out shoes and get swept up into the majesty of such a lavish product. But at the same time, you don’t want to feel as though you’ve purchased a ticket for a two-hour Dior ad. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris thankfully fits more in the former than the latter camp, but there’s also the unmistakable feeling that some corporate influence is tampering with the purity at play here.

The bottom line.

For all its capitalistic endeavors and fleeting commentary on class and social politics, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris remains delightful without ever feeling effortful. While Manville’s work does a lot of the heavy-lifting in that respect, it’s a credit to Fabian’s buoyant direction, along with his appealing adapted screenplay with Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson, and Olivia Hetreed, that the movie remains congenial and comforting, even if the runtime can also seem outstretched.

In true nicecore fashion, the film is more serviceable than substantial. But similar to this season’s The Phantom of the Open , it’s refreshing to see such a breezy, open-hearted character dramedy for adults, especially in the midst of a summer filled with so many busy, bombastic blockbusters. It’s nice to have some heart in the mix. What better place for that than a cinematic trip to the City of Love? 

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is now playing in select theaters. Watch the trailer here .

Will Ashton

Will Ashton is a simple man. He enjoys reading, listening to smooth jazz, eating burritos, a nice drink amongst friends and, of course, the art of cinema. His writing can be found at The Playlist, CutPrintFilm, We Got This Covered, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, MovieBoozer, Monkeys Fighting Robots, Heroic Hollywood, Indiewire, HeyUGuys and elsewhere. He's also, you know, a writer for hire. Reach out. Say hello. Friend him on Facebook. He's actually pretty nice — if I do say so myself. One day, he'll become Jack Burton. Just you wait and see.

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‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’ Review: Lesley Manville Delights in a Later-in-Life Fantasy Confection

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A housekeeper waltzing into Christian Dior and choosing a couture gown may sound like the height of fantasy, but the biggest stretch in Anthony Fabian’s “ Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris ” may be all the nice French people she meets along the way. Starring the inimitable Lesley Manville, in a role that effectively transitions the frequent Mike Leigh collaborator into the Helen Mirren phase of her career, “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” is a charming confection of a middle-aged, middle-class fantasy.

Imbuing the lavish period delights of “Mrs. Maisel” with a lively post-menopausal heroine “Hacks” made trendy, “Mrs. Harris” goes down like a sugary amuse-bouche of entertainment — it won’t make a lasting impression but it’s the perfect thing for the moment.

The movie begins in 1957 London, where Mrs. Ada Harris (Manville) has finally received word, after years of holding out hope, that her dear Eddie was killed in action some dozen years prior. As she goes about her usual routine, cleaning the flats of the entitled rich who regard her as nothing more than reliably good-natured help, she’s struck by the most beautiful gown she’s ever seen. “Christian Dior, five hundred pounds,” explains the pompous client who hasn’t paid her in weeks (the divine Anna Chancellor, playing a well-worn character). In her renewed grief, Mrs. Harris latches onto the idea of a Dior gown as her dream, and decides to do whatever it takes to get one.

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With this somewhat inexplicable desire motivating the rest of the movie, it often feels like it’s reaching for meaning. Even her friends, fellow housekeeper Vi (Ellen Thomas) and flirtatious bookie Archie (Jason Isaacs) don’t understand why Ada is suddenly churning out sewing work and gambling her money on dog racing. After a few unexpected windfalls, which she chalks up to signs from Eddie to pursue her dreams, Mrs. Harris is suddenly on a plane to Paris to get herself a frock. “One o’ them five hundred quid ones.”

With no plan or place to stay, she first encounters a convivial bunch of winos while sleeping at the train station. Charmed by the plucky Englishwoman, one walks her to the House of Dior, leaving her with the weighty reminder, “In France, the worker is king!” Rushing in after a model who drops her purse in a hurry, Mrs. Harris unknowingly sneaks into the presentation of Dior’s tenth anniversary collection. Unaware of the etiquette for such an elite event, she is stopped at the door by the uptight Madame Colbert (Isabelle Huppert, doing the least and killing it), who insists there is no possible way such a woman could buy a Dior gown.

Through another series of wild happy accidents, she charms her way into the show, and eventually into ordering a gown. A handsome Marquis (Lambert Wilson) invites her as his plus-one; a handsome accountant André (Lucas Bravo) invites her to stay in his flat while her dress is being fitted; and the model Natasha (Alba Baptista), who turns out to be the face of Dior, excites all the workers in the atelier with the story of the housekeeper who saved all her wages for a Dior gown.

What follows is a whirlwind week in Paris full of dancing with the Marquis, playing matchmaker for the kind young Parisians, and even leading to the solution of Dior’s money woes. If it all sound a bit ridiculous, it very much is, but it’s enjoyable, with Manville squeezing every ounce of charisma out of the quippy one liners she’s been given. Of a can-can dancer at a Moulin Rouge-like establishment, Mrs. Harris remarks bluntly: “She’s a dead ringer for my cousin Tilda! From behind.” The same joke somehow works yet again when, upon seeing the famed Monsieur Dior, she observes: “Who’s that bloke? He looks like my milkman.”

Written by a committee of four that includes “Girl with a Pearl Earring” scribe Olivia Hetreed, the screenplay often overreaches for meaning. (The film is the third adaptation of Paul Gallico’s 1958 novel “Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris,” but the first to go to the big screen, versus television). The romance between André and Natasha ignites over a bastardization of Jean-Paul Sartre’s “Being and Nothingness” that is sure to offend most French people, and the fact that the only person of color is Ada’s housekeeper friend who lifts her when she’s down is both unfortunate and unfortunately not surprising. Though hardly subtle, the class solidarity through-line is the strongest part of the story, and it’s hard not to feel something when Mrs. Harris descends the stairs in her couture Dior into a neighborhood dance.

It seems that, for good people, even the silliest of dreams really can come true, and how fun to be able to watch them do just that.

Focus Features will release “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” in theaters on Friday, July 15. 

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Review: ‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’ is the perfect escape from a summer of franchise movies

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We could all use a little escapism right now, especially when the escapism in question is as exceedingly pleasant as Anthony Fabian’s “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” starring the luminous Lesley Manville as a cleaning lady from London who takes a trip to Paris to see about a frock. It’s not just any frock — it’s haute couture from the House of Christian Dior, the kind of dress that can change a life, and in this case, changes many.

London, 1957. Ada Harris (Manville), a modest woman who makes her living cleaning up after others, has been waiting around for her Eddie, who has yet to return from the war. She has a prim basement apartment, a friend Vi (Ellen Thomas) with whom she rides the bus and shares port with lemon at the pub after work, and a passing interest in the dashing Archie (Jason Isaacs), who always seems to be dancing with someone else.

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Her clients take her for granted, but Ada is a woman who believes in signs and serendipity, and soon, the messages from the universe are too many to ignore. First, a package with Eddie’s ring and a letter that he’s been officially killed in action, his plane shot down in 1944. Then, a widow’s pension, a reward for turning in a diamond pin, and a sports bet that manages to go the right way, thanks to a little help from her friends. She knows exactly where she’ll put this unexpected windfall, having fallen under the spell of a sparkling pink Dior gown in the closet of one of her more difficult clients, Lady Dant (Anna Chancellor).

One could say that frittering away money on an expensive dress wouldn’t be worth it, but one would be revealing themselves as not knowing the real power of real fashion; that often looking good means feeling good, and feeling good means knowing, and demanding your own worth. This is the message of “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” which boasts a proud pro-labor sentiment, starting with Mrs. Harris, whose adventure across the English Channel helps her to see herself as someone worth being seen, someone deserving of nice things.

Her newfound empowerment starts almost as soon as she lands in Paris. Having traveled so far, she does what seems impossible: standing up to Isabelle Huppert. The legendary French actress plays the snooty Mme. Colbert, who threatens to kick her out of the exclusive fashion house. But cash in hand, she’s welcomed by the workers of Dior, including André Fauvel (Lucas Bravo), the accountant, manager Marguerite (Roxane Duran) and model Natasha (Alba Baptista). Ada’s working-class English spunk also catches the eye of the Marquis de Chassagne (Lambert Wilson), and bestowed with their goodwill, she enjoys a week in Paris while her Dior gown is custom made. Along the way, she’ll do a little matchmaking, unionize the atelier and help to change the way Dior does business forever.

The story is fantastical, predictable and utterly delightful, allowing the audience to engage in familiar generic pleasures that have been cut and trimmed to fit every curve neatly. Based on the 1958 novel by Paul Gallico, and written by Fabian, Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson and Olivia Hetreed, “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” sits at the well-appointed intersection of “Phantom Thread” and “Emily in Paris,” which shares much narrative DNA. It’s particularly amusing to see Manville square up with Huppert as the hoity-toity hard-nosed manager of a fashion house, when Manville so deliciously ate up a similar role in her Oscar-nominated performance in “Phantom Thread.” Plus, it’s a treat to see French hunk Lucas Bravo of “Emily in Paris” as the bumbling, bespectacled and besotted young accountant.

The film swirls around Manville’s charismatically authentic performance as Mrs. Harris. It wouldn’t be as believable or as charming without her in the role, and she holds the center with ease, the perfect subject (not mannequin) on which to build the frothy fashion delight that is “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” an escape we all deserve.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

'Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris'

Rating: PG, for suggestive material, language and smoking Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes Playing: Opens July 15 in general release

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Mrs Harris Goes To Paris Review

Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris

There’s a Paddington -y loveliness to Anthony Fabian’s adaptation of Paul Gallico’s 1958 novel. It takes place in a world where everything is simplistic, good guys always win and sadness can be quickly banished with a chirpy one-liner and a nice cup of tea. Like that film, its storybook world is so well drawn and its sense of humour so infectious that it’s near impossible not to fall for its upbeat charms.

The plot is a delicate whisp of a thing: in 1957, Ada Harris ( Lesley Manville ) is a widowed cleaner who asks very little from the world. One day, while tidying the wardrobe of an extravagant client (an enjoyably haughty Anna Chancellor ), Mrs Harris comes face-to-bodice with a Christian Dior gown. It’s instant love. The world turns to soft focus. She must have one of her own, even though they cost £500. Once she’s found the money, Mrs Harris heads to Paris and delights most of the city with her salt-of-the-earth cheer.

Lesley Manville plays Harris as a woman who remains cheerful through force of will.

The film has enormous fun with Harris sorting out the world of haute couture in the same way she might straighten up a living room. She marches smartly into Dior, calling their sumptuous creations “frocks” and sending everyone into a tizz. The Parisian cast are a collection of clichés. A model bored with being just a pretty face. An unfeasibly handsome, Sartre-reading accountant who’s shyly in love with said model. A tailor who shrieks “C’est impossible!” or similar every time Mrs Harris appears in his workroom. They couldn’t be more cartoonishly French if they arrived at work on bicycles with a string of onions round their neck — yet the script isn’t mocking them, showing limitless affection for these sketches. As do the actors — especially Isabelle Huppert, withering all before her as Dior’s manager.

All this pretty puff is securely anchored by a fabulous Lesley Manville. She plays Harris as a woman who remains cheerful through force of will. Life keeps trying to knock her over but she refuses to budge. Mrs Harris’ little adventure and her dream may be silly, but this lovely film treats that silliness as a commendable goal. When everything’s grim why not dream of a little silliness?

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Movies | 28 04 2022

Culture | Film

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris movie review: a sweet treat with a side order of socialism

“ Emily in Paris for geriatrics”. That’s what cruel commentators may be inclined to label this Cinderella -ish tale, based on a 1958 Paul Gallico novella about a Battersea cleaning lady. Luckily, with the fantastic Lesley Manville as said charwoman, nothing is quite what it seems.

The book’s Ada Harris is a selfless and gutsy widow who falls in love with one of her client’s Dior dresses. When she arrives in Paris , all set to buy a frock with her hard-earned cash, she impresses an open-minded Marquis, endears herself to practically every Dior employee she meets and is rewarded for her fairy godmother-ish ways with... flowers . She never gets to swan around in her gown. It’s gutting!

In Mrs ‘Arris goes to Paris, the spectacularly camp 90s TV movie, Angela Lansbury’s Ada has a bit more fun. She and the Marquis (Omar Sharif) scratch each other’s backs, albeit in a platonic way, and Ada gets to wear her beautiful dress, before returning to her dingy digs. The ballgown, dangling from a hanger in Ada’s London kitchen, performs a magical little jiggle. That’s the happy ending.

This time around, it’s still the 1950s, but Ada, as well as being a talented seamstress, has a working libido (she’s attracted to two men, including Lambert Wilson’s Marquis de Chassagne, who’s been royally screwed up by his upbringing). She also hangs out with fans of the left-wing intellectual, Jean-Paul Sartre, organises a workers’ strike, is defended by an out-and-proud communist and single-handedly circumvents the snobbery of Isabelle Huppert ’s Dior manager, Madame Colbert.

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris could never be mistaken for a Ken Loach polemic. But whilst showing us a lot of pretty frocks, it gets awfully close to giving the finger to feudalism.

A note on the frocks. The majority of them (whether recreations of Dior “New Look” classics or originals designed by three-time Oscar-winner Jenny Beavan) are sublime. But one dresscoat resembles a tiny and poorly assembled tent. Or a giant tea cosy. Either way, it’s horrid. Ada, thank goodness, gravitates towards two outfits cut from a different cloth and, in the film’s suspenseful last third, everything works out in a way that’s utterly delightful.

Years ago, when I told a friend I was naming my daughter, Ada, they were horrified and said, “That sounds like the name of a cleaning lady!” Here’s to Manville’s Ada, a woman who knows you’re never too old – or too working class – to be one of the happiest belles at the ball.

115mins, cert PG

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• DVD & Streaming

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

• Comedy , Drama

Content Caution

In Theaters

• July 15, 2022
• Lesley Manville as Ada Harris; Ellen Thomas as Vi Butterfield; Lucas Bravo as André Fauvel; Alba Baptista as Natasha; Jason Isaacs as Archie; Isabelle Huppert as Claudine Colbert; Rose Williams as Pamela Penrose; Roxane Duran Marguerite; Anna Chancellor as Lady Dant; Christian McKay as Giles Newcombe; Delroy Atkinson as Chandler; Murányi Panka as Portia; Guilaine Londez as Madame Avallon; Dorottya Ilosvai as Mathilde Avallon; Philippe Bertin as Christian Dior

Home Release Date

• August 2, 2022
• Anthony Fabian

Distributor

• Focus Features

Movie Review

Mrs. Ada Harris feels like she’s invisible.

It’s 1950s London, and Ada’s a widowed cleaning lady. She’s barely making ends meet by working for her much richer clients who hardly pay her the time of day—let alone pay her on time .

But one of her clients (who needs to delay Ada’s pay by another week) has just purchased a beautiful dress from Christian Dior that cost a whopping 500 pounds. It’s the most beautiful thing Ada has ever seen.

Suddenly, things are looking up for Ada. She wins 150 pounds betting in a football pool. She gains a sum of money for returning a lost ring. A military representative even comes by to pay Ada’s forgotten widow’s wage for her husband’s death in World War II. Unexpectedly, Ada’s got more than enough money to fly to Paris, buy herself her own Dior dress and get back to London wearing a wonderful dress that’ll make her more visible than ever.

Except, when she arrives in Paris, things don’t go that smoothly. For one thing, the streets are filled with garbage due to a trash-collector strike. And even with the money for a dress, Ada’s not exactly the type of clientele Dior typically services—and their brand is known for being exclusive to the wealthy.

But Ada’s got the money, and by golly, she’s got the perseverance. She’s going to get an exquisite dress and flee invisibility no matter what—and she’ll make her charismatic mark on a few hearts along the way.

Positive Elements

André, a high-ranking employee at Dior, is very friendly to Ada (though initially, this is because he wants her much-needed business). He offers to send a telegram back home for her, he gives her a place to stay, and he provides clothes for her to wear. He also introduces a philosophical idea to Ada: Is she simply a cleaning lady, or is she more than her role in society?

Ada’s cheerful and insistent presence often causes others to grow to be kinder, more confident people. However, there are also some people who mistreat Ada, thinking themselves better than her. Throughout the movie, Ada gains confidence in herself, refusing to allow others to belittle her for her job as a cleaning lady.

This becomes one focal point of the movie, in which a prominent theme is the idea of social invisibility. As a poor, widowed cleaning lady, Ada is seen as the “invisible woman” to much of society. One of her clients even comments (in what is meant to be a compliment) on how the only indication of her presence is the polish left on his doorknobs.

But Ada slowly realizes she isn’t “just” the cleaning lady, the invisible woman who takes care of the house and leaves without a trace—she’s her own person. As one character notes, Ada is beautiful inside an extravagant Dior dress, but she was beautiful before she had it, too. Though society told her she was invisible, Ada finds her own visibility—as well as a knowledge that visibility isn’t everything.

This contrasts with Natasha, a model at Dior whom Ada befriends. Natasha is extremely visible—she’s the most well-known and well-loved model for the company. That role requires working exhausting hours late into the night, and she’s tired of always being in the spotlight. Eventually, Natasha learns a similar truth as Ada: Visibility isn’t everything, and it’s not always bad to fade into the background every once in a while.

Though Ada loves a dress, she allows a client in need to wear it. Ada doesn’t fully understand the proper etiquette for Dior, but many of the employees still treat her kindly. Ada’s friends Vi and Archie consistently check in on her to help her any way they can.

Spiritual Elements

Ada frequently talks into the air to her dead husband, believing that he is helping to guide her on the path she should take.

Sexual Content

One of Ada’s clients wears lingerie that reveals her cleavage as she gets ready to leave the house. We see multiple instances of Dior models in lingerie while they get ready to model dresses or take measurements.

Men and women dance on a stage at a restaurant. The men dance shirtless in overalls, and the women pull away their clothes to dance in sensual tasseled bralettes and tight underwear.

Natasha kisses two different men.

Violent Content

Ada’s husband is said to have died in World War II. André accidentally hits Natasha on the head. Ada’s friend breaks a window. A taxi drives erratically. A woman’s dress catches on fire while she’s wearing it.

Crude or Profane Language

God’s name is misused 10 times, and Jesus’ name is uttered inappropriately once. The word “t-ts” is used once. A few characters belittle Ada for her financial status. Someone is called an “idiot” and a “cretin.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Champagne, brandy and wine are all mentioned. People drink beer and wine in a bar and at a party. Ada drinks champagne and wakes up with a hangover the next day. Men and women are often seen smoking.

Other Negative Elements

Ada litters into a river. Gambling occurs at a dog race. Ada places bets in the UK football pools.

Ada Harris isn’t making her mark on the world. Technically, she’s removing said marks.

Her cleaning services have kept her afloat after her husband’s death in the war, but they haven’t done much for her in terms of social status. The wealthy clients who employ her talk at her rather than with her. She’s effectively invisible.

That’s why the employees at Paris’ Christian Dior—a brand known for dressing royalty—are incredulous when Ada, a poor cleaning lady from London, arrives at their doorstep wanting to purchase a dress costing 500 pounds. They’re even more baffled when she pulls the money—in cash —out of her purse.

But perhaps the most surprising thing about Ada is how quickly she ingratiates herself into the hearts of many of the employees and connoisseurs of Dior. Ada’s just a cleaning lady from London—invisible to general society, by all accounts—and yet she is making waves in a pond much bigger than society tells her she’s supposed to be swimming in. Ada’s insistent and cheerful nature leads to the visibility she’s been looking for—and perhaps, she’ll help others find it, too.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is, quite simply, a feel-good movie. We’ll follow a cheerful woman in pursuit of a beautiful dress, and we’ll become a little more cheerful ourselves along the way. That may come as a bit of a surprise, as Ada’s world isn’t one where you’d expect someone to be so obviously joyful. She’s poor, widowed from the war and a forgotten member of society. (And we’ll also glimpse Ada as she walks a world that contains men and women wearing little clothing and plenty of drinking to boot.)

None of this phases Ada as she continues on her adventure. Her joy resonates from the screen, even amid her struggles—and that’s the main draw of this film. Like the Dior store amid Paris’ trash-covered streets, the happiness and positive messages emanating from the film helps to distract us from the content concerns that surround it.

Kennedy Unthank

Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”

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Is Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Based on a True Story?

Anthony Fabian, the director of the new film, on the real-life events that inspired it.

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“Why would I want to make a film about a woman who falls in love with a couture dress,” Fabian asks. “The beginning is that since childhood I’ve been a fan of Paul Gallico as a writer, and when I signed with a manager in L.A. he was also the manager of the Gallico estate. One day, he sent me a manuscript of a book of his I hadn’t read, and I was intrigued by it.”

It’s no mystery why he got hooked. The story follows a London housekeeper ( Lesley Manville ’s Mrs. Harris) who encounters a Christian Dior dress in a client’s home and soon finds herself consumed by the dream of owning one herself. Through a series of convenient miracles, she finds herself in Paris as a client at Dior’s atelier, but things get complicated from there. It’s a film about love, loss, friendship, compassion, and the power of fashion—and features delicious turns from a cast including Isabelle Huppert , Jason Isaacs, Freddie Fox , and Lucas Bravo .

So, did Fabian rely solely on a work of fiction to create his film? You may be surprised.

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While Ada Harris is most definitely a fictional character, not everyone in the film follows suit. Christian Dior (played by Phillippe Bertin) was, of course, a real person—and some of the other characters in his orbit are based on real life as well. “[Huppert’s] Madame Colbert is a combination of two of Dior’s muses,” Fabian explains. “There was a woman named Mizza Bricard who was his inspiration, and there was another woman more on the practical side, so she’s a combination of two. Then there was a woman who was the head of atelier, Marguerite Carré , who I turned into a male character because I wanted to have a different energy for the cutter; I imagined a more rigid character. He’s named Mr. Carré, which means ‘square’ in French, but I didn’t even know her name when I named the character.”

After a Fashion Dávid Lukács / © 2021 Ada Films Ltd - Harris Squared Kft The "Caracas" dress by Christian Dior as it appears in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, which used Dior archives to help recreate iconic garments.

“Everything you see in the film about Dior is inspired by factual reality,” Fabian says. “Even the dresses; all but three of the dresses are exact replicas of Dior designs. Then the three hero dresses are all inspired by Dior dresses but they’re interpretations and not copies.” The production was granted extensive access to Dior archives and historical records, which helped ground the story in reality—and match photos that eagle-eyed fashion fans might already know well. “We were given the architectural plans for the house of Dior, so we were able to create the salon, the staircase, and the dressing rooms in a studio exactly as they were,” Fabian says. “The relationship between those spaces really helped us tell the story. We spent quite a bit of time in those archives to get all of that research right.”

Location, Location, Location Dávid Lukács / © 2021 Ada Films Ltd - Harris Squared Kft Lesley Manville and Lucas Bravo in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, which filmed in London, Paris, and Budapest.

While some key moments in the film were shot in their actual locations, many were filmed on location in Budapest or enhanced with a bit of movie magic. “In Budapest, you can find streets that look very much like Paris; there are some that are absolutely dead ringers.,” Fabian says. “Then the other factor was that we did some studio builds, so you might as well be anywhere. Finally, we did actually shoot some very key exteriors in London and Paris. The Albert Bridge and that beautiful crescent in Belgravia are both the real thing, and so is the pub where they go—the exterior is in London, you can’t find that anywhere else. That also reassures the audience that this is all real.”

Magical Thinking Liam Daniel / © 2021 Ada Films Ltd - Harris Squared Kft Lesley Manville as Ada Harris in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, which is based on a novel but incorporates real moments from history to help weave its movie magic.

Of course, a large part of what happens in Mrs. Harris is fictional—but not all of that comes from Gallico’s book. Some was devised by Fabian to help make even the imaginary moments on screen feel more believable. “The key to this story is that it is magic realism, so it has to have an equal dose of magic and reality,” he says. “If you go too far into magic, you won’t believe it; if you go too far into the realism, it wouldn’t have that uplifting fairy tale quality. The choice to have a binmen’s strike [during Mrs. Harris’s time] in Paris seemed like a fun idea with her being a cleaner. That was also partly motivated by my desire not to create too much of a chocolate-box world. If this beautiful city is strewn with rubbish, you’re bringing a degree of reality to the fairytale. Getting the balance right was important.”

Likewise, seeing inside the homes of the Dior staff—where they live real lives somewhat less charmed than an existence inside the atelier—helps create a sense of fantasy and reality on screen. “Getting a window into where some of these characters live was very important,” Fabian says. “There are lovely contrasts all the way through the story—between London and Paris but also between the glamour of Dior and the reality of the people who worked there.”

Adam Rathe is Town & Country 's Deputy Features Director, covering arts and culture and a range of other subjects. 

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Summary A widowed cleaning lady in 1950s London falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, and decides that she must have one of her own. After she works, starves and gambles to raise the funds to pursue her dream, she embarks on an adventure to Paris which will change not only her own outlook, but the very future of the House of Dior.

Directed By : Anthony Fabian

Written By : Paul Gallico, Carroll Cartwright, Anthony Fabian, Keith Thompson

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Where to watch.

Lesley Manville

Isabelle huppert, claudine colbert, lambert wilson, marquis de chassagne, alba baptista, lucas bravo, andré fauvel, ellen thomas, violet butterfield, rose williams, pamela penrose, jason isaacs, anna chancellor, bertrand poncet, monsieur carré, christian mckay, giles newcombe, freddie fox, raf officer, guilaine londez, madame avallon, philippe bertin, christian dior, roxane duran, dorottya ilosvai, mathilde avallon, delroy atkinson, vincent martin, michel simon, harry szovik, commissionaire, critic reviews.

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MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS

"bold kindness is rewarded".

What You Need To Know:

Miscellaneous Immorality: There are some references to gambling and luck, and two character discuss an existentialist philosophy point by Sartre about people’s outer persona versus people’s inward persona, adding that each person can have multiple personas (one person cracks a joke about existentialists in referring to them).

More Detail:

Set in 1957, MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS tells the story of a widowed cleaning woman in London who gets a chance to visit Paris and buy a fancy dress from Christian Dior, where she causes a ruckus. MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS is a charming, funny, exquisite comedy where bold human kindness wins the day and transforms people’s lives for the better and contains very little objectionable content.

Mrs. Ada Harris is a perky cleaning woman in London who’s just learned her missing husband’s been officially ruled killed in the world war, in 1944. Her clients are mostly wealthier people, except for a ditzy young actress trying to break into show business.

Sadly, a letter tells Ada that some personal effects of her husband, who went missing in action in Eastern Europe during World War II, have been found, so the authorities are changing his status to Killed in Action. Accompanying the letter is her husband’s wedding ring. She tells her friend, Vi, that she already realized her husband was probably killed, because, if he hadn’t been, he would have sent her word that he was alive or returned to her.

One day, Ada spots a beautiful Christian Dior dress in the home of a wealthy client who hasn’t paid her in several weeks. The woman says she just paid 500 pounds for the dress. Ada decides she must have a Dior dress of her own, but how can she get the money?

Mrs. Harris starts working some extra hours to save up money for a fancy Dior dress, plus the trip to Paris and back. Her plan seems to be working well. However, one day she and her close friend, Vi, are invited to the dog races by the local playboy, a nice-looking older man named Archie who’s seen dating younger women and who works at the track. In one race, Ada sees one of the dog’s names is Haute Couture. She believes it’s a sign, so, against Archie’s advice, she puts 100 pounds for the dog to win the race.

At first, the dog is in the lead, but halfway through, it gets distracted and starts wandering around, coming in last place. To make matters worse, a man from the military visits her with the rest of her husband’s personal effects. However, he says, since it took a few days to list him Missing in Action back in 1944, they actually gave her too much of his salary back then. Does this mean SHE owes the government some money?

As soon as he tells her that, however, Ada’s fortunes change suddenly. The military man, and two other visitors, bring Ada good news, and she finds herself with 585 pounds, more than enough to fly to Paris and buy a dress.

In Paris, late at night, she meets some old men at the train station. They’re amused by this strange middle-aged lady, who’s carrying a beat-up suitcase and says she wants to go to Christian Dior to buy a dress. In a spirit of friendly diplomatic relations, one of the older men gladly escorts her to the doorstep of Christian Dior. There’s a commotion at the doorstep, however, because today is the day of Dior’s 10th anniversary, and the famous designer is holding a small, special fashion show for his biggest customers.

Timidly at first, then with growing boldness, Mrs. Harris storms the exclusive citadel of haute couture at Christian Dior. Her boldness and fearless kindness start to transform her own life and the lives of others for the better. Disaster lurks around the corner, however.

MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS is a charming, funny, exquisite comedy. Leslie Manville delivers a wonderful performance as Mrs. Harris. She’s supported by one of the best ensembles this year, and beyond. Led by Director, Producer and Co-Writer Anthony Fabian, the movie

The story in MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS shows how bold kindness can transform people’s lives for the better. Mrs. Harris is used to being around wealthy people, so she’s not afraid of them. She’s also not afraid of the more snooty employees who work for Dior. In fact, she wins them over with her charm and her kindness. The movie also has a strong pro-capitalist subplot where one of the major characters, supported by Mrs. Harris, encourages Christian Dior to start making some of his designs affordable for the growing cadre of female consumers.

The movie is pretty clean, with only a little, mostly light foul language. There are some references to gambling and luck, however. So, caution is advised for children, who probably won’t understand and enjoy the story as much as older viewers anyway.

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Lesley Manville Triumphs in Heart-Warming ‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’

Suspend all disbelief, throw logic to the wind, and just enjoy it for the entertainment value it provides..

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is the newest version of Paul Gallico’s popular and enduring 1958 novel about Ada Harris, a poor, widowed British cleaning woman who scrubs the floors of London on her hands and knees to sock away enough money to fulfill her dream of owning a priceless, authentically original Christian Dior gown before she dies. Angela Lansbury was a memorable Mrs. Harris in the 1992 TV production, directed by her son Anthony Shaw and filmed in Budapest. In its new incarnation, directed by Anthony Fabian , the fable comes to life again with the renewed vigor, energy and craft of the great character actress Lesley Manville , who brings her own set of dynamics to the role and scores a huge personal triumph.

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Versatile and fearless, I applauded her Oscar-nominated turn as the villainous sister of Daniel Day Lewis who poisoned him with mushrooms in The Phantom Thread, and loved her even more for her passionate portrayal of the venomous American matriarch of a violent clan of North Dakota gangsters in the underrated western Let Him Go. In a gorgeous change of pace as Mrs. Harris, she pours tea and sympathy to everyone in need and captivates them all. The result is a heart-warming, utterly happy-making entertainment with another bouquet of rave reviews to prove it.

Set in the late Fifties, the movie begins by showing the bland daily routine of a working-class domestic, leaving her modest flat every morning, joining her best friend on the bus on their way to underpaid and unappreciated jobs that offer few rewards and no future. But Mrs. Harris has a decency and a sense of humor that guarantee survival. Then one day, draped across a chair in the home of one of her most irritating and least favorite lady employers, she discovers a Dior gown so exquisite she has never seen anything more beautiful.

Determined to buy one of her own, Ada scrimps and saves every sixpence, putting away a few quid here and there—from gambling on the lottery and the dog races, an unexpected profit for back pay on her late husband’s pension, a small award for finding a lost ring—anything that will add up to the 500 pounds required for her goal. (I told you it’s a fairy tale; today a week in Paris would cost you that much in taxi fares.) Eventually, with her earnings in small bills rolled up in an old purse, it’s off to the City of Light where a larky adventure awaits and the real movie begins.

Arriving at 30 Avenue Montaigne with the aid of a motley crew of ragged vagrants who could easily rob her but instead guide her safely to the legendary House of Dior, Mrs. Harris is immediately threatened with ejection by the salon’s haughty manager and creative director, one Claudine Colbert (no relation to Claudette) who shows her hateful superiority by calling security. Next to Mrs. Harris, Madame Colbert is the film’s most mesmerizing character, played with icy panache by Isabelle Huppert , in one of her rare film appearances in English. With her pursed lips and forced, sardonic world-weary smile, she’s the perfect embodiment of French arrogance, and the tangible antithesis of Mrs. Harris’ down-to-earth pragmatism. But all of the other French snobs Mrs. Harris encounters are so impressed by her lack of pretense and her refreshing honesty that they accept her unconditionally.

Against all plausible odds, she is rescued by a dashing French marquis ( Lambert Wilson ) who invites her to join him in a front-row seat for the unveiling of the latest Dior fashion line. Andre Fauvel ( Lucas Bravo ), the handsome Dior account executive and business manager, offers her a place to stay in his private Paris apartment, and during the week when the gown she selects is meticulously custom designed, sewn and fitted, she repays him by orchestrating a romance between him and a lovely Dior model ( Alba Baptista ) that changes both of their lives forever, and eventually conquers the great Christian Dior himself, while saving the world of haute couture by preventing a strike that saves him millions in layoffs. Meanwhile, from the Eiffel Tower to the flower markets in the Seine, the viewer gets the most rapturous tour of Paris since Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire and Kay Thompson made movie history in Funny Face. 

I can’t pretend I found Mrs. Harris’ captivating trip to France entirely convincing, especially the resolve of what she eventually does with the Dior dress, but the film is so delicious, the cinematography so lush and Anthony Fabian’s direction and screenplay (with assistance by other writers) so secure and neatly tied with ribbons of grosgrain satin that my advice is suspend all disbelief, throw logic to the wind, and just enjoy it for the entertainment value it provides. Nothing wrong with a movie in today’s troubled winter of discontent that exists solely for the purpose of creating joy and good will, and Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris spreads them around like butter.

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Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Review by brian eggert july 11, 2022.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is the blithely playful title for director Anthony Fabian’s charming Cinderella story set in the world of 1950s haute couture. It’s a film about a romantic, played by Lesley Manville, whose daydreams mount into a heartwarming tale that’s bound to cause laughter, swooning, and tears of joy. Manville lends her boundless humanity to Ada Harris, a widowed cleaning lady from London accustomed to selflessly maintaining the lives of others. After seeing a Christian Dior dress in a client’s home, she imagines owning one herself, and as her superstitions and providence align, she gets the opportunity. Although the story hits familiar beats and ends up, in a roundabout way, where one might predict, Fabian’s generous treatment of his subject and characters reaches beyond superficial beauty or storybook simplicity. Instead, the film considers an uncommon and winning blend of fantasy, reality, and even philosophy. While Disney continues to mine classical fairy tales in animation and live-action to hollow effect, here’s a film that transports the viewer into a twinkling fable, yet it never forgets about the emotional integrity of its characters, even while delivering a gleeful delight. 

Adapted from the book by Paul Gallico, who wrote an entire series of “Mrs. ’Arris” stories that follow the titular character around the world on modest adventures, the film is a classically structured enchantment. Fabian, who co-wrote the script alongside Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson, and Olivia Hetreed, imbues the material with a dreamy sense of fantasy-come-true. Set in 1957, Mrs. Harris lives a routine life. She cleans the homes of a few clients each week, ranging from a well-to-do bachelor (Christian McKay) to a flighty ingénue (Rose Williams). Each morning before daylight, she walks along the luminescent Albert Bridge and gazes down at the Thames, yearning for more. When she’s not cleaning, she’s either alone at home or out with her fellow cleaning lady, Vi (Ellen Thomas), or chatting with the incorrigible pub regular, Archie (Jason Isaacs). Her husband disappeared in Poland in 1944, and she’s been alone ever since. Somehow, she has held out hope that he’s still alive. But when the film opens, she receives a package containing his wedding ring and a final confirmation of his death. Still, there’s room to dream. Another client, the shallow Lady Dant (Anna Chancellor), spends £500 on a new Dior dress instead of paying Mrs. Harris her back wages. Nonpayment aside, the sight of the gown leaves Mrs. Harris overcome and transported by its beauty. 

Expect leaky tear ducts early in the proceedings, as a series of fateful events align the universe in Mrs. Harris’ favor. She saves up enough money to travel to Paris overnight and buy a House of Dior dress for herself. Of course, it’s not quite that simple, as explained by the snooty manager, Claudine Colbert (Isabelle Huppert), the evil stepmother of Dior. For starters, the highfalutin Colbert looks down on Mrs. Harris for her inferior class appearance and quickly assesses that she doesn’t belong. Several others come to her rescue, including Dior accountant André Fauvel (Lucas Bravo) and model Natasha (Alba Baptista). Also in attendance at the showing is the widower Marquis de Chassagne (Lambert Wilson), who personally invites Mrs. Harris inside, seeing that she’s come a long way and, what’s more, has the cash in hand for a dress. But Dior’s highbrow clientele cherish their exclusivity and stick their noses up at Mrs. Harris, who learns she must undergo weeks of fittings before her purchase is complete. With the further kindnesses from Fauvel and Natasha, Mrs. Harris arranges to stay and sample Parisian nightlife while waiting for the Dior staff to complete her dress. 

No stranger to cinematic depictions of high fashion after her Oscar-nominated role in Phantom Thread (2017), Manville, who also executive produced, gives one of her most endearing performances in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris . Her acting has all the dimension and layering of her appearances in Mike Leigh’s cinema, and that presents a compelling series of contrasts given the fanciful nature of the story. Manville endears us to Mrs. Harris, rendering every characteristic and emotion true, and her distinctly British sense of humor supplies a constant source of laughs. When she’s happy, we’re brimming along with her. If she feels slighted, we feel it through her performance and the other characters who empathize with her. When fate works in her favor, again and again, it’s less a contrivance than an overwhelming pleasure that fills us with happiness. Under Fabian’s pitch-perfect control of tone, each of the actors manages to maintain emotional reality within the fairy tale quality of the story, offering a chimerical turn of events that never betrays the integrity of their characters or strains believability. This weaves elegantly into the film’s Sartrean theme about Dior’s need to move from an exclusively Paris-based house for the super-rich, who often do not pay their bills on time or at all, to a brand that’s accessible to everyone.

The look of the film balances reality and fantasy as well. Cinematographer Felix Wiedemann captures the streets of Paris littered with refuse from a garbage worker’s strike. Kindly winos in a depot and Mrs. Harris’ modest apartment have the gruff reality of something more grounded and earthbound. In contrast, the film quickly loses itself in our protagonists’ starry-eyed bliss in the presence of a Dior dress. When she sees such beauty, Mrs. Harris loses herself for a moment. Fabian and Wiedemann borrow Spike Lee’s oft-used double dolly shot, where the camera and actor rest on the same dolly that moves through a space, creating an impression that the character is being pulled toward something with a sense of disembodied purpose. Brief flourishes such as this break from the otherwise straightforward historical setting and transform the film into a euphoric experience. The filmmakers see fashion through Mrs. Harris’ subjective perspective, and it’s contagious. Wiedemann shoots the lovely and varied gowns from the period, provided by the House of Dior no less, with evident affection for their refinement. A fashion exhibition sequence early on rivals the one in George Cukor’s The Women (1939), and seen through Mrs. Harris’ eyes, it’s blissful. 

At the core of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a humanist message about seeing beyond class and labels. Colbert asks Mrs. Harris, “How will you give this dress the life it deserves?” But it’s not about living up to the Dior standard; it’s about recognizing that everyone deserves to feel like they belong in such luxury. The filmmakers have integrated that theme into a critique of class and storybook tropes by applying them to the workaday protagonist. Indeed, the third act introduces conflict that threatens to make Mrs. Harris the fairy godmother of her own story, but an airy solution delivers a magnificent ending. If you’re not a sloppy mess by the final scene, laughing and crying along with its felicity, seek help. Anchored by Manville’s beautifully nuanced and sunny performance (and those of the supporting cast), assured direction by Fabian, and a gorgeous production design by Luciana Arrighi, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a surprise and a pleasure. Its warmth and tenderness result in a marvelous, romantic, touching, funny, and deeply satisfying film that’s not to be missed. 

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Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris review: a sweet film with too much sugar

In a summer filled with superheroes in spandex, dinosaurs romping across the globe, and Tom Cruise once again risking his life for an impossible-to-pull-off stunt, you can forgive this moviegoer for looking for something a little bit quieter and somewhat more gentle, a film which has a modest goal of entertaining without the need of elaborate special effects.

From London to Paris, a woman pursues her dreams

Too many spoonfuls of sugar, not good enough to be ok.

Director Anthony Fabian’s Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is the cinematic equivalent of counter-programming comfort food: almost always pleasing, not too offensive, and easily digestible. A fantasy that combines post-war trauma, Parisian garbage strikes, and Carrie Bradshaw-levels of fetishization over fashion, the film is sweet, lovable … and just a little bit nauseating.

The film stars Leslie Manville, a veteran of Mike Leigh’s working-class dramas who gave a pitch-perfect performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread , as the title character, an English widow working as a maid in 1950s London. Her life is lonely but happy, her sadness over her husband’s disappearance in World War II punctuated by boisterous nights out with her best friend Vi (Ellen Thomas, all warmth and good cheer) and womanizer Archie (Jason Isaacs, taking a break from Harry Potter and stock villain roles).

Mrs. Harris becomes enamored with one of her client’s Christian Dior dresses and soon makes it her goal to go to Paris to get a custom-fit dress tailored just for her. Through a series of fortunate (and increasingly far-fetched) events, she raises enough money to do so, and soon she’s on her way to the City of Lights to fulfill her sartorial dreams.

In Paris, Mrs. Harris finds her way past the guarded gates of Dior’s luxury couture headquarters, where she befriends the handsome accountant Andre ( Emily in Paris ‘ Lucas Bravo), the beautiful model Natasha (Alba Baptista, putting away her habit from Warrior Nun ), and a kind widower, the Marquis de Chassagne ( The Matrix Resurrections ‘ Lambert Wilson). Of course, there has to be a villain in something like this, and Isabelle Huppert cashes her paycheck as Dior’s snobby manager that, even after a climactic reveal, still makes you wonder why one of France’s best living actresses would slum it in such a thankless role.

There’s a tedious romance that plays out just like how you’d normally expect it to, homeless bums that act as a Greek chorus, a mad dash to save a departing loved one, and a “You go, girl!” moment so anachronistic and absurd you can’t help but wince. And yes, Mrs. Harris literally says those words in the film.

The first half of the movie is the best as it goes out of its way to convincingly evoke the grimy bustle of working-class London at the beginning of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. It’s here that the film finds the right balance of realism and fantasy, juggling Mrs. Harris’ loneliness with her vivid social life filled with dancing and betting on horses.

The problem arises when the film overplays its hand in the second half of the movie, making Mrs. Harris into a lovable scamp who has the solution to everyone’s problems. It betrays the working class charm that the movie and Manville effectively established earlier and leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Must Mrs. Harris solve everyone’s problem, including the fashion industry itself, with such sugary sweetness? Isn’t it enough that the film focus on her own inner life, and what it means for her to move on from being a widow and opening herself up to a new romance?

I guess not. The movie is based on a dusty 1958 novel, Mrs . ‘ Arris Goes to Paris , which was the first in a series of adventures for the old widow: she goes to New York City, visits Parliament, and ventures behind the Iron Curtain to charm those humorless Russians. The first novel was the most successful and was adapted into a one-hour TV episode in 1958 and a made-for-TV movie in 1992 with Angela Lansbury as the title character.

Maybe that’s why the film seems so bizarrely out of time. It’s not material that’s timeless, and this adaptation doesn’t make a solid case as to why it needed to be adapted again. What once worked in the past doesn’t mean it can work again, and this iteration of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris doesn’t offer anything new to warrant another go-around.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is currently playing in theaters nationwide.

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To those who have sampled Tubi, that shouldn't be much of a surprise. Tubi is an excellent platform to stream classic films, hidden gems you may have forgotten about, and cheesy B-movies and TV shows. Tubi has a lot of content, and September promises even more entertainment for all kinds of viewers.

When was the last time a husband and wife topped the box office? Power couple Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively ruled the theaters last weekend with Deadpool & Wolverine and It Ends with Us. The latter, a Colleen Hoover adaptation, overperformed with an opening weekend of $50 million domestic. This weekend belongs to the Xenomorph, as Alien: Romulus will look to terrorize audiences everywhere.

While those three movies are worth seeing in theaters, thousands of movies are available to watch at home. Some of these films can be streamed on FAST services. Sign up for a FAST service, watch a few ads, and you're good to go. This weekend, stream these free movies, including a shark thriller, an iconic adventure saga, and a music biopic. Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Following their best Premier League season in 20 years, Arsenal open up the 2024-25 campaign with a fixture against Wolves at Emirates Stadium on Saturday. The Gunners won both head-to-head matchups last year and are strongly favored to kick off the season with three points.

The match starts at 10:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, August 17. If you live in the United States, it will be televised nationally on USA Network. But if you want to watch Arsenal vs Wolves live online, we've compiled all the best ways watch Premier League soccer cable-free. Is there a free Arsenal vs Wolves live stream?