Mrs Harris Goes to Paris stars Lesley Manville as Ada Harris/Mrs Harris, Jason Isaacs as Archie, Isabelle Huppert as Claudine Colbert, Alba Baptista as Natasha, Lucas Bravo as André Fauvel, Ellen Thomas as Vi Butterfield, Guilaine Londez as Madame Avallon and Philippe Bertin as Christian Dior. Based on Mrs Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico, it is directed by Anthony Fabian, and the screenplay is by Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thomspon, Olivia Hetreed and Anthony.
The cinematography is by Felix Wiedemann, and the editing is done by Barney Pilling. The runtime is of 115 minutes. The film is in English with some dialogues in French, which have subtitles. The synopsis reads, “MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS is the enchanting tale of a seemingly ordinary British housekeeper whose dream to own a couture Christian Dior gown takes her on an extraordinary adventure to Paris.”
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris Review Contains No Spoilers
In Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, Ada Harris is a British woman, probably in her 60s, living alone. Harris works as a cleaning lady for wealthy families. After seeing a beautiful Dior gown at one of the places where she works, it becomes a dream for Ada to get one Dior gown for herself. However, it was only available in Paris.
Harris somehow manages to arrange the money to help her take a flight to Parish. However, at that time, only the elites had access to such exclusive outfits. So we have to see if Mrs Harris gets her hands on Dior’s stunning dress or not!
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris has a warmth to it because of the lovely protagonist, her kind nature and her big dream. In Ada Harris’ world, there are problems, but they always come with a solution later. The older woman is often asked what she will do with such an expensive gown. She has no idea what she will do because she only dreamt about having a Dior dress.
I loved the concept of not knowing what one will do after fulfilling their dream. What if someone wants to accomplish their ambition without doing anything further? There is nothing wrong with having these goals.
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In Paris, Mrs Harris meets André Fauvel, a Dior employee played by Lucas Bravo. Lucas is Hollywood’s go-to French boy at this point. He lets Harris stay at his place and does everything he can to help her get her a gown. In the elite society, people who are not “equal” to their status are often looked down upon. But when a person’s dreams and desires are strong, they don’t notice negativity. That’s exactly how Mrs Harris’ character is.
The movie could’ve been shorter had it not focused so much on a love story in Paris. The intention of the love story was also to make Mrs Harris feel the want for love in her life. But instead, it was a distraction and caused the story to be lengthy.
I was often bothered by the dirty streets of Paris. But now I wonder, maybe it was done on purpose. We are seeing the world through Mrs Harris’ eyes. It doesn’t matter if it’s Paris, a city of love and light. It’s not as beautiful as the gown Mrs Harris wants. The only sight that has got her attention is the dress. Hence, the screen lights up the most whenever there are Dior dresses.
The last 20 minutes of Mrs Harris Goes to Paris are pure bliss. Lesley Manville is phenomenal as Ada Harris throughout. But in the climax, you can’t help but admire and love her. Paris changes her, and she realises her value. It often happens for fictional characters in movies. It’s always wonderful to see the transformation in a character who couldn’t take a stand for themselves.
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris is pleasant to watch. It helps you escape the real world and take an unusual trip to Paris. It gets a bit slow in between, but you will have a big smile in the end.
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