Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)

This heartwarming and charming story about a British washerwoman who gets it into her head to buy an expensive gown features lovely performances, charming sets, and a few heartbreaking moments that will cause anyone to gasp in alarm. But never fear, it has a happy ending for its heroine!

Mrs. Harris (Lesley Manville) is a dreamer stuck in a mundane life as a cleaner who is under-paid and under-appreciated. One of her clients can't seem to pay her for the last seven weeks, but has a gorgeous Dior dress in her closet that cost her five hundred pounds. It's the most exquisite thing Mrs. Harris has ever seen in her life. Just to be able to touch, and wear, and own such a beautiful gown is all that she can imagine and more... so she decides then and there to make that her dream, that one day she will have saved up enough for her gown. She scrimps on the heat and on her food, tries her luck at lottery tickets (and wins a hundred pounds), and tries to ask for payment (but doesn't always receive it). And then she decides to place it all on a dog at the racetrack, lead by her instincts. If he wins, she gets odds at five to one... enough to purchase her dress! But... he comes in last. Devastated, the widowed Mrs. Harris assumes that's it for her. One snap of her fingers, and her life savings and all her dreams are gone.

But fate isn't done yet with Mrs. Harris, and little by little and then all at once, money comes pouring in. But that's just the start of her troubles, and her adventure... because she doesn't realize that once she sets foot in Paris, she has to deal with people who want her to stay in her proper place. The friendships she makes in Paris, the little excursions she has, and the heart-warming ending to this film are all sweet without being too sugary, because there are also sour moments, such as the moment she has her heart a little bit broken. None of the other characters are fleshed out as well as she is, and the actress carries most of the film on her charisma, sweetness, and how compassionate we feel toward her and her "big dreams." Jason Isaacs makes for a sweet man in the background, and an assortment of supporting characters rally around her, but the film ultimately belongs to Mrs. Harris, a woman who waited almost seven years to open a telegram informing her of her husband's death because she cannot bear to face anything unpleasant.

I enjoy seeing growth in a character, and Mrs. Harris does mature throughout the film -- she starts out a doormat and by the end, has finally decided to assert herself, not only for a good cause, but for her own sake. The costumes are beautiful as are the sets and the old-fashioned post-war setting. It does seem a little long at times, and there were moments when I felt dread for her since I could see what was coming, but it's a sweet and mostly innocent movie to watch with your mother, daughter, or sister over a cup of tea and a nice scone some rainy afternoon.

       
Sexual Content:
A man takes Mrs. Harris to a strip club where she sees scantily clad girls dancing around; some cleavage in period gowns.
 
Language:
A couple abuses of God's name and minor swear words.
 
Violence:
None.