Lesley Manville stars as the title character of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, the latest adaptation based on the popular 1958 novel, Mrs. Arris Goes to Paris, written by Paul Gallico. Set in 1957, Ada Harris works hard as a cleaner in London for two different clients. Despite living a single life in her 50s after her husband was killed in battle during World War II about 15 years earlier, Mrs. Harris always has a very positive outlook on life, even if her job is unrewarding and things don’t go right occasionally.

One day while sorting out a client’s wardrobe, she discovers the most beautiful dress she’s ever laid eyes on, a Haute Couture dress by the high-end and real-life French fashion brand, Dior. Constantly thinking about that dress and believing she’s more than just a cleaning lady, she decides she wants to buy her own Dior dress. After a string of good fortune with a few setbacks along the way, she saves up enough money for the flights and her dream dress. Mrs. Harris is off to Paris on a quest to find the dress.

Immediately after the movie begins, audiences will adore the character of Mrs. Harris, brought to life by Lesley Manville. She absolutely exudes positivity, which rubs off on the people around her, especially her close friends and the new friends she makes along the way. She always tries to see the best in people, even if some of them don’t treat her with the same respect because they consider her to be lower class.

Unfortunately, her positivity does attract some unwanted attention, leading them to go out of their way in order to sabotage her, but no matter what, she never loses faith and presses on until she achieves her goals. Her bright, colourful, cheerful, and witty personality becomes an inspiration to other characters who add so much to the story, whether they have a big or small role. This creates some small side stories for the other characters to realise who their true selves are, and strive to achieve their own goals. These all fit in just perfectly while also complimenting and not overshadowing the main story of the title character.

Lesley Manville’s performance is an absolute delight and the biggest highlight of the film. Mrs. Harris is a character that’s easy to love and no one can say a bad thing about her. Even though she’s getting on in years, without her late husband and no children of her own, she’s an inspiration to just keep living life to the fullest. Her character type would typically be a supporting character in most stories that focus on someone younger, so the focus being on someone older really sets it apart from other similar stories.

The dresses, of course, also play a huge part in the film. The way each dress is presented on screen, highlighting the fine and intricate details adds so much to the cinematography, especially seeing how Mrs. Harris reacts to each one as her face and eyes light up and take her breath away. The scenes at the main Dior shop with the staff who run it, the models who wear the dresses, and the seamstresses who work hard on them, will give audiences a new appreciation for the Dior brand and all fashion, just like they did for Mrs. Harris. Even Christian Dior himself, portrayed by Philippe Bertin, makes a few appearances.

The supporting cast all fit in perfectly and they all have their own unique character developments and different outcomes. It’s clear to see the impact made on their lives by some old cleaning lady from London. The British cast in London and the French cast in Paris really add to the authenticity of the respective locations.

The 1950’s settings in London and Paris are bright, vibrant, and colourful, just like Mrs. Harris. Even the piles of trash, homeless people, and smokers don’t take anything away from the gorgeous locations in both cities.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris feels like it was a movie made in the 90s, with classic British humour and classical background music that fits in perfectly with their respective scenes, whether they’re comedic, emotional, or devastating. It’s very rare we get this style of movie these days, so it’s really refreshing to see amongst all the big blockbuster movies with superheroes, dinosaurs, and horror icons.

Being based on a novel, there are of course some minor changes and certain key points missing from the movie adaptation. Mrs. Harris is mostly the same in both the novel and movie, but the novel does have moments of her rubbing some people the wrong way with her personality, which isn’t seen in the movie. Even though the movie takes a few minor liberties, it does, however, make Mrs. Harris an even more likeable character than in the book. This could be a rare case of the movie actually being better than the novel.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris could very well be the feel-good movie of the year. Lesley Manville’s performance is just full of charm, positivity, and absolute joy, even after all she’s been through. Seeing the character progression develop not only her, but also everyone around her, will surely take audiences on an inspiring journey full of highs and lows, but always to move forward no matter what life throws at you. Mrs. Harris is proof that you’re never too old to follow your dreams.

Written by: Sammy Hanson