Why I Yawned Through Most of "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris"

...But the film has a few glimmers of charm

Dear Subscribers,

My apologies for the rather long gap between my last post and this one. I caught yet another bad cold, and have been tossed around by waves of sleeplessness that come with having a toddler who decidedly rejects the whole “stay in your crib and don't wake up until morning” thing that she’s *supposed* to have mastered by now. Whoever thought babies should confirm to capitalist norms of work and sleep, anyway? But that’s another newsletter, not this one.

Anyway, this week I thought I’d share some thoughts on a movie I’d been avoiding until now, despite its 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an opportunity to watch it on several transatlantic plane rides in the past year.

There was something about the trailer that made me think I’d find “Mrs. Harris in Paris” dull, overly earnest in its schlock and riddled with clichés.

I’d like to say I was proven wrong. I’m not a film critic, and I’m not in the business of skewering the artistic work of others. I didn’t do the tremendously difficult and complex work of making a film, so who am I to tear into it?

But this film— which would have certainly played more to its visual strengths on the big screen and perhaps wasn’t best streamed at home— turned out to be even more disappointing than I had expected. After all, its 94% RT rating must mean I’d likely be pleasantly surprised, right?

Alas, no. The movie, adapted from a 1958 novel by Paul Gallico published in the US under the title “Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris”, is directed by Anthony Fabian and stars British actress Lesley Manville in the titular role of Mrs. Harris, as well as French film legend Isabelle Huppert. This all seems promising— but it proved almost relentlessly bland and schlocky, despite its luscious visuals (including vintage Dior creations) and occasionally surprising plot points.