Ada Harris (Lesley Manville) receives the news that no one ever wants to hear: her husband was killed in the war.  To make ends meet, she works as a cleaning lady for a rich family in London.  One day, Ada finds a Christan Dior dress in the lady’s wardrobe, and, captured by the elegant beauty of the gown, Ada makes it her mission to travel to Paris to purchase a dress of her own.  Unlikely as it seems, she finds the funds and makes her way to the fashion house where her common appearance ruffles feathers, but also opens the eyes of the famed designer to a whole untapped market of women who know what they want and demand better options for themselves, even if it is off the shelves in their local department stores. 

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a feel-good comedy written and directed by Anthony Fabian with assistance on the page from Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson, and Olivia Hetreed based on the novel by Paul Gallico.  Released in the United States by Focus Features, the simple concept of a film runs a surprising 115 minutes and does not ever really wear out its welcome, even with how twee and sweet the whole story is.  It does so by shifting between a few different genres, namely, a romantic comedy, costume drama, and a work of historical fiction given that Ada Harris is not actually a real person.  By blending these various genres, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris plays out a little like an adult fairytale that will capture the imagination of even the most cynical in the audience. 

Without a doubt, the costumes take center stage in what could have otherwise been an understated period piece.  Jenny Beavan leads the costume department, with much of the fashion that is showcased in the film based on Dior’s historical releases of the time.  Beavan walks the careful line of making sure that Ada seems an unlikely customer at Dior, but never makes her too frumpy or uses the costuming to punch down on her.  Likewise, when the script allows Ada to dress elegantly, the costumes fit her perfectly and the joy Manville brings to the screen is infectious. 

Running parallel to Ada’s story is a budding romance between Dior model Natasha (Alba Baptista) and accountant André (Lucas Bravo).  The plot is ripped right from the swooning romances of the 1950s and 60’s so it feels perfectly at home in Mrs. Harris.  While the chemistry is a little forced between the two as the script relies on the audience to do much of the heavy lifting here in bringing the two employees together, Baptista and Bravo do share a few genuine moments together throughout the arc.  As the film also posits Archie (Jason Isaacs), a benevolent, wealthy, and kindly gentleman as a potential romantic interest for Ada, it would have been nice to see a little more interplay between the storylines in which André helps Ada come to realizations in her own life instead of having her always being the one providing the answers.  This would push the film a little more firmly into the realm of romantic comedy, but the world of fashion and, of course, Paris, would complement the themes perfectly and would have added some much-needed structure to the meandering story.  

It is the third act of the film where the script really loses its way and doubles down on the sweet nature of the story to some incredible lengths.  The script employs a heavy amount of magic from the silver screen in which characters just happen to pass by each other at the perfect moment, twists of fate deliver delicious karma to the “antagonists” of the film, and a change of heart is the cherry on top.  These moments by themselves are all palpable enough, especially within the working of the genre, but to have them all concentrated into the final fifteen or so minutes is asking the audience to suspend more disbelief than the film can be given credit for.  In keeping with the comparison of an adult fairytale, it all checks out, but as is the case here, sometimes those storybook endings are just a little too grandiose. 

At its core, though, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a totally inoffensive film that knows its target demographic and plays to its strengths.  It sounds reductive to say that the filmmakers were merely painting by numbers, but they do imbue the film with such heart and charm that it is hard not to find yourself whisked away into Paris in the 1950’s.  The film even flirts with the idea of worker’s rights, and while it does not get too bogged down with the heavier social topics, everything that happens here paints Ada as the hero of the story, and Manville plays to the camera with such effortless grace and humility that it is impossible not to be rooting for this London housekeeper to find some magic in her own life through a Dior dress of her dreams.