Lizzy's Film Reviews

這部片的中文片名實在有些誤導，看到那個「B咖」很難想像這部片是部如此古典、老派的電影，還以為是Anna Faris會演的咧。所以我寫這篇文章，是希望讓喜歡這種片型的人找到它，也避免根本不喜歡這類電影的人誤闖。「B咖妙管家」並不會是太多人喜歡的電影，它有浪漫、有幽默、有很棒的卡司，艾美亞當絲(Amy Adams)的精湛演技是全片最大亮點，但對於不習慣英式小品電影的觀眾而言，很可能會覺得悶，甚至對於習慣的人而言，「B咖妙管家」都不算是會令人感受很深的片，它很多帶來的感覺都淡淡的、輕飄飄的，所以服用前請三思。不過如果你喜歡甜姐兒艾美亞當絲，那麼「B咖妙管家」裡的她真是又美又夢幻，演技又很棒，值得一看！



故事背景是在1939年，第二次世界大戰隨時可能爆發的倫敦，Pettigrew﹝法蘭西絲麥多曼﹞是個中年失業女子，在職業介紹所也沒得到適合的工作，窮途末路、三餐都有問題的她，意外得知某個潛在工作的地址，就直接去找那位僱主了。原來僱主是年輕貌美的Lafosse﹝艾美亞當絲﹞，她是位努力靠著美色向上爬的歌手，正住在她三位男友之一的華麗住宅裡。Pettigrew成功化解Lafosse的幾次危機後，成為她的社交秘書，這兩人個性與處事態度天南地北，卻在彼此身上學到很多。



「B咖妙管家」可以算是比較特別的浪漫喜劇，它的重點不是擺在男生得到女生、女生得到男生等等，反而是擺在兩位女主角的情誼與相互的影響，讓她們產生反思與轉變的過程，整體說來頗為溫馨，電影裡的場景與服裝也很美麗，甚至有童話般的感覺。比較可惜的是本片的步調有問題，有些部份﹝例如兩位女主角的初見面﹞有傳統30年代screwball comedy的輕鬆快速，艾美亞當絲唱起"If I Didn't Care"時很感動人心，但其他部分相較之下就變慢變悶了，好在演員的加持讓這部平凡的電影有了活力，首先要提的絕對是艾美亞當絲，她的演出極有層次，一開始她看起來完完全全就是個沒良心只想睡出星途的正妹，帶點瑪麗蓮夢露在「紳士愛美人」(Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)的味道，但隨著劇情進展漸漸顯出她的情感深度，是非常有層次的表演；法蘭西絲麥多曼的角色其實根本就是個艾瑪湯普遜，真的，我邊看就邊覺得「這不是艾瑪湯普遜嗎」？這當然是個稱讚啦，雖然Miss Pettigrew是個愛說教的角色，但她能演得讓觀眾不討厭她，可算是很厲害。



其他配角也有些很亮眼的，最棒的就是Ciarán Hinds，他很少演出這麼溫柔和藹易親近的角色，沒想到也演得很棒呢，他跟法蘭西絲麥多曼連臉上剛毅的線條很搭配，演她的可能對象很適合；飾演法蘭西絲麥多曼情敵的是Shirley Henderson，也就是「哈利波特」系列裡的Moaning Myrtle，她特殊的聲音與五官，飾演片中這個有點小心眼的角色也很棒；近來常常演反派大魔頭的Mark Strong，飾演Lafosse的三位男友之一，是個俱樂部老板，脾氣看來也不小，可惜戲份很少，沒讓他把魔頭能量發揮到最大。







整體說來「B咖妙管家」是一部有濃濃古典味的浪漫小品，服裝與場景很美麗，艾美亞當絲的表演非常搶眼，同時融合了野心歌女的不顧一切、以及小鎮姑娘的純真善良，魅力直逼「第凡內早餐」裡的奧黛麗赫本，喜歡她的朋友不妨看看囉。

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經典對白：
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Guinevere Pettigrew: Listen to me. Once I too had ambitions. Not your grand ones, simple ambitions. Marriage, children and a house of our own. He died, in the mud in France. A good, solid man. You would call him dull, no doubt, but he smiled whenever he saw me and we could've built a life on that. Your heart knows the truth, Delysia. Trust it.

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Guinevere Pettigrew: Mrs. Brummegen was, well, fond of the sherry, if you take my meaning. As a vicar's daughter I found her rather difficult.

Miss Holt: She found you rather difficult, Miss Pettigrew, and that is, I'm afraid, a recurring theme.

Guinevere Pettigrew: A person can change.

Miss Holt: I haven't seen any sign of that.

Guinevere Pettigrew: She could stop drinking.

Miss Holt: ...Our clients don't adapt to suit your needs, Miss Pettigrew. You adapt to them.

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Guinevere Pettigrew: I'm afraid I walked in on your guest in his state of nature. I fear that I have outraged his sense of propriety.

Delysia: Oh no, Phil doesn't have one of those.

Guinevere Pettigrew: He's a much bigger boy than I had anticipated.

Delysia: [giggles] Oh you noticed that too.

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Delysia: Are you alright?

Guinevere Pettigrew: I have never sworn before in my life! Not even in my mind!

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Guinevere Pettigrew: I am not an expert on love, I am an expert on the lack of love, Delysia, and that is a fate from which I wish more fervently to save you.

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Guinevere Pettigrew: "Four's a Crowd"'s a wonderful movie. Who were you?

Delysia Lafosse: The crowd.

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(Photo courtesy of Focus Features)