By Gregg Shapiro

Contributing writer

In theaters:

“Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day” (Focus)—Known as “the governess of last resort,” Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) is still owed a week’s wages when she is fired from yet another job. After being told that her services are no longer required by Miss Holt (Stephanie Cole) at the placement agency, the ever resourceful Miss Pettigrew swipes a card off Holt’s desk and heads for the Lafosse residence, where she thinks she will be taking care of some children. Face to face with Delysia Lafosse (the ubiquitous Amy Adams), an American actress, and her particular situation, which doesn’t involve childcare at all but the juggling of three grown men. Delysia’s stable of lovers includes theatrical producer Phil (Tom Payne), pianist Michael (Lee Pace) and impresario Nick (Mark Strong). Pettigrew is at first put off and then finds her groove, rising to the occasion and promptly being hired by Lafosse as her social secretary. Set in the uncertain time of pre-WWII London, all the action in “Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day” takes place over the course of 24 hours, transforming the life of the titular character and a few people within her orbit. Much to her surprise, Pettigrew turns out to be a natural in her ultimately short-lived role and is even called on to intervene in the troubled relationship between women’s undergarment designer Joe (Ciarán Hinds) and his unfaithful fiancée Edythe (Shirley Henderson). An old-fashioned romantic comedy in period dress, “Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day” is perfectly charming, due in large part to McDormand’s lively and transformational portrayal of Guinevere.

“Girls Rock!”—Your tolerance level for the creative antics of precocious kids will be the determining factor for whether or not you want to experience this entertaining, if noisy, documentary. Filmmakers Shane King and Arne Johnson follow the musical exploits of 15-year-old Laura, 17-year-old Misty, eight-year-old Am (a.k.a. Amelie) and seven-year-old Palace during their session at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls in a warehouse in Oregon. The camp, whose female participants range in age from 8-18 years of age, features a dazzling array of instructors, including Beth Ditto of The Gossip and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney. Over the course of five days, campers form a band, write songs and then perform them for an audience of 750 fans. The camp, founded in Olympia, Washington by former roadie Misty at the height of the riot grrrl movement, was threatened by the rise of the “diabolical” Britney Spears at the end of the ’90s. However, the camp’s mission, to pass on wisdom for the reclamation of girl culture, couldn’t be impeded. The camp, which also includes sessions on self-defense, body issues and self-esteem in its curriculum and makes an effort to teach girls how to treat other girls, is the kind of place where bonds and lifelong friendships are likely to begin. The payoff, of course, is the performance showcase at the end of the film, in which 24 bands, made up of 100 girls, get the chance to take the stage and, you guessed it, rock!

Limited runs:

The 9th Annual Chicago Irish Film Festival comes to a close tonight at The Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th. Call (773) 445-3838.

Back by popular demand, Martin Doblmeier’s “The Power Of Forgiveness,” a concise but wide-ranging documentary examining the subject through compelling stories from around the globe, shows through March 6, at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State.

Exploring the thorny issue of interfaith marriage with sensitivity and compassion, the documentary “Out of Faith” is screened through March 6 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State.

The Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State, presents the “11th Annual European Union Film Festival,” the largest showcase for the cinema of European Union nations in North America, March 7 to April 3.

Renewed popular interest in roller derby lesbians has inspired Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark, to dust off “Kansas City Bomber,” starring Raquel Welch, with Jodie Foster as her young daughter, March 8 at 8 p.m., preceded by a 7 p.m. social hour.