Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, the high-fashion film of 2022, presents a contrast to House of Gucci, the high-fashion film of 2021. House of Gucci follows the greedy, jealous, back-stabbing Gucci family, who wish to dominate one another more than they wish to turn an honest buck.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a gentle high-fashion fable told from the point of view of English scrubwoman Ada Harris and set in the 1950s.

Mrs. Harris is kind and capable, which means the people she works for take shameless advantage of her. A fashion model leaves chaos in her wake, expecting Mrs. Harris to pick up after her. A wealthy woman cries poor whenever Mrs. Harris tries to get her to settle her bill.

While working at this woman’s home, Mrs. Harris sees and falls in love with a Christian Dior dress. She decides that she must have one of her own and starts saving money to buy a dream creation. The government finally catches up with her, informing her that her husband died in World War. His pension helps, but she still needs to work, scrimp and even bet to realize her dream.

She is in despair after losing a bundle on a racing dog named “Haute Couture,” who comes up lame. But some of her good and honest actions pay off, and with the help of friends, she gets her dream journey to Paris.

Paris itself falls far short of anyone’s dream as Mrs. Harris walks through garbage-filled streets. It seems the sanitation workers are on strike. When she gets to the House of Dior, she is roundly snubbed. Her entry ticket is acquired by time-honored means – she has cash and she’s willing to pay.

Her good common sense brings her through a number of difficulties, and she’s able to help Dior as it helps her.

But the haughty manager has one question that seems unanswerable.

Once she has the beautiful gown of her dreams back in her old neighborhood, where will she wear it?

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is funny, poignant and sweet and includes a fashion show that takes you back to the 50s in a good way.

It has no great message, nothing deep that will cause you to ponder for hours on end. But you’ll leave the theater smiling and feeling good about life.

And we could all use some of that, couldn’t we?

Rated PG, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris runs 115 minutes. It is directed by Anthony Fabian and stars Lesley Manville.