Mr. Phillips wakes on a summer's Monday morning in his modest, nearly mortgage-free house, in the bed he has contentedly shared with his wife of almost thirty years (though to be honest, at night he lies beside her and dreams of other women), ready to face another ordinary working day.Except that this day is not ordinary, for the previous Friday, Mr. Phillips was summarily sacked. Through no fault of his own, Mr. Phillips has suddenly found his whole life cast into doubt.Unable to deal with this disaster - unable even to tell his wife - Mr. Phillips rises at his usual hour and prepares himself, as he has done his entire working life, for the job he no longer has. Dressed for work with no work to do, he wanders the streets of London, seeing the world as if for the first time, and what he sees triggers memories. Some are improbably funny, some deeply affecting, and all gradually build a portrait of a decent man who only days before knew exactly who he was - husband, home owner, father, valued employee - and on this day wonders what he can become. Read Less