Maid in Manhattan (2002)
June 30, 2023 1:18 PM - Subscribe
A Senatorial candidate falls for a hotel maid, thinking she is a socialite, when he sees her trying on a wealthy woman's dress.
The story of Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez), a single mother born and bred in the boroughs of New York City, who works as a maid in a first-class Manhattan hotel. By a twist of fate and mistaken identity, Marisa meets Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), heir to a political dynasty, who believes that she is a guest at the hotel. Fate steps in and throws the pair together for a magical night of romance. When Marisa's true identity is revealed, the two find that they are worlds apart.
Sara M. Fetters: And so begins the Cinderella tale Maid in Manhattan, a movie so wafer-thin it is almost transparent. The plotting is pedestrian at best, you know where it is going from the first frame and there isn’t anything going on that should hold your attention for any more than a few seconds. Even so, I never minded this movie while I sat there, and at certain times I even found myself downright enjoying it immensely.
The credit for that goes directly to Lopez and a game-supporting cast. She carries Maid in Manhattan with a fresh ease and vitality that’s really something. The camera loves her and the multi-talented artist is in her element with this tale.
Andrea Chase: Mildly irritating, but necessary from a fashion point of view, is the premise that in order for Marisa to get her management position, she must break off her budding romance with Chris and she must do it at a black-tie ball. This affords Lopez the chance to dazzle us in chiffon and diamonds, but little else.
MAID IN AMERICA [sic] does have a few things to say about the dignity of the working class, and so merits a bit of respect there. Still, it's strictly for the hopeless romantic who wants the social issues of the day presented with a spoonful of sugar and a large dollop of schmaltz.
Jeremy Heilman: That’s not to suggest that Maid in Manhattan is more concerned with political issues than amorous ones. As a romantic comedy, it works quite well, playing off the considerable charisma between its leads and allowing for priceless exchanges such as the moment where Fiennes looks at Lopez’s back end and says, “It’s perfect,” proving that as much as Lopez can shed her off-screen persona, it never is far from our minds. The ethnically diverse cast is filled with some solid supporting performances, with only Stanley Tucci’s political advisor feeling more like a caricature than a fully realized character. Bob Hoskins makes an especially good impression as Marisa’s mentor and Tyler Garcia Posey delivers a surprisingly schmaltz-free turn as her son. The scenes where Marisa and he converse, and she shows what feels like genuine surprise and delight over the intelligence of his observations are some of the most pleasurable in the film. Perhaps Maid in Manhattan’s skill at depicting its milieu and fleshing out its characters shouldn’t come as a surprise, since those characteristic are director Wayne Wang’s area of expertise. Nonetheless, as a romantic comedy, perhaps the most tired of genres (with the rare exceptions of a film like this year’s Punch-Drunk Love), it stands out amongst its peers. The critical attacks hurled on it, like those on its star, seem mostly unwarranted.
Trailer
The story of Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez), a single mother born and bred in the boroughs of New York City, who works as a maid in a first-class Manhattan hotel. By a twist of fate and mistaken identity, Marisa meets Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), heir to a political dynasty, who believes that she is a guest at the hotel. Fate steps in and throws the pair together for a magical night of romance. When Marisa's true identity is revealed, the two find that they are worlds apart.
Sara M. Fetters: And so begins the Cinderella tale Maid in Manhattan, a movie so wafer-thin it is almost transparent. The plotting is pedestrian at best, you know where it is going from the first frame and there isn’t anything going on that should hold your attention for any more than a few seconds. Even so, I never minded this movie while I sat there, and at certain times I even found myself downright enjoying it immensely.
The credit for that goes directly to Lopez and a game-supporting cast. She carries Maid in Manhattan with a fresh ease and vitality that’s really something. The camera loves her and the multi-talented artist is in her element with this tale.
Andrea Chase: Mildly irritating, but necessary from a fashion point of view, is the premise that in order for Marisa to get her management position, she must break off her budding romance with Chris and she must do it at a black-tie ball. This affords Lopez the chance to dazzle us in chiffon and diamonds, but little else.
MAID IN AMERICA [sic] does have a few things to say about the dignity of the working class, and so merits a bit of respect there. Still, it's strictly for the hopeless romantic who wants the social issues of the day presented with a spoonful of sugar and a large dollop of schmaltz.
Jeremy Heilman: That’s not to suggest that Maid in Manhattan is more concerned with political issues than amorous ones. As a romantic comedy, it works quite well, playing off the considerable charisma between its leads and allowing for priceless exchanges such as the moment where Fiennes looks at Lopez’s back end and says, “It’s perfect,” proving that as much as Lopez can shed her off-screen persona, it never is far from our minds. The ethnically diverse cast is filled with some solid supporting performances, with only Stanley Tucci’s political advisor feeling more like a caricature than a fully realized character. Bob Hoskins makes an especially good impression as Marisa’s mentor and Tyler Garcia Posey delivers a surprisingly schmaltz-free turn as her son. The scenes where Marisa and he converse, and she shows what feels like genuine surprise and delight over the intelligence of his observations are some of the most pleasurable in the film. Perhaps Maid in Manhattan’s skill at depicting its milieu and fleshing out its characters shouldn’t come as a surprise, since those characteristic are director Wayne Wang’s area of expertise. Nonetheless, as a romantic comedy, perhaps the most tired of genres (with the rare exceptions of a film like this year’s Punch-Drunk Love), it stands out amongst its peers. The critical attacks hurled on it, like those on its star, seem mostly unwarranted.
Trailer
A swiffer wand was photoshopped into JLo's hands on the cover of the initial video release, which featured a coupon for swiffer products. This is the movie's true legacy.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 8:13 AM on July 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 8:13 AM on July 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by Carillon at 1:21 PM on June 30, 2023