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Maid in Manhattan
Review by Jane Robertson (Jane's bio)
Directed by Wayne Wang
Story by John Hughes
Screenplay by Kevin Wade
Jennifer Lopez . . . Marisa Ventura
Ralph Fiennes . . . Christopher Marshall
Tyler Posey . . . Ty Ventura
Marissa Matrone . . . Stephanie
Natasha Richardson . . . Caroline
Stanley Tucci . . . Jerry
Bob Hoskins . . . Lionel
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some language/sexual references.
Take one worthy, hard-working girl. Add one handsome heir apparent. Stir in lots of mutual attraction and a pinch of mistaken identity. Let rise to the big occasion; then await developments.
You know before you buy your popcorn that you've seen it all before, but you haven't always seen it done this well. Okay, Maid in Manhattan was made in Hollywood, so it's glitzed up a little, but it's still your basic fairy tale with a love story and a bit of a moral, plus some decent acting and a few plot twists the Brothers Grimm left out.
Our heroine (Jennifer Lopez) toils in a cinder-colored maid's uniform at a posh hotel. The prince in this case (Ralph Fiennes) is American political royalty. It's not selfish stepsisters who threaten true love but a ditzy and self-involved society girl (Natasha Richardson). And the closest thing to a fairy godmother is a mouthy chambermaid (Marissa Matrone of “The Sopranos”) who's short on magic but long on innuendo; she's a chief reason for the PG-13 rating.
The versatile Stanley Tucci dithers nicely as a modern-day footman, and the amazing Bob Hoskins assumes yet another persona as a butler with both elegance and eloquence. Ever since Sleepless in Seattle, the romantic comedy has required an underage matchmaker, and this movie has one. He comes in the form of the maid's son (Tyler Posey), something the original Cinderella certainly didn't have.
Those responsible for de-griming the Grimms are John Hughes, who dreamed up this story, and Kevin Wade, who turned it into a screenplay. Though Hughes has been busy all along, he'll probably continue to be known for his '80s teen flicks like Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club. Wade has a respectable but not stellar resume, with his most recent work before this effort being the not-so-light Meet Joe Black.
Together they create a script that hangs together pretty well. Then Wayne Wang, the man who engineered The Joy Luck Club, takes over and puts a rather fine cast through its paces. J.Lo is honing her skill (perhaps she and Ben are studying together) and now blatantly reminds us that she is acting only when she turns on that wistful, soulful-eyed look of hers. It's fun to watch Fiennes not being villainous and Richardson not being nice, and it's always fun to watch Tucci and Hoskins.
Maid in Manhattan may not be a match made in heaven, but there's not much to cloud it for the Christian viewer. The sex scene is brief and not at all explicit; the sexual remarks are few. It contains no violence, and it comes down on the side of truth, loyalty, and the need to look past the surface. It's an upbeat story for the holidays, complete with a trace of social comment—and even a flop-eared dog.
Copyright 2002, Jane Robertson. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
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About Jane Robertson: A staff editor for the nature magazine Snowy Egret, Jane has written for various Midwestern periodicals and the Southern Baptist Convention's Ambassador Life. Her book about a Scottish immigrant, Hope Was Worth the Risk, was published in 1995. She contributed to the Dawkins Project's upcoming CeLEBRATIONS: Notes to My Grandfather.
E-mail Jane |
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