Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) is a single mom with a 10-year-old son Ty (Tyler Posey) and works as a maid in an upscale hotel in New York City. She has lived all of her life in a four-block radius. Always on the go with Ty, getting him to school on time or occasionally taking him to work with her, she is frazzled. In addition she deals with the eccentric/egotistical/elitist hotel clientele and management during working hours, and Ty's irresponsible father and a smothering mother in her off time.
When a management position opens at the hotel, only her friend Stephanie (Marissa Matrone) sees the opportunity for a Latina maid to move past the self imposed glass ceiling that Marisa and her mother don't see but certainly feel.
Senatorial candidate Chris Marshall (Ralph Fiennes) and his PR handler Jerry (Stanley Tucci) meet Ty on the elevator and the three strike up a most unlikely conversation on politics. Ty is an expert on Chris' voting record and knows that he is a Republican. When Ty takes Chris to a luxurious suite in the hotel, looking for his mother, Marisa appears in a stunning $5,000 white suit, that Stephanie has convinced her to try on, and Chris assumes that she is Caroline Sinclaire (Natasha Richardson), the occupant of the suite and owner of the suit.
With a note, hand delivered by the hotel's head butler, Lionel (Bob Hoskins), Chris invites her to lunch in his suite the next day but when the real Caroline shows up she's not the woman he expected. He is confused, and since she is on the rebound from a failed relationship, Caroline is thrilled with the prospect of snagging another wealthy man in her snare. Marisa is assigned to help serve this very private luncheon, as part of her application for the management program. You can see where this is going with the near miss possibilities. But there's a deeper message here about perceived status and how some people remain invisible in our lives.
"Maid in Manhattan" is like many other romantic comedies set in New York; the city plays a part, though here we see a less glamorous view, and we know that by the end of the movie the lovers will live happily ever after.
"Maid in Manhattan" is like many other romantic comedies set in New York City, such as "Kate and Leopold" and "Serendipity." In that regard, the film is no surprise. The city plays a part, though here we see a less glamorous view, and we know that by the end of the movie the lovers will live happily ever after. Chris and Marisa are in two different worlds. Thankfully, this is a much better than Lopez's films with Matthew McConaughey in "The Wedding Planner", James Caviezel in "Angel Eyes" or Noah Wyle in "Enough". She is an underrated actress. Lopez was outstanding in "The Cell" and "Out of Sight". Even when the material is mediocre, she is able to make it worth your time and money to see.
Ralph Fiennes, for a change, is not playing an intense role. His chemistry with Lopez is very believable, which surprised us. Lopez strikes a natural and realistic chord as an often-beleaguered mother. With what we've come to expect from these two actors and the cultural, ethnic and financial differences they have in this film, only expert casting and directing was able to bring everything together. Fiennes is also one of the best actors who works in both Hollywood and independent films. The strong supporting cast, uplifting story with a message that does not preach to you, set in America's # 1 city, along with an inspiring soundtrack, is a total package that might not make you cry, but it for sure will make you laugh and feel good.
Soundtrack
