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Maid
In Manhattan (12's)
Plot Summary
Marisa
Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) is a maid at a classy Manhattan Hotel.
She struggles to support herself and her young son.
One day, while trying on the clothes of a wealthy guest Marisa is
mistaken as a guest by Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), a high
profile politician. The beautiful Marisa besots Christopher but can she continue
the charade by pretending to be someone she’s not…
Review
This is an inoffensive,
lightweight romantic comedy with a predictable plot.
The story is simple enough – beautiful poor woman falls for rich
important man. Like many
other movies this movie asks the question; can love bridge the divide
between poor and rich? The
story has elements of the Cinderella fairytale and the Pretty Woman movie.
Instead of cleaning out the cinders Marisa is making beds and
tidying up at a top class hotel. Prince
Charming comes in the shape of successful politician Christopher Marshall.
The movie does have a certain
amount of charm and the warm-feel-good element sneaks it’s way in!
If you enjoyed Sweet Home Alabama
and Two Weeks Notice
you will probably find this movie enjoyable and entertaining enough.
Jennifer Lopez might not have
the charisma of Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan who have done
many successful romantic comedies but this could be her best effort to
date. She seems comfortable in the rom-com role and her character
is likeable.
This movie was never going to
stretch the talents of Ralph Fiennes and his character is convincing
enough. Although I’m not sure that the chemistry between him and
Jennifer Lopez was totally convincing.
Perhaps it lacked a little sparkle.
Natasha Richardson plays a
wealthy socialite who has her sights set on Christopher Marshall.
She deserves a mention as her over-the-top performance provides a
lot of the humour in the movie.
Bottom
Line: A simple predictable
romantic comedy that has enough charm to be enjoyable and entertaining in
a light-hearted way.
Reviewed by Niall Quinn,
Premier Movie Reviews 2003 |