Review of Maid in Manhattan

Introduction

Maid in Manhattan is Jennifer Lopez`s biggest opening film to date taking some $19m in the US on its opening weekend going on to gross almost $100m. That`s an awful lot of money. All the usual exposure/publicity that shrouds her hasn`t done her any harm at the box-office, which means there might be more of this type of film in the years to come. I`m still waiting for her to top her performance from Out of Sight, which for me remains her best role yet.

Good-looking working class single mother meets good-looking upper-middle class male. They meet when Marisa (Jennifer Lopez) is trying on some posh frocks and is interrupted by Chris Marshall (Ralph Fiennes) who thinks she`s a guest at the hotel. Marisa tries to live up the pretence but is found out for who she really is, just a maid. Their different backgrounds clash but are they that different?

Video

Presented with a 2.40:1 anamorphic transfer, Maid in Manhattan looks very good as can be expected from a recent film. The image is bright, colourful and detailed with hardly any visible signs of dirt. Grain is kept to a minimum and the transfer proves solid.

Audio

English, Spanish and French DD5.1 soundtracks are provided. The 5.1 soundtrack is clear and comes across very well from the front. The ambient sound comes across well too with dialogue firmly in the centre but seeing as this is a romantic comedy, don`t expect much from the rear speakers.

Features

Maid in Manhattan has a handful of trailers, which is disappointing for a new film. Still, if there`s nothing useful to see it`s better off without. English subtitles are provided.

Conclusion

Why is this film so popular? Well, in part due to Ms Lopez and part because the film portrays a fairytale romance. A hotel maid meets an influential and good-looking politician and both fall in love. That`s all there is to it. The background differences between the two rears its head but it`s not important. As you can tell, this is formulaic stuff. No need to tell you how this film ends...

The casting here is different to say the least. For a fairytale, Jennifer Lopez as a working class maid just doesn`t work. She`s a touch too glamorous, even in a maids uniform. Ralph Fiennes fairs better though it seems like an unusual film for him to take on. The biggest problem here is that there`s virtually no chemistry between the leading actors and sometimes it looks as if Fiennes is bored. One of Lopez`s previous films, The Wedding Planner, worked better in the chemistry stakes so perhaps Fiennes couldn`t make the magic work whilst staring into Lopez`s eyes. The only person I liked here was Stanley Tucci and his dry wit as Fiennes` right-hand-man. The rest of the comedy is mild and barely raises a chuckle. The dialogue, like most of the acting here, is average at best and repetitive at worst.

Light and predictable, I find this a difficult film to recommend to all but Jennifer Lopez fans and the most die hard of romantics. If you have trouble sleeping, give this a rent and you`ll drop off in no time.