Today’s quick review: Maid in Manhattan. Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez), a maid working at a luxury hotel in Manhattan, does not know how to react when Chris Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), a candidate for Senate, mistakes her for one of the hotel guests. When Chris tries to turn their chance meeting into a relationship, Marisa is torn between coming clean to him and living out the kind of romance she never dreamed of.
Maid in Manhattan is a romance starring Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes. An overworked and unappreciated maid gets caught between her dreams, her job, and the truth when a New York politician falls in love with her. Maid in Manhattan features an unusual mixture of grounded drama and storybook romance. Facets of the story work well, but as a whole, the movie is missing the simple, uplifting appeal of other romances.
Maid in Manhattan’s greatest strength and greatest weakness is its ability to get into the life of Marisa Ventura. Marisa works a thankless job for rich guests who rarely treat her with respect while trying to raise Ty (Tyler Garcia Posey), her precocious son, on her own. The weight on her shoulders is tangible, and her relationship with Chris represents a ray of hope for her and a scandal that could cost her her job.
The consequence of all this is that it can be hard to get into the romance. Marisa’s problems quickly become the audience’s, and her relationship with Chris comes with so many strings attached that it’s hardly the storybook romance it looks like at first glance. As a result, Maid in Manhattan gets caught in between. It lacks the deep passion of a full-blown drama, but it’s missing the emotional lubricant that humor normally provides.
As such, Maid in Manhattan is a decent pick but not an outstanding one. Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes each do a fine job, and the story has some interesting tensions. But ultimately, it is not as emotionally fulfilling as other romances. Give it a shot if you are looking for something a little more down-to-earth, but skip it if you’re looking for easy laughs or an uncomplicated relationship.
For a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez, try Monster-in-Law or The Wedding Planner. For a science fiction thriller about a politician falling for a woman he’s not supposed to, check out The Adjustment Bureau. For a classic romantic comedy that cuts across class lines, try Sabrina. For a crime comedy about working-class women looking to make a score, try Mad Money.
[5.3 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252076/). I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for double-edged drama.