Barnes & Noble

Jennifer Lopez dips into Jenny-from-the-'hood mode to portray a Puerto Rican chambermaid in this frothy romantic comedy, which features the normally dour Ralph Fiennes at his most charming and upbeat. He costars as a wealthy senatorial candidate who makes a luxurious New York hotel his temporary campaign headquarters. J.-Lo, a single mom who dreams of a better life for herself and her son (Tyler Posey), is accidentally mistaken by Fiennes for the glamorous socialite whose suite she is cleaning, and a very unlikely romance ensues. Lopez, the daughter of working-class parents, brings credibility to her characterization of the ambitious maid, who realizes that she can't keep deceiving the candidate but dreads telling him the truth. Director Wayne Wang (Center of the World), not at all accustomed to working with such material, hews closely to established genre conventions and elicits good performances from his players. Fiennes is surprisingly engaging as the warmhearted politician, Natasha Richardson is delightfully ditzy as the socialite for whom Lopez is mistaken, and Stanley Tucci is deliciously tart as the candidate's win-at-any-cost campaign manager. But it's J.-Lo's show all the way; she holds this modern-day Cinderella story together by force of personality alone. Warm and affecting, she'll make you empathize with the chambermaid so much so that you'll gladly overlook the corny plot devices needed to tie up all the loose ends. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Maid in Manhattan poses the question: Can a wealthy Republican politician find happiness with a chambermaid from the Bronx? One man is about to find out, though he hardly realizes it at first, in this romantic comedy from director Wayne Wang. Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) is a single mother who is raising her gifted but under-confident son Ty (Tyler Garcia Posey) on her own, with some help from her mother Veronica (Priscilla Lopez), after divorcing her husband. Marisa works as a housekeeper at the exclusive Beresford Hotel in Manhattan, where her boss Paula Burns (Frances Conroy) and chief butler Lionel Bloch (Bob Hoskins) urge Marisa and her best friend and fellow maid Stephanie (Marissa Matrone) to be as efficient and inconspicuous as possible. One day, while cleaning the room of noted socialite Caroline Lane (Natasha Richardson), Stephanie spies a beautiful designer gown and dares Marisa to try it on; against her better judgment, she does, and while all dolled up, she bumps into Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), a wealthy and well-bred bachelor who is running for the Senate. Immediately charmed, Chris asks Marisa to join him for a walk in Central Park, assuming she's the blue-blooded Caroline. Marisa manages to join Chris for the afternoon, with Ty in tow, and Chris finds himself quite taken with Marisa's beauty and down-to-earth personality, as well as Ty's precocious interest in politics. Chris later calls Caroline's room to set up a lunch date, but soon discovers the stuffy Ms. Lane is not the woman he met before. Marisa is also attracted to Chris, but while her friends encourage her to pursue a romance, Veronica believes her daughter is asking for trouble by trying to win a man so far out of her social strata. The supporting cast also includes Stanley Tucci and Amy Sedaris. Mark Deming

Chicago Sun-Times

A skillful, glossy, formula picture, given life by the appeal of its stars. Roger Ebert

Boston Globe

A lovably old-school Hollywood confection. Ty Burr

Product Details

• UPC: 043396097483
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1)
• Presentation: Pan & Scan, Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English, Français
• Time: 1:45:00
• Sales Rank: 16,175

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• 13 Going on 30 / Maid in Manhattan
• Maid in Manhattan & Fools Rush In

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