Since I remember, I started reading, it was when I was this small kid reading bed-time stories & fairy tales. ’Maid in Manhattan’ brought out those memories when I used to find a corner for myself in the house and seat there reading these books for hours, until mom used to take notice and shout out loud, ’’When are you going to complete your homework?’’
Maid in Manhattan comes alive as Marisa (Jeniffer Lopez). Marisa is very much like ’Cinderella’ without Cinderella’s teeth gritting step mom & sisters. But here loneliness & class take place of these negative characters. Marisa is a single mother. Her everyday schedule is to rush her son Ty (I couldn’t catch his name as the credits rolled) to school and then run to her work at a hotel as a chambermaid to earn her daily bread. Ty is a very lovable kid who won my heart with his innoscent yet smart look. Enter Chris Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), a handsome politician, very much like a charming prince in our fairy tales. Then we are introduced to Caroline Lane (Natasha Richardson) who is more of a irritating socialite woman, resembling Cinderella’s mother & sisters to some extent.
Confusion runs high when Marisa on her fellow maid’s words of advise tries Caroline’s $5000 outfit, while cleaning her suite. Ty runs in followed by Chris asking for his mother’s permission to go out with his new freind, Chris. Chris sees Marrisa and fells for her at her very sight. Marrisa to her embarrasment has to act as Caroline for a while as she goes for a walk in the park with Chris and her son. Now her act as Caroline extends as Chris starts searching for his mystery woman, and even dates the real Caroline much to his embarassment at a dinner. What follows is a romantic hide n’ seek game between the leads.
Thus comes before us a romantic comedy which relates so much to my long lost fairy tales. How much I yearn for them now? But it falls short of making it up to the mark of great romantic comedies like ’My Best Freind’s Wedding’, ’Pretty Woman’, etc, etc. But then that’s my fault. Why do I compare?
Some of the most memorable scenes in the movie are,
1. The public speech scene in school where Ty fails to speak as he gets nervous.
2. Ty & Chris’s interaction for the first time when they meet in the lift.
3. The scene where Chris helps Ty to overcome his nervousness at the public speech and start all over again.
4. The park scene, where a photographer clicks snaps as Chris n’ Marrisa are strolling.
5. The dining room scene, where Marisa serves the dinner for Chris & Caroline.
6. The ball room scene, where Chris n’ Marisa are in each other’s arms, when Caroline tries to recognise Marisa.
7. Each n’ Every scene involving Marisa & the hotel butler (Bob Hoskins), especially the one when Marisa is fired from her job and the butler follows suit.
8. The comic scenes involving Chris’s assistant & friend (Stanley Tucci). His reactions when each time he faces Chris’s love story are hillarious.
9. And many more....
As far as the performances go, J. Lo is a sweet heart in her Cinderella act. She does Marisa using her acting skills at their best. Ralph Fiennes is charming and gives a couple of good expressions on his face. Ty is the best. He is a lovable child actor and brings smiles every time he appears on the screen. Bob Hoskins has done a wonderful hotel butler, giving Marisa the very much needed strength at every stage. Stanley Tucci as Chris’s asst. n’ friend is as I said hillarious making fun out of himself.
Director Wayne Wang has done a commedable job with the Cinderella story. But still could have done better with some parts of the movie. But still this fairy tale is lovable, with it’s easy going, light hearted moments.