We all have the same experience every Monday: It's the first working day of the week, you're feeling super blue. You sit in the office for 10 or so hours and yet you have not picked up the pace just yet. Nothing significant was achieved in a whole day's work. When you finally dragged your tired body home and after having a good shower and dinner, you just wanted to lie on your sofa (or bed), watch a crappy movie to make your day seemed a little less crappy. Somehow, you ended up enjoying the supposedly crappy movie a lot.
Nobody is convinced for a second that Jennifer Lopez is the lowly hotel maid in grey uniform. Even in her early days we knew she's a queen, she's a diva; she's not a maid, she's not poor. Just because she descent from Puerto Rican parents doesn't mean she's fit for any Hispanic role. Honestly it's hard to believe she is the struggling single mom. It's not something you can imitate just by putting on a maid uniform or sistering around with a bunch of non-Caucasian maids. That's why when Marisa (Jennifer's role in the movie) puts on that fashionable coat we were like "hell yeah, this is the J Lo we know". I don't care what her song tells us, she's Jenny-not-from-the-block.
So this is a slight distraction in watching Maid in Manhattan, a Cinderella-esque story of an accidental meet-cute (and mistaken identity) that leads to a romance between Marisa and rich playboy politician Chris (Ralph Fiennes). And just like so many Hollywood rom-coms before it, this film also features an overly matured kid who speaks as if he's a 20-year-old trapped in the body of a 10-year-old that helps catalyze the relationship. In this case, it's Marisa's son Ty who is obsessed with Richard Nixon and knows more about him than any Republican alive. Of course, Marisa and Chris's relationship is met with a lot of obstacles, including one socialite named Caroline whose identity Marisa steals. Caroline is played by the dearly departed Natasha Richardson (R.I.P.) in a comic tone that right from the start it's clear she's the bitch that no one takes pity on.
Ralph Fiennes, then fresh off the thriller Red Dragon in an extremely creepy role, surprisingly displays his Prince Charming quality with a touch of humor and gentle. He was often starring in movies that don't require him to be so bright and light that his first scene in this movie where he reads tabloid reports about his playboy behavior immediately makes us interested in this brand new Ralph Fiennes. He is the best thing in this messy rom-com that almost single-handedly rescues the movie from its cheesiness. Almost.
The chemistry between J Lo and R Fi (OK, that's a terrible nickname, my bad) is almost zero. Imagine J Lo and G Cloo (OK, another terrible nickname, but I can't say J Lo and George Clooney, that's way too asymmetrical LOL) in Out of Sight or Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas in The English Patient, and this combination pales in comparison. Heck, even Ty and Chris generate more sparks in the few scenes they share. Moreover, the ending feels rush. With no momentum to build and no believability in the prospect of the two leads being a couple, how can we fully enjoy a rom-com?
I have no problem with chick-flicks, I like lots of them. But this one, this feels like an action film without the action, a horror movie without the horror and a comedy without the laugh. If you like big fancy hotel suites and beautiful clothes, this is the one to go. If you like J Lo, yes you should watch it too. Otherwise, go to sleep earlier tonight. It's Monday, you gotta work tomorrow.
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