Maid In Manhatten is a charmer of a romantic comedy, made successful by its excellent cast. In lesser hands, actor-wise, this could have been a dud, but it's got such a talented troupe populating it that it comes out a winner on all fronts. Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes play the two lucky lovers, and as soon as one sees those two names attached to a title, one knows that we're in for something nice. Throw in Bob Hoskins, Stanley Tucci and the late Natasha Richardson and you've got yourself a stable full of actors who could be saddled with the worst script written and still be compelling. Thankfully they are given a wonderful little script here, and all own it. Lopez plays a maid at a swanky NYC hotel, and Fiennes is the carefree politician who drops in for a campaign stay. The two hit it off in a rumpus of accidentally mistaken identity, blossoming love from both sides of the tracks and the kind of slight, laid back charm that makes these flicks what they are. Lopez is a fierce and feminine presence in any film and I've always thought she should have focused primarily on acting, she's terrific at it. Fiennes is.. well he's superb in anything and the chemistry between the two isn't a pairing you'd expect, but works pretty well. Stanley Tucci could play a tree and still steal every moment, and is pure magic as Fiennes's harried assistant. Bob Hoskins is usually a pissy tornado, but seems incredibly reserved here, as the hotel's head butler who has a lesson of nobility and humility to teach Lopez. Natasha Richardson is the ditzy British blonde and plays it in pure 1960's mode, delightful and a reminder of the pure anguish that is still felt upon losing her presence in film. The film has just enough fluff and romance, and just enough solidly grounded writing to hold you through til the end, whilst Lopez and Fiennes, an unlikely pair, keep it real.
Review of Whisper
