The Mill Creek Entertainment January 14, 2020 DVD/Blu-ray release of the 2002 Jennifer Lopez/Ralph Fiennes romcom "Maid in Manhattan" shows that a chick flick also can appeal to men. This largely is attributable to '80s teencom god John Hughes authoring this neo-modern Cinderella story; the 21st-century twists include hotel maid Marisa Ventura (JLo) being much more concerned with the glass ceiling than a glass slipper. The following old-school style trailer for "Maid" equally highlights the "rom" and the "com" of the film in addition to the genre-obligatory K-Tel Records caliber pop tunes soundtrack. Pop star JLo plays against type as working-class single-mom Marissa; highlights of her performance include not portraying this wage slave as a stereotypical feisty and out-spoken woman. Tyler Posey of the "Teen Wolf" television series fills the role of cute sitcom-style kid.
Fiennes plays Kennedy-light NY assemblyman Christopher Marshall with senatorial aspiration that the "wrong" romantic relationship may derail. Stanley Tucci fills the role of uptight buzzkill as beleaguered aide Jerry Siegel. Natasha Richardson steals every scene in which she appears as to her Gwenyth Paltrowesque portrayal as evil "witch" /Sotheby's rep Caroline Lane. Her hanger-on frienemy is aging party girl Rachel Hoffberg (Amy Sedaris). This stereotypical ensemble also includes the harmless hotel butler/father figure, who is the confidante and main supporter of Marissa. Rather than being outrageously gay, his sexuality may be along most points of the Kinsey Scale. A largely unexplored but interesting aspect of "Maid" is the immigration status of Marissa and her mother; a scene in which Marisa gets upset as to having to provide her employer her social security number and the name of her mother indicates that our lead minimally is a dreamer. Our plot centers around a series of amusing events related to Christopher mistaking Marissa for a fellow hotel guest; the plot thickens on Christopher inviting Caroline to lunch due an impression that she is the couture-clad woman who is the object of his affection. Needless to say, this is one big fish that Caroline is intent on keeping on the line. A $2,500-a-plate fund raiser plays the role of the prince's ball as to the magical night for Marissa; of course a pop-song accompanied montage of Marissa and her "mice" transforming her into a princess precedes that scene. A walk-of-shame taking the place of having a carriage revert to a pumpkin is one aspect that makes this fairy tale neo-modern, Of course, the honeymoon period is very short-lived at the hands of Caroline before she leaves the city; it is equally predictable that the moppet of the film helps true love prevail. This leads to the final pop-song montage that provides the "where are they now" element of "Maid." Of course, Marisa find both personal and professional fulfillment. The appeal of this feminist fluff is especially strong as winter is reasserting itself with a vengeance in much of the US. You may not especially connect with any character but will recognize each of then and enjoy their Neil Simon style "Suite" antics.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
|