Maid in Manhattan

The key elements of Cinderella are present, reworked into a more modern setting without providing direct analogs. The Evil Stepmother and Stepsisters are unrelated to Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez). Still, they are present in the form of Caroline Lane (Natasha Richardson) and her best friend, Rachel Hoffberg (Amy Sedaris). The Prince is not of royal blood but a politician following in his father’s footsteps, Christopher “Chris” Marshall (Ralph Fiennes). There’s no magic, not in the true sense, but Marisa’s friends take the place of the Fairy Godmother and her animal companions – Stephanie Kehoe (Marissa Matrone), Clarice (Sharon Wilkins), Barb (Marilyn Torres), Lily Kim (Di Quon). Lionel Bloch (Bob Hoskins) and Keef Townsend (Lou Ferguson) also act as protectors and guides, helping Marisa because of her inherent kindness. Finally, we have the ball, but in contrast to more fairy-tale-aligned versions of the story, Chris and Marisa can spend much of the first two acts getting to know one another before that fateful night. Each other, and Marisa’s son Ty Venture (Tyler Posey).

As mentioned, this version of the standard Cinderella story does not shy away from tackling more mature elements. Marisa is kind and meek at times but fierce and passionate at others – because she is a professional when she is on the job despite the indignities she must endure. When she is on her personal time, she is a person like any other guest at her hotel. The contrast in how she presents herself allows the class dichotomy to be viewed reasonably well.

Chris meets Marisa for the first time when he and his entourage show up early to their hotel suite, and she is still cleaning the bathroom. Less than twenty-four hours later, after Stephanie has convinced Marisa to “feel how the other half feels” and try on Caroline’s suit that she is having sent back to Dolce, they meet again, but he doesn’t recognize her. Instead, Chris is mesmerized – another trait that can be traced back to Cinderella. Without drawing too direct a comparison, Ever After utilized a similar ploy, and it blows up exactly how you would imagine.

The romance between Marisa and Chris is its strongest aspect, bolstered by Ty’s obvious interest in getting his mother together with him – because of his kindness and Chris’ apparent interest in Marisa, not to mention him. What starts as an instant attraction builds into a slow-burning love affair built on sand – he thinks she is Caroline Lane. Marisa has kept the truth from Chris throughout the time they get to know one another, but not because she wants to. Their second meeting spiraled out of her control, with Ty and Stephanie putting things into motion and Marisa going along with it for one simple reason. This is the first time in her life that she has ever stepped out of line and done something that might be construed as “selfish.” All she was doing was trying on a suit for a few minutes, and fate conspired to upend everything she had spent her life working toward. Chris’ reaction is understandable, even justifiable. As far as he knows, a woman he has fallen for has been lying to him since they met. But Marisa rightly calls him out on a key fact of their relationship.

They met the day before.

Tyler Posey shines in his second significant role in a major film – following his turn as Mauro in Collateral Damage alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, a commercial failure, to be sure, but you can’t lay the blame at the feet of a literal child. As Ty Venture, he is intelligent, curious, and eager to explore his world, and his fascination with Ronald Reagan gives him immense depth, allowing him to challenge Chris Marshall despite the vast age difference. To say that Chris’ fascination with Ty spurs him on to meet Ty’s mother would be an understatement – the kind of woman who could raise a son like Ty is the kind of woman that Chris is dying to meet. Putting Marisa next to Caroline and Rachel it’s not entirely surprising. They are the women of his world, and their interest in him is as vapid as it is shallow. Love requires passion and effort, not sycophancy.

That is what makes the story that unfolds so tragic. The first and only time that Marisa ever does anything for herself, trouble finds her like it’s on a mission.

For the supporting cast, Jerry Siegal (Stanley Tucci), Chris’ handler on the campaign staff, acts as a counterpoint to Chris, trying to keep him on message and avert any potential crises that might damage his chances of winning his election. Caroline Lane, the real Caroline Lane, plays the lighter shade of gray to her friend Rachel – neither of them knows her name, but she presents a kind façade. Rachel is out and out racist to Marisa, but the kind of casual disregard that Caroline exudes is even more threatening. Stephanie, as the lead “Fairy Godmother,” is the one who sets everything in motion, from naming Marisa as Caroline to helping her prepare for one last night before letting it all go. The three together make a robust set of supporting characters, breathing life into the story.

Maid in Manhattan is not an original story – true, how could any story that is so thematically linked to the idea of Cinderella ever be original – but the way it weaves those familiar elements into its story is fun, with a touch of uniquity in it. A good rom-com steeped in drama. It knows the story that it’s telling, and it tells it well.