| MAID IN MANHATTAN |
| Starring Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, Bob Hoskins, Stanley Tucci, Frances Conroy Directed by Wayne Wang ** out of **** Someone should sue. How can you make the same film over and over again thinly veiled as something new starring the current �hot Latino actress and singer�? Pretty Woman wasn�t released that long ago, and I�ve seen it many times since in many forms. Maid in Manhattan is the latest film to capitalize on 1) an age-old fairy tale called, for those in doubt, Cinderella and 2) a good looking female lead in a role that doesn�t require range or depth. Marisa (J-Lo/JLo/j-LO) is a chambermaid in an upmarket New York hotel. Booked into that same establishment is Chris Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), who is running for senator but invests more time playing with his dog Rufus than in political campaigning. Marisa and Chris meet, but he thinks she�s one of the filthy rich renters. Will he find out that she�s a simple maid with a Bronx background? Will love triumph over logic? Will this film make more money than Rabbit-Proof Fence? The answers to all three questions are obvious, but people going to see films like this know exactly how everything will work out and derive joy simply from seeing it happen as they knew it would, happily ever after and everything. Watching Lopez in this film is odd: one the one hand she seems right at home in the character. One the other, her own real-life elitist habits and �queening� overshadow the film�s small messages of poverty and politics. Not much is expected of Fiennes. He alternately looks confused and very happy and that�s about it. I must confess that Stanley Tucci is becoming a parody of himself in secondary supporting roles: �Tucci plays Tucci who plays Chris�s adviser�, that sort of thing. It�s embarrassing. On the upside, there are two songs by Norah Jones and its good to see Bob Hoskins back on the screen. There�s nothing more to say on Maid in Manhattan, except maybe � don�t see it! Go see Rabbit-Proof Fence! Pardon the shameless promotion of an Australian masterpiece, but I must do my part. COPYRIGHT CW BROODRYK 2003 |
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