Taglines: This Christmas… love checks in.
Marisa Ventura is a single mother born and bred in the boroughs of New York City, who works as a maid in a first-class Manhattan hotel. By a twist of fate and mistaken identity, Marisa meets Christopher Marshall, a handsome heir to a political dynasty, who believes that she is a guest at the hotel. Fate steps in and throws the unlikely pair together for one night. When Marisa’s true identity is revealed, the two find that they are worlds apart, even though the distance separating them is just a subway ride between Manhattan and the Bronx.
Maid in Manhattan is a 2002 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Wayne Wang and based on a story by John Hughes, who is credited using a pseudonym. It stars Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, and Natasha Richardson. In the film, a hotel maid and a high profile politician fall in love. The film was released on December 13, 2002.
Marisa Ventura is a single mother trying to get by with her 10-year-old young son Ty by working as a maid for The Beresford Hotel in the heart of Manhattan. When not in school, Ty spends time among Marisa’s fellow hotel workers, who think she is capable of being promoted to management.
While Marisa and fellow maid Stephanie are cleaning the room of socialite Caroline Lane, Stephanie convinces Marisa to try on a designer Dolce & Gabbana coat. Lane had previously asked for it to be returned to the store and Stephanie argues that it “technically” doesn’t belong to anyone at the moment. Elsewhere in the hotel, Ty befriends hotel guest and senatorial candidate Christopher Marshall, whom Ty learns has an interest in Richard Nixon, the subject of his school presentation.
Ty wants to go with Chris to walk his dog and the pair go to Caroline Lane’s room to ask Marisa for permission. Chris meets Marisa who is wearing the designer coat, and is instantly smitten with her. He assumes that she is Caroline Lane. The trio spend some time together in the park. Though Marisa and Chris are attracted to each other, Marisa is terrified that management will find out about the ruse and makes it a point to avoid Chris afterwards.
Chris asks the hotel’s head butler Lionel Bloch to invite “Caroline Lane” to lunch, but he is confused when the real Caroline shows up instead of Marisa. Ironically, Marisa was present when she received the invitation and even offered Caroline some advice on what to wear for their “Lunch à deux”. When the real Caroline shows up, Chris asks his assistant Jerry Siegal to find “the other Caroline Lane” promising that he will attend an important dinner and wishes her to go with him.
Jerry asks Lionel to find her. Lionel, who has figured out that Marisa is the woman Chris has been looking for, tells her to go to the dinner and end the affair swiftly if she wants to keep her possible future in hotel management. Stephanie and the hotel staff assist her in preparing for the evening by styling her hair and loaning her an expensive dress and spectacular necklace.
Marisa is unable to end the affair, and she spends the night in Chris’s hotel room. The next morning, Marisa is spotted by the real Caroline Lane and her friend leaving Chris’ room. Caroline blurts out the truth to the hotel management and Marisa is fired in front of Chris in Lane’s hotel suite. Both Marisa and Chris spend some time apart with him still thinking about her and Marisa hounded by the press and her disapproving classist mother Veronica.
Maid in Manhattan (2002)
Directed by: Wayne Wang
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson, Stanley Tucci, Tyler Posey, Priscilla Lopez, Frances Conroy, Jayne Houdyshell, Amy Sedaris, Marissa Matrone
Screenplay by: John Hughes, Kevin Wade
Production Design by: Todd M. Thaler
Cinematography by: Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Film Editing by: Craig McKay
Costume Design by: Albert Wolsky
Set Decoration by: Susan Bode
Art Direction by: Patricia Woodbridge
Music by: Alan Silvestri
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some language / sexual references.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: December 13, 2002
Visits: 106
