Independent Films, Film Profiles

Maid in Manhattan

Maid in Manhattan is a 2002 romantic comedy film about a hotel maid and a high profile politician who fall in love, directed by Wayne Wang and starring Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson. It is based on a story by John Hughes, who is credited using a pseudonym. The original music score is composed by Alan Silvestri. The film was released on December 13, 2002.Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) is a struggling single mother trying to get by with her young son Ty (Tyler Posey) by working as a maid for a hotel. When not in school, Ty spends time among Marisa's fellow hotel workers, most of whom treat the pair as family. Marisa hopes to someday be promoted to management.While Marisa and fellow maid Stephanie are cleaning the room of socialite Caroline Lane (Natasha Richardson), Stephanie convinces Marisa to try on a coat that Caroline had previously asked be returned to the store, arguing that it "technically" doesn't belong to anyone at the moment. Elsewhere in the hotel, Ty befriends hotel guest and senatorial candidate Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes); 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 fancy coat, and 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 afterward.Chris asks the hotel's head butler Lionel Bloch (Bob Hoskins) to invite "Caroline Lane" to lunch, but he is confused when the real Caroline shows up instead of Marisa. Chris asks his assistant Jerry Siegal (Stanley Tucci) to find "the other Caroline Lane", promising that he will attend an important dinner if she will 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 it swiftly if she wants to keep her possible future in hotel management intact.Marisa attends the dinner and does as she is supposed to, but Chris stops her from leaving and the pair spend the night together in his hotel room. Marisa sneaks out the next day but is seen by Caroline, who informs hotel management. The truth is revealed, and Marisa is fired from the hotel. Chris tries to get the whole story out of Marisa, but she refuses to speak to him, claiming that he wouldn't have noticed her if she had been in her maid uniform.Some time later, Marisa has obtained a job at another hotel. Ty attends one of Chris' press conferences and asks him whether people should be forgiven if they make mistakes. Chris responds in the affirmative, and Ty leads him to the hotel Marisa is now working at. Chris and Marisa are reunited. The film ends with images showing that Chris and Marisa married, Marisa started her own hospitality business, and Marisa's friends are promoted to management.