Maid In Manhattan: Critic Reviews

[An] instantly discardable romantic comedy.

In general the picture is so committed to inoffensiveness and to hammering home its uplifting, bootstrap message that it lacks the necessary element of malice.

Director Wayne Wang coaxes such terrible performances from his cast it's difficult to tell who is most appalling.

Maid in Manhattan proves that it's easier to change the sheets than to change hackneyed concepts when it comes to dreaming up romantic comedies.

Little more than a bedtime story for 12-year-old girls.

It's a warm, if pallid, romantic comedy that may not do much more to burnish Lopez's reputation, but will certainly not bruise it.

A lovably old-school Hollywood confection.

Problem is, there really isn't any dialogue here that suggests that Marisa is truly sassy, or charming, or candid, or that the would-be senator is either brilliant or senatorial, or that her accent-less son is not simply on loan from Hogwarts.

Maybe this is why the movie isn't any good. Entertaining isn't its main function. It's designed to sell us a bill of goods.

The sad truth is that as a couple J. Lo and Mr. Fiennes fail to duplicate the movie-star charisma of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.

Maid in Manhattan might not look so appealing on third or fourth viewing down the road ... But as a high concept vehicle for two bright stars of the moment who can rise to fans' lofty expectations, the movie passes inspection.

A skillful, glossy, formula picture, given life by the appeal of its stars.

Everything in Maid in Manhattan is exceedingly pleasant, designed not to offend. It goes down easy, leaving virtually no aftertaste.

This sparkling Cinderella tale provides the additional kick of watching the glass slipper crack through the glass ceiling.

You have never seen a leading man more cynically miscast, or more ill at ease with the intended career change, than Fiennes in this picture.

The fantasies of Cinderella and the American dream are joined and buffed up for unsure romantic results.

Painless date movie.

If you think that Jennifer Lopez has shown poor judgment in planning to marry Ben Affleck, wait till you see Maid in Manhattan.

Executed by The Joy Luck Club's Wayne Wang with the professional dispatch of someone delivering room service.

These two are generating about as much chemistry as an Iraqi factory poised to receive a UN inspector.

Jennifer Lopez has star power, genuine talent and considerable assets, but she's wasted yet again in a grossly predictable romantic comedy.

J. Lo will earn her share of the holiday box office pie, although this movie makes one thing perfectly clear: She's a pretty woman, but she's no working girl.

It's badly acted, blandly directed, and could have been scripted by someone who just graduated from elementary school.

Maid in Manhattan has charm on its side.

Not so much a movie as a collection of career moves.