Maid in Manhattan Blu-ray delivers great video and audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) is a struggling single mom who works at a posh Manhattan hotel and dreams of a
better life for her and her young son (Tyler Posey). One fateful day, hotel guest and senatorial candidate
Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes) meets Marisa and mistakes her for a wealthy socialite. After an enchanting
evening together, the two fall madly in love. But when Marisa's true identity is revealed, issues of class and social
status threaten to separate them. Can two people from very different worlds overcome their differences and live
happily ever after?
Once upon a time, an actress named Jennifer Lopez was all the rage and starring in a string of
diverse
films, from the pseudo-Horror picture Anaconda to the
nuptial Comedy The Wedding Planner, from the art house Chiller The Cell to the
epically-decried Gigli. A sensation on both stage and screen and enjoying exceptional
success across two entertainment mediums, the breakthrough star of the late 1990s is perhaps
most widely known for the Romantic Comedy hit Maid in Manhattan, a charming little
Cinderella Story fairy tale of a movie that's as simple as it is endearing, and while it's not the
highlight of the genre, it's a better-than-serviceable outing that pairs Lopez against the more
stalwart Ralph Fiennes (The Hurt Locker) as
the leading couple in a predictable but heartfelt rags-to-riches romp through the world of politics,
high society, and the crude underbelly of the service industry. Directed by Wayne Wang (Last Holiday) and
based on a John Hughes (Ferris Bueller's Day
Off) story, Maid in Manhattan offers nothing new to its genre and wields a
tale seemingly as old as tales themselves, but this modern take on a classic yarn delivers the
standby feel-good theme admirably, innocently, and engagingly enough.
A maid no more.
New York nobody Marisa Ventura (Lopez) is struggling to raise her politically-obsessed son Ty
(Tyler
Garcia Posey) while scrapping by on the lowly wages she earns as a maid at an upscale city hotel.
Among the hotel's elite guests is Assemblyman Christopher Marshall (Fiennes), a candidate for a
senate
seat who is held onto tightly by his savvy political handler Jerry Siegel (Stanley Tucci, Julie & Julia). A
chance encounter sees Christopher meet Marisa while she's trying on high-dollar clothing
belonging
to hotel guest Caroline Lane (Natasha Richardson). Christopher mistakes her for a socialite, finds
himself instantly attracted to her, and clears his schedule to spend the afternoon with a women
he
believes to be someone that she isn't. An obsessed Christopher and a deliberately but innocently
deceitful
Marisa both feel an instant spark but the false pretenses of their meeting and impromptu date
lead
Marisa to do all she can to later avoid the political candidate, but his insistence on a second
get-together
threatens to reveal Marisa's true identity while also placing her bright future with the hotel in
jeopardy. Can true love prevail, or will class and political ambition get in the way of fate?
They don't get much lighter and fluffier than Maid in Manhattan, the picture a generic
but nevertheless heartwarming uptown spin on a classic down home tale. All that's missing is a
glass slipper, but Maid in Manhattan substitutes the fantastical for the charming with
just a hint of movie magic where the stars are aligned and fates are brought together by some
force that's beyond sheer luck but not below the realm of believability. The film certainly hedges
its bets on a suspension of disbelief but hopes the audience can go with the flow and accept the
one-time-in-a-billion circumstance that sees true love find two willing souls that somehow, some
way, are meant to be, even if the world around them wouldn't give the pairing a second thought.
That's certainly the basis for many a Romantic Comedy, and while Maid in Manhattan
never strays for even a millisecond away from formula, it works because the formula is just too
irresistible in its own right. What's worked elsewhere works here, and what hasn't worked
elsewhere has been neatly trimmed from the sides, the result a film that could serve as a
standard-bearer of the genre, not its best example but certainly far from its worst, a picture that
precisely follows instructions and yields a precisely-structured if not wholly transparent experience
that's nothing new but is instead a fine example of a genre that's got its thing down pat.
Maid in Manhattan is helped along by several fine performances that, like the film, aren't
exactly memorable but do service the movie and all that encompasses -- feel, tone, structure,
and heart -- surprisingly well. Lopez and Fiennes share a wonderful chemistry, with the latter in
particular turning in an altogether charming and completely believable effort as a politician that's
not stuck within the carefully guarded and highly-structured bubble in which his handlers would
prefer he exist. Fiennes' character isn't afraid of following his heart, the cameras and his public
perception be damned. His is a wholly refreshing character; there's little conflict but plenty
of heart and soul, a man in a position of power that uses everything but his stature to earn -- not
simply get -- what he wants, a man that puts his and others' feelings first ahead of numbers,
schedules, and
what's politically expedient. His character is one of surprising depth in that he's so simple,
making for one of the more memorable Romantic Comedy leading men in some time. Lopez, in
turn, does all that's expected of the role, managing to look homely here and glamorous there
depending on the scene in the film. She sells the part well enough, even if she's overshadowed
by
Fiennes in every on-screen coupling they share. Main in Manhattan also enjoys a solid
supporting performance
by the Oscar-nominated Stanley Tucci, but veteran Bob Hoskins (Doomsday) positively
steals the show as the hotel's butler and, more importantly, as Marisa's supporter and confidant
in
her burgeoning love with Christopher and holder of her secret within the hotel's lavish walls.
Maid in Manhattan serves up a clean and sharp 1080p, 2.40:1-framed transfer. Not the
most pristine image available on Blu-ray though technically proficient in every area, Maid in
Manhattan looks rather good throughout, particularly in the transfer's ability to deliver a
healthy film-like image. Fine detail appears as above-average throughout the film, whether lines
and textures in Marisa's brown and homely woven sweater; the nicely-appointed furnishings in the
hotel proper; or the less glamorous, somewhat harsh and workmanlike underbelly that houses the
maintenance department. The image boasts superb clarity and a good sense of depth; there are
practically no unwanted artifacts to speak of, and while the picture's grain structure is minimalist in
nature, it does aid in delivering a handsome film-like texture. Colors remain neutral yet nicely and
naturally rendered throughout, blacks appear as rich and deep, and flesh tones retain a healthy
appearance. Maid in Manhattan looks borderline exceptional all things considered; Sony has
once
again gone above and beyond the call of duty for a catalogue title that warrants, but doesn't
seemingly demand, a well-above-average video transfer.
Maid in Manhattan delivers a neat and tidy Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Much
like the video presentation, this mix plays out as far better and richer than one might expect of it.
Music enjoys strong clarity throughout the entire range and delivers a good sense of space; of
note is a
particularly punchy low end that accompanies one of the musical montages later in the film, the
subwoofer chiming in frequently during the piece of music and churning out a healthy dosage of
bass that's wonderfully tight and convincing. The track also does well to take full advantage of
the
various locales, delivering a good deal of lifelike ambience. Outdoor city shots are wonderfully
realized, the track positively enveloping listeners in a cacophony of sound, whether howling
sirens,
squealing brakes, background pedestrian footsteps and chatter, or the maneuvering of
automobiles
down the street and, by extension, through the listening area with a smooth transition from one
speaker to the next. Interiors fare equally well, particularly the busy and bustling maintenance
area
where the hotel's laundry facilities and the maid's locker rooms are housed. Strong dialogue
reproduction rounds out a natural-sounding track that's certainly not of the explosive and
adrenaline-charged kind, but for a Romantic Comedy, it's surprisingly rich and satisfying in its
own
unique way.
This Blu-ray release of Maid in Manhattan contains only a blooper reel (480p, 7:18);
BD-Live connectivity; and 1080p trailers for Made of Honor and This Christmas.
Sufficiently funny, delightfully irresistible, surprisingly moving, and made for the hopeless romantic
inside every viewer,
Maid in Manhattan isn't a shining beacon of hope for the future of the Romantic Comedy,
but it's a fine example of what the genre is all about, the picture innocent, easy, predictable, and
mot importantly, fun. Competently made and nicely acted, there's nothing terribly wrong with the
movie even if it is barely distinguishable from any number of other Cinderella stories and fairy tales
with a modern setting and twist, but Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes inject a personality and vigor
into the movie that only accentuates its generic but heartfelt theme of finding true love in the most
inconsequential of places and between two compatible souls, even if they come from different social
and economic classes. Sony's Blu-ray release of Maid in Manhattan boasts fine technical
specifications, but the disc is unfortunately lacking in substantive bonus materials. Nevertheless,
fans of the film will be pleased with the high definition presentation. Maid in Manhattan is
another technically-sound catalogue offering from Sony, earning it a solid recommendation.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced two catalog titles for release on Blu-ray on February 2, 2010: 'Maid in Manhattan' and 'Mona Lisa Smile', both of which had been already announced on BD in 2008 but were subsequently cancelled, although they were released ...
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