Maid in Manhattan

After exuding clever charm and successfully navigating most of its inherent Cinderella contrivances, this ostensibly crisp romantic comedy turns so unforgivably trite in its last 10 minutes that viewers without strong constitutions may go into sugar shock. Provided with more depth than most genre heroines, star Jennifer Lopez shines brightly as a Bronx single mom who works as a maid at one of New York's posh hotels. Mistaken for a ritzy guest while trying on a $5,000 Dolce & Gabbana suit from someone's luggage, she catches the eye of Ralph Fiennes (Red Dragon, The English Patient), a flirtatious and good-looking heir to a political dynasty, and becomes the object of his affection. Lopez's character is no romantic pushover, which makes her intelligent, sincere, and buoyant performance more likable. But eventually the film succumbs to the insipid notion of a misunderstanding breakup followed by a reconciliation in front of a surrogate audience placed in the scene specifically to tell us when to clap and when to "awww!" This is something no movie should need if it's done its job of engaging the real audience's emotions. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include widescreen and full screen versions, a weblink to a behind-the-scenes shopping experience, and trailers. Bottom line: Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth--the widescreen or full screen option on one disc is always welcome; if only the film were better.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Mar. 2, 2010—Sony, 105 min., PG-13, $24.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2002's Maid in Manhattan sports a great transfer and a 5.1 TrueHD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include bloopers (7 min.), the BD-Live function, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray debut for a mostly winning but ultimately uneven film.]