Maid in Manhattan
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: December 13, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
19
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
50
The New York TimesDana Stevens
Blandly charming. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Despite a continuity problem or two, this is one of those rare contemporary romantic comedies that actually work. Read full review
60
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
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. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
A pleasant experience, if not the dazzling entertainment Lopez fans were hoping for. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
As an actress, Lopez is a bit stiff, as she has been in all of her movies save "Out of Sight." It really doesn't matter much here, given the sparks between her and Fiennes and the fact that the role is pretty much form-fitted to her public persona. Read full review
60
Film ThreatRich Cline
This is by the books in every way, funny and undemanding ... and also rather sweet and heartwarming. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
This isn't just typical, unchallenging Hollywood drek -- it's typical, unchallenging Hollywood drek made by people who don't care, for people who don't care. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
This fairy-tale shtick, even when dressed up with a little class-war garnish, is hard to swallow. Read full review
40
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Everything about it, except the valiantly lifelike Lopez, feels stiff and robotic and mindlessly crowd-pleasing, as if it were a comedy made by a committee instead of a human being. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyHazel-Dawn Dumpert
It's a case of persona overwhelming presence, and the butterscotch smoothness that was such an asset opposite George Clooney's glittering cool in "Out of Sight" is all but lost in the sheen of this high-gloss production. Read full review
25
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
A devastating lack of romantic connection between its two stars. Lopez had more chemistry with "Enough" co-star Billy Campbell, and for most of that film they were beating the hell out of each other. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Ralph Fiennes has faced a lot of acting challenges in his career, but playing a New York Republican who could win an endorsement from Susan Sarandon might be the toughest. Mostly, he handles the task by simply smiling warmly throughout, and gets away with it. Read full review
63
USA TodayMike Clark
Were the material not so thin, it would be even more fun than it is seeing Fiennes get to be loose on screen for once. He's pleasant, but we never feel this guy could get elected. Whenever he smiles, Fiennes brings to mind the title of Disney's deluxe new DVD: "The Complete Goofy." Read full review
20
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
J.Lo should sue her handlers for damages.
40
TimeRichard Schickel
Maid in Manhattan is not so much a movie as a collection of career moves. J. Lo needs a comedy hit to support her principal activity, adorning magazine covers. Fiennes needs to warm his austere British image if he hopes to become a true international star.
30
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
Plays like something Dr. Phil and "Sex and the City's" Carrie Bradshaw might have written during a commercial break, a feel-good fantasy that sounds deep but has no more depth than a kiddie pool drained for winter. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
No maid, and no fancy lady either, would swoon for a fellow as damp as the hero so grudgingly coughed up by Fiennes. In the words of Cinderellas everywhere, no effin' way. Read full review
30
Village VoiceLaura Sinagra
Really, any wit at all would have helped balance the playful but crass butt-seeking money shots. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Unlike Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman," Lopez seems a little too comfortable in her new duds, which prevents the audience from rooting for her with passion, rather than just appreciation.
42
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
A picture that could have bordered on classy screwball if written wittier, acted sexier and filmed shinier.
50
Los Angeles TimesManohla Dargis
As saccharine as it is disposable. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Not only is there no magnetism between Fiennes and Lopez, he's a lead balloon and she's helium-filled. Happily, their odd chemistry doesn't sink this fairy tale. Read full review
30
TV Guide MagazineSteve Simels
To say that the film is unenjoyable would be an overstatement; a good time can be had counting the number of reassuringly stock characters it offers up. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
It's Lopez who's the proper focus of this dream. So intent has she been on becoming a superstar in the past few years that many people have forgotten that, given decent material, she can act. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
J-Lo, Ralph-Lower, Movie-Subterranean. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
There won't be a person in the audience who can't guess exactly how it will turn out. Yet it goes through its paces with such skill and charm that, yes, I enjoyed it. Read full review
50
VarietyRobert Koehler
Gets into trouble when it reaches for laughs. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
What the movie lacks is spark and sizzle. There's no palpable chemistry between Lopez and male lead Ralph Fiennes, plus the script by "Working Girl" scribe Kevin Wade is workmanlike in the extreme. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
The comedy part of the equation is awfully mild, however. This is a movie that aims for warm smiles rather than belly laughs. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A Cinderella story with star appeal going for it and everything else against it. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Wang loses himself in an old-fashioned script that tries to recall the classic screwball ensembles of Golden Age Hollywood, but lacks the cascading wit to pull it off. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
A bit smarter than it seems at first glance, and ends up being a rather colorful and fascinating -- and often imaginatively Capraesque. Read full review
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