The “Cinderella” motif is, apparently, timeless; while the story as we know it seems to have originated in France, some authorities try to trace it back to ancient Egypt. Not so long ago we had Drew Barrymore as the original Ella in Ever After, a very fine film, IMHO. Now we have Maid in Manhattan, the same story updated for a more modern age.

Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez), a Latina divorcee from the Bronx with a young son Ty (Tyler Posey), is a maid in a posh New York hotel; her job requires almost complete invisibility, though she has ambitions for a more managerial position which will allow her to display herself more fully. We may use, for her, the code name “Cinderella”. Among the hotel’s current guests are two worth noting. One is Carolyn Lane (Natasha Richardson), a self-willed sometime model who enjoys giving the maid, whom she would not recognize on the street, little errands to run; we may refer to her as “wicked stepsister numer one”. ⁽¹⁾ The other is Chris Marshall (Ralph Fiennes, here sporting an American accent and a hairdo and expression that make him look like a somewhat thinner Harrison Ford), a potential candidate for the U.S. Senate who has set up temporary headquarters in one of the hotel’s suites; we may call him “Prince Charming”. A chance meeting between Marshall and Ty in an elevator at the same time that Marisa is allowing her friend Steph (Marissa Matrone) to convince her to try on a $5,000 ensemble of Carolyn’s leads to encounter, misunderstanding, and a relationship based on a misunderstanding about relative social levels. Ultimately we have Revelation, Estrangement, and Reconciliation, all as per the traditional story.

For those who don’t mind seeing another version of the story, the film is probably worth seeing. Male viewers will enjoy watching Lopez, particularly at the posh party which she attends with the intent of revealing the truth to Marshall, though in actuality it is not the truth that is revealed. (“I came to tell you that this can’t go on,” she says as they face each other. “Then you shouldn’t have worn that particular dress,” says Marshall, with downcast eyes …)

Whether it’s worth seeing at the movies or not is another question. I may well add it to my DVD library when it comes out, but I’m not sure that the wide screen experience here brings anything to the viewer that the idiot box experience won’t provide …

⁽¹⁾ There is a “wicked stepsister number two” as well, though she has a relatively minor part. I’m not sure to whom I’d assign the role of “wicked stepmother”.