Metascore
45 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 32 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 32
  2. Negative: 6 out of 32
  1. 75
    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.
  2. 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.
  3. Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    75
    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.
  4. A bit smarter than it seems at first glance, and ends up being a rather colorful and fascinating -- and often imaginatively Capraesque.
  5. Despite a continuity problem or two, this is one of those rare contemporary romantic comedies that actually work.
  6. 63
    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.
  7. Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    63
    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."
  8. Reviewed by: Rich Cline
    60
    This is by the books in every way, funny and undemanding ... and also rather sweet and heartwarming.
  9. 60
    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.
  10. 50
    The comedy part of the equation is awfully mild, however. This is a movie that aims for warm smiles rather than belly laughs.
  11. A pleasant experience, if not the dazzling entertainment Lopez fans were hoping for.
  12. 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.
  13. A Cinderella story with star appeal going for it and everything else against it.
  14. J-Lo, Ralph-Lower, Movie-Subterranean.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 50
    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.
  19. As saccharine as it is disposable.
  20. Reviewed by: Robert Koehler
    50
    Gets into trouble when it reaches for laughs.
  21. This fairy-tale shtick, even when dressed up with a little class-war garnish, is hard to swallow.
  22. 42
    A picture that could have bordered on classy screwball if written wittier, acted sexier and filmed shinier.
  23. 40
    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.
  24. 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.
  25. Reviewed by: Richard Schickel
    40
    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.
  26. 38
    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.
  27. Reviewed by: Steve Simels
    30
    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.
  28. 30
    Really, any wit at all would have helped balance the playful but crass butt-seeking money shots.
  29. 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.
  30. 25
    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.
  31. J.Lo should sue her handlers for damages.
User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 18
  2. Negative: 7 out of 18
  1. 7
    I thought that in its genre the movie was fine, better than what I expected it to be. It was light, fun but not great. It was certainly entertaining. Ralph Fiennes did it all for me. He is fabulous! Jennifer Lopez...sorry, but I don't understand why people think the movie is 'bearable' just because of her and her 'beauty'! Obviously, many think she is beautiful but to me she is just cute. I guess, people from different countries/circles have different taste. I know some will suggest I say this because I am jealous of her but it is not jealousy at all for in my circle of friends most of us are naturally better looking than her (sorry if that sounds arrogant, but it is just true), and many people around the world are! I am sure many girls and guys here will agree with me on this point . Back to the movie. one great thing about JLo is her smile and her vivacious eyes,and since she has this exotic type, it works well for this type of movies...movies that are based on stereotypes. Although she is a pretty average actress, in this movie she definitely shines. So, even though I am not her fan, in Maid in Manhattan, I liked her! The story, is of course very cliche, but the setting adds glamour to it. I did enjoy the movie, and so far I have watched it twice in my life...I am sure I will watch it again...eventually! Full Review »
  2. TonyB.
    5
    This is harmless fluff made watchable by a luminous Jennifer Lopez.