Maid in Manhattan

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie 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.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger 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.

Boston Globe Ty 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.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

A bit smarter than it seems at first glance, and ends up being a rather colorful and fascinating -- and often imaginatively Capraesque.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

Despite a continuity problem or two, this is one of those rare contemporary romantic comedies that actually work.

New York Post Lou 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.

USA Today Mike 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."

Film Threat Rich Cline

This is by the books in every way, funny and undemanding ... and also rather sweet and heartwarming.

Washington Post Ann 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.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

A pleasant experience, if not the dazzling entertainment Lopez fans were hoping for.

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

This fairy-tale shtick, even when dressed up with a little class-war garnish, is hard to swallow.

The New York Times Dana Stevens

Blandly charming.

New York Daily News Jack 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.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa 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.

Los Angeles Times Manohla Dargis

As saccharine as it is disposable.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

J-Lo, Ralph-Lower, Movie-Subterranean.

Variety Robert Koehler

Gets into trouble when it reaches for laughs.

Austin Chronicle Marjorie 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.

Chicago Tribune Mark Caro

The comedy part of the equation is awfully mild, however. This is a movie that aims for warm smiles rather than belly laughs.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

A Cinderella story with star appeal going for it and everything else against it.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott 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.

Baltimore Sun Chris 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.

Portland Oregonian Kim Morgan

A picture that could have bordered on classy screwball if written wittier, acted sexier and filmed shinier.

Time Richard 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.

Salon.com Stephanie 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.

LA Weekly Hazel-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.

ReelViews James 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.

Dallas Observer Robert 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.

Village Voice Laura Sinagra

Really, any wit at all would have helped balance the playful but crass butt-seeking money shots.

TV Guide Steve 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.

Miami Herald Connie 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.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

J.Lo should sue her handlers for damages.