Dec. 13, 2002|United States|105 Min.|PG-13
Genre: Comedy;Drama;Romance
Description: Marisa Ventura, a single mother, works as a maid at the Beresford Hotel in Manhattan while raising her 10-year-old son, Ty. Ty often spends time with Marisa’s co-workers when he’s not in school, and they believe she has the potential to advance to a management position. One day, while cleaning the room of socialite Caroline Lane, Marisa’s co-worker Stephanie convinces her to try on a designer coat that Lane had requested to be returned to the store. Stephanie claims the coat “technically” belongs to no one at the moment.
Meanwhile, Ty befriends Christopher “Chris” Marshall, a senatorial candidate staying at the hotel, who shares Ty’s interest in Richard Nixon, the topic of his school presentation. Ty asks Chris to accompany him on a walk with his dog, and they go to Caroline’s room to seek Marisa’s permission. When Chris meets Marisa, who is wearing the designer coat, he assumes she is Caroline and is immediately captivated by her. The three spend time together in the park, and although Marisa and Chris feel a mutual attraction, Marisa is anxious about being discovered and avoids Chris afterward.
Chris later invites “Caroline Lane” to lunch through the hotel’s head butler, Lionel Bloch, but is confused when the real Caroline arrives instead of Marisa. Marisa, present during the invitation, had even advised Caroline on what to wear for the lunch. Realizing his mistake, Chris tasks his assistant with finding “the other Caroline Lane,” as he wants her to attend an important dinner with him. Lionel, who has deduced that Marisa is the woman Chris is seeking, encourages her to attend the dinner while warning her to end the affair quickly if she wants to advance her career in hotel management. With the help of Stephanie and her colleagues, Marisa prepares for the evening, styling her hair and borrowing an elegant dress and necklace for the occasion.
Cast director: Wayne Wang
Cast actor: Jennifer Lopez, Natasha Richardson, Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Tyler Posey, Frances Conroy, Chris Eigeman, Amy Sedaris, Marissa Matrone, Priscilla Lopez
Original name: Maid in Manhattan