101. “Maid in Manhattan” (Wayne Wang, 2002)
![MAID IN MANHATTAN, from left: Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, 2002. © Columbia / courtesy Everett Collection](https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/MCDMAIN_CO003.jpg?w=300)
“Maid in Manhattan” is Lopez’s best romantic comedy by a mile. Directed by Wayne Wang, the 2002 flick follows a hotel maid who falls for a visiting politician (Ralph Fiennes) when he mistakes her for a wealthy socialite (Natasha Richardson). The Cinderella story that follows is overly sincere and saccharine in a way that dates it. But Lopez’s endearing performance as single mother Marisa captures the classic rom-com arc with lasting specificity, allowing her ample screen time with her love interest as well as her precocious son (Tyler Posey). —AF