THE
CHAMBERMAID / MADE IN MANHATTAN
Scheduled Release Date: December 13, 2002
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Director: Wayne Wang
Screenplay Writer: John Hughes
Screenplay Revision: Kevin Wade
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson
Genre: Romance/Comedy
The screenplay, "The Chambermaid,"
whose title may change to "Uptown Girl," is a modern
day Cinderella story set in New York City at a luxury hotel. Currently
"The Chambermaid," is in production, and stars Jennifer
Lopez as Marisa Ventura the films Cinderella, and Ralph Fiennes
as Christopher Marshall, prince charming. You may be thinking,
not another Cinderella story and to some extent you're right accept
that this script is phenomenal. The characters are funny, real,
and endearing. There isn't a scene that doesn't leave you laughing
or sentimentally touched by situations that everyone can relate
to whole heartily.
 The
screenplay opens with the introduction of Marisa Ventura, a working
class girl who wants to do right by her super smart 10 year old
son Ty. We meet Marisa and Ty at their small one-bedroom box apartment
going through their morning routine. We immediately find out that
Marisa's got it tough; she's raising a son all alone, while having
to deal with his dead beat dad, and trying to make a better future.
As Marisa and Ty ride an MTA bus to work and school, they talk
about how nervous Ty is at giving a school speech later that day,
and his four day camping trip with his Father. There is one moment
in this scene that says it all; Marisa tells Ty, "You got
something on your face. She goes in to wipe it off, and kisses
him instead." Ty laughs and says, "Maaa. Stop. I meannnnn
it." The scene illustrates not only their unconditional love
for each other, but also the kind of relationship that they share.
Before Ty gets dropped off at school, Marisa again tries to steel
a kiss, but this time Ty stops her and says, "Not now Ma.
Please." Ty knows his mom's trick, and although he likes
it in private, he's not about to let any of his classmates in
on it.
At school, Ty attends an assembly
with guest speaker Chris Marshall, a handsome State Assemblyman
who is heir of a wealthy political family, and like his late father
plans on becoming the next Senator of the State. Earlier when
Ty was packing for his camping trip we learn that he is very interested
in politics, so it comes to no surprise he is captivated by Chris's
speech. During Ty's assembly Marisa arrives at the back service
entrance of a posh New York hotel, the St. Regis. As she walks
through she talks to a diverse slew of hotel staff and friends,
and passes some of the hotel's rich clientele. Eventually Marisa
arrives at a locker and changes into her maid's uniform as she
talks to her quirky best friend and fellow maid Stephanie. Up
until this scene there is no knowledge that Marisa is a chambermaid.
It's funny to imagine Lopez in a maid's uniform (yeah right!)
being domestic.
From here the story unfolds as
we learn that Marisa has higher aspirations; she would like to
apply for the newly vacated hotel assistant manager position,
but is afraid of what will happen if she doesn't get the job.
After work Marisa rushes with her mother, Veronica, to Ty's school
speech. The speech starts off well but stage fright sets in and
Ty messes up. Ty's left feeling like a failure as he watches other
students give wonderful performances, and his mother talks to
his teacher about all his school problems. With so much humiliation
still fresh on his mind, Marisa tells Ty that his father has canceled
their trip. Ty is left spending another weekend in the basement
of the St. Regis while his mother works. The next day, on the
upper levels of the St. Regis we catch up with Marisa as she gets
a few suites ready. We see that she is awesome at her job and
knows all the workings of the hotel. When she is finishing the
final touches at the York Suite, its' occupant, Chris Marshall
walks in and catches her on the bathroom floor. They have a short
polite exchange of words as she scrambles up and heads out. During
this exchange Chris doesn't notice how beautiful Marisa, he just
sees a maid, but Marisa feels some attraction towards him although
she is totally aware of the disparity between them. Marisa leaves
and goes to the Park Suite, where she helps a spoiled rich woman,
Caroline Lamb, get settled in.
 Later
in the day Ty decides to find his mother for lunch, and runs into
Chris, Jerry Siegel (Chris's weasel campaign manager), and his
dog Rufus in one of the elevators. Chris is instantly charmed
by Ty's quick mind and thoughts on politics, all at the tender
age of ten. He ends up asking Ty to join him for lunch and a walk
with his dog. Ty quickly agrees but asks if he can get his mother's
permission. Ty is now joined by Chris and Rufus as he heads for
the Park Suite to find Marisa. While they are heading up, Stephanie
is talking Marisa into trying on some of Caroline's clothes, just
to see how the other half lives. When Ty and Chris arrive at the
Suite, Stephanie answers the door, and calls for Marisa. Marisa
appears in Caroline's clothing, looking stunning and much like
a high society lady. The look in Chris's eyes makes her speechless.
She gets caught up in the moment, and on cue, Stephanie begins
to pretend Marisa is Caroline, and pushes her out the door. Ty
of course goes along with his mother's disguise when Stephanie
winks at him. Besides, Ty really wants to spend time with Chris,
and the thought of his mother with someone like Chris really appeals
to him. The trio spends a fabulous afternoon in Central Park.
The rest of the script is like
all the Cinderella stories; Marisa gets dolled up with the help
of her friends and goes to the ball, a benefit celebration in
this version, dressed to the nine's. At the benefit, Chris takes
Marisa in his arms when her favorite tune, "First Time Ever
I Saw Your Face," plays. After the song Marisa makes a run
for it but Chris catches up to her in the coat room and keeps
her from escaping. She tries to tell Chris the impossibility of
a relationship, and he doesn't hear a word she says. Instead,
he tells her, "Shhhhh. No questions," and proceeds to
trace her lips with his finger, and strokes her cheek with his
hand before smelling her neck and whispering into her ears, "Besa
me." (Bien caliente!) This steamy dialogue leads to a kiss
that carries over into a very racy sex scene that is "just
under the rating wire."
The day after the ball Chris finds
out from the hotel manager that Marisa is one of the maids. Upon
this revelation, Chris freezes from the shock and doesn't come
to Marisa's aid when she is confronted and ultimately fired by
the hotel manager for pretending to be Caroline Lamb. Marisa is
devastated by Chris' lack of reaction and runs away as Chris comes
to his senses and goes after her. Outside of the hotel Chris catches
up to Marisa only to argue about their differences and depart
ways.
Many months pass before Ty confronts
Chris to remind him of something his late father once said to
him about second chances; "A man's character isn't defined
by the mistakes he's made, but rather what he does after he makes
them." Chris realizes his need to make amends with Marisa
and goes looking for her at her new hotel job. When he finds her
he asks her to give their relationship a second chance, this time
with no secrets. It's a super touching ending as Marisa puts out
her hand and introduces herself, "Marisa Ventura, Housekeeping,"
and Chris holds her shake and says "Chris Marshall, candidate
for Senate. I'd appreciate your vote."
Imaging Jennifer Lopez and Ralph
Fiennes in the lead roles made reading this script even more enjoyable
then it already is. This story definitely leaves you feeling fuzzy
inside, and ready to see the real deal in December; especially
for the Latinos who are hungry to see ourselves on the big screen
in these types of stories.
|
