YMMV / Maid in Manhattan

• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • Given that Caroline and Marisa hit it off a bit in their few scenes together, you could interpret Caroline's fury at discovering the clothes theft as more about the fact that Marisa appeared to be acting hot and cold towards her; pretending that they didn't know each other at the dance is another thing too, and considering Caroline is dealing with an unfaithful boyfriend, it's bound to hurt that someone she may have viewed as a friend was behaving that way too.
  • Marisa eventually finds another housekeeping job, despite the ensuing paparazzi scandal. It's not stated if the press ever got hold of the reason Marisa was fired from the Beresford. The hotel staff probably wouldn't want such a detail to be released to the public, in case it ended up affecting their business, and only Caroline seems like the type who would disclose such information - and it's possible she had already left the country by the time anyone asked her questions. If you wanted to interpret the Beresford staff more charitably, perhaps since Marisa was an exemplary employee beforehand and the higher ups seemed to like her, they might have avoided releasing those details so as not to prevent her finding work somewhere else. As far as we know, all the newspapers might know about is that Chris and Marisa had an affair.
• Awesome Moments:
  • Marisa calling Chris on him seeing a speech about the Bronx as just something to memorize, suggesting he spend some actual time there. When Jerry rolls his eyes and asks what she knows, she responds that she grew up there.
  • Jerry angrily blocking the press from harassing Marisa and Chris so that they can argue privately. This is someone who's been established as a neurotic Control Freak from the moment he appeared onscreen and clearly had misgivings about their relationship.
  • Marisa confronting her mother as well, who tries to shame her for going out with Chris. She knows she messed up but she will not apologise for thinking she was good enough to date someone outside her class. She also disparages her mother for constantly discouraging her from ever doing anything with her life.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: Caroline is told the price of her ticket is expensive because she was originally part of a couple and had to get a single after discovering her boyfriend's infidelity. She starts having a meltdown at the desk, wondering if the whole hotel is judging her for being unmarried ("do I bear The Scarlet Letter!") - then pulls herself together and walks off. While her relationship failing is referenced beforehand, the freakout is truly random.
• Cliché Storm: The film is basically a Cinderella story played very straight, along with most early 2000s Romantic Comedy tropes.
• Designated Hero: Steph. She is the one who gets Marissa involved in the whole mess and then adds to her stress by submitting an application for the management position without her permission. She never gets punished for ruining Marisa's reputation and is never called out for her actions.
• Designated Villain: Caroline Lane, Marisa's rival for Chris' affections (or so she thinks). When you think about it, she doesn't really do anything wrong but act like a flake and make a completely valid complaint about Marisa "borrowing" her clothes.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Most people tend to like Caroline, thanks to her being sweet and due to Natasha Richardson's geeky-cute performance.
• Funny Moments:
  • Marissa sums up her situation with Chris quite nicely when Steph suggests she pursue him.
    "What am I supposed to do? Make his bed with me in it?"
  • Rachel may be a Hate Sink but the movie constantly has Take Thats to her - from Marisa's Stealth Insult of her wardrobe suggestion ("it reads like desperate, older gal trying too hard") to Caroline casually saying she's "pre-menopausal" at lunch.
  • Marisa being called on to serve lunch with Chris and Caroline there. She enters the suite with a bouquet of flowers covering her face. For an otherwise responsible and grounded character, it's a brilliant Not So Above It All moment.
  • Ty shows that he's capable of throwing some snark out there too.
    "Mom, I hate to break it to you but I don't think Chris is after you for your money".
  • Note that Marissa finds the above Actually Pretty Funny.
  • Although in a tense scene, Caroline gets this exchange.
  Caroline: She told me her name was Maria.
  Marisa: I thought it would be impolite to correct you.
  Caroline: And I suppose you think it's polite to steal people's clothes!
  • Chris rather epically turns down Caroline's advances after Marissa has been publicly fired (Caroline not realising he wasn't quite interested in her at all) when she offers to treat him to lunch —"We've only got each other to get through this humiliation."
  Christopher: "Caroline, the first lunch was a mistake. A second would be complete torture."
  Caroline: "Drinks then?"
  • At the ball, Marisa tells Chris that she's only there to let him know that their relationship can't go anywhere beyond this evening.
  Chris: Then you should have worn a different dress.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Marisa after losing her job turns down her mother's offer to clean houses, saying there's no opportunity for career advancement there, and she's confident she'll get another position in time and start over with her rise to the management position. Six years later, the 2008 recession would hit, making any job a luxury not everyone would have. Jennifer Lopez even went to star in Hustlers, detailing people who were hit by the recession and left struggling financially.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • Although she's terrified that she'll be outed when serving lunch at Chris's suite, Marisa notices the stuffed penguin meant as a present for her, and smiles at the gesture.
  • And while she is a bit condescending, it's sweet to see Caroline getting Marisa's opinion on what she should wear for lunch. It shows that Caroline is Spoiled Sweet and considerably nicer than Rachel.
  • Ty's biological father doesn't seem to care about him at all. Chris not only hits it off with Marisa, but becomes great friends with Ty too.
  • Lionel resigning in solidarity with Marisa and giving her a You Are Better Than You Think You Are speech, while also gently telling her he knows she'll come out of this alright in the end.
  "I think you'll make a wonderful manager someday."
• Just Here for Godzilla:
  • Some watch the movie just for Natasha Richardson's fun and yet slightly sympathetic performance as Caroline.
  • Just as many Jennifer Lopez fans watch this for her.
• Retroactive Recognition: Ty is Scott McCall from Teen Wolf.
• So Okay, It's Average: Despite the Cliché Storm of a Cinderella plot and the simple storyline, Jennifer Lopez gives it her all, has some genuine chemistry with Ralph Fiennes and other supporting cast members turn in performances that bring it up somewhat.
• Strawman Has a Point:
  • Caroline filing a complaint when she discovers Marisa has been wearing her clothes and using her identity (though Marisa does quickly clarify to Chris that her last name is Ventura, making the latter just about qualify for mistaken identity). We, the audience, know Marisa didn't have any malicious intentions, but Caroline doesn't and has every right to be upset. It's unfortunate that it results in Marisa being fired, but that wasn't Caroline's doing; it was the hotel manager's. Speaking of whom, Marisa's actions are indeed worthy of termination, and he had every right to do what he did. Marisa indeed doesn't protest and accepts this decision.
• Tear Jerker:
  • Ty humiliating himself on stage and then finding out that his father won't be taking him for the weekend. Marisa attempting to make him feel better even though she knows she can't make up for her deadbeat ex is also very bittersweet.
  • Marisa's termination from the hotel. Caroline gives her a "Reason You Suck" Speech, and she's treated like a crazy stalker over one mistake she didn't know how to correct. You can tell her entire world is crumbling around her. Jennifer Lopez is very good at looking like a kicked puppy when the scene calls for it.
  • Chris's first reaction to the situation is to wonder first if he was being pranked, then if Marisa felt she had to lie to keep him interested. He just demands to know if "any of it was real" to which Marisa responds yes, and that makes it all the harder for her.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: It's odd that Lionel resigns along with Marisa being fired. It would make far more sense if Steph was the one who did so, allowing her to take responsibility for getting Marisa in the whole mess in the first place, while also getting some comeuppance for it.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Steph submitting a management application behind Marisa's back is portrayed as the right thing to do, because Marisa would never have the courage to do it on her own. Except Steph picked the worst possible time to do so; not just because of the whole Chris situation, but Steph is also forgetting that Marisa is raising a twelve-year-old whose father is a complete deadbeat, not considering she might not want to add to her stresses at the moment.
• The Woobie: Ty especially in the first part of the film - where his father cancels on him mere hours before their planned weekend together, and he gets stage fright and embarrasses himself at school.