Jenny from the flop (From Western Telegraph)

Jenny from the flop

I love cinema with such a passion that I hate to give a really damning review to any film.

This week, however, I am willing to make an exception.

Maid in Manhatten deserves it. But the presence of the increasingly popular Jennifer Lopez makes me confident that a healthy number of punters will completely ignore whatever I say.

The film, written by Kevin Wade and directed by Wayne Wang, is a clumsy and awkward Cinderella-style romantic comedy. Lopez plays Marisa Ventura. Even her name is a signal of the major fault that lies at the heart of this movie's many problems: the script.

Ventura is a single mother born and bred in the boroughs of New York City. (A nod to her many fans that despite her 'rocks', she's still 'real'). She works as a maid in a five-star Manhattan hotel. By a twist of fate and mistaken identity, Marisa meets Christopher Marshall (played by Ralph Fiennes). Fiennes is the handsome senatorial candidate who has grown weary of the campaign trail.

For silly reasons, he believes Ventura is a guest at the hotel and, low and behold, the unlikeliest pair are thrown together.

When Ventura's true identity is revealed, the two find they are worlds apart. But the two are almost instantly smitten and we are forced to believe they could end up together.

As for the cast, well Lopez fans will adore her. To me, she turned in an average performance, which should be blamed on the poor source material. The rest of the cast are real quality. But it just doesn't work. Maid in Manhatten is an awful film.

But it is sweet. And New York looks a nice place to fall in love - and it may be worth seeing just for that.

Also released is Far From Heaven. Julianne Moore plays Cathy, the perfect 50s

housewife who one night finds her having sex with another man! In her confusion and grief, she finds consolation with their African-American gardener- another no-no relationship at the time. The couple struggle to keep their marriage afloat - but it is a struggle.

This is one of those films that I'd recommend to anyone. It's excellent - but I don't ever want to see it again. VAUGHAN SIVELL