It's amazing to see what almost a decade does to people, either in appearance or in personality. Before scientology, before South Park episodes parodying her behavior and personality, Jennifer Lopez did almost seem like her "Jenny from the Block" persona, a gal from New York who sought stardom. While society later was exposed to J. Lo's oversaturation in the marketplace with chart-topping albums and hit movies, Lopez seems to be in a bit of a valley now. But it's nice to revisit films like Maid in Manhattan and see "what it was like when," you know?

First off, I've got to say that it's damn impressive that John Hughes, yes THAT John Hughes, came up with the story for which Kevin Wade (True Colors) wrote the screenplay. Directed by Wayne Wang, (Last Holiday), Lopez plays Marisa, a maid for an upscale New York City hotel. She has a son and tries to be a good mom while dealing with the eccentricities of the guests who check in and out of the hotel. She accidentally runs into Chris Marshall (Ralph Fiennes, The Reader), who is a guest at the hotel but is also running for Senate. Marshall thinks Marisa's a guest at the hotel and starts to fall for her, but when he realizes who she actually is, the thought, at least from his campaign manager (Stanley Tucci, Julie and Julia) is that it may sink his campaign permanently.

There are two different ways of approaching Maid in Manhattan. The first is the more conventional one, where the viewer realizes he's watching a fairly derivative rags to riches romantic comedy reminiscent of Pretty Woman, minus the protagonist's charm and actor/actress chemistry. There are a couple of inspired casting choices, including Bob Hoskins (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) and Amy Sedaris (Strangers With Candy). From a performance perspective, Tucci appears to be the go-to actor for a supporting male (or female lead), and he does chew the scenery well. He appears to be the only guy having fun in the film for goodness' sake; Fiennes brings his charm and appearance but doesn't do much legwork in the role, and Lopez appears to be distracted through the bulk of the film, perhaps because she had to get into the recording studio.

Which leads me to the other way I found myself watching the film. Because of Lopez' rapidly rising success as a pop musician/diva at the time, I kept telling myself that this was just a 105-minute music video. I mean, she's producing, and Marshall is working (or stealing, depending on your perspective on politicians), everyone's got to make a living, right? I'm just curious though, since she had a little and now she has a lot, does she even know where the block is? Because even when she had to "work for it," it doesn't look like she was working hard at all.

Perhaps that's what the lesson of Maid in Manhattan is, and that's assumine that there was ever one in the first place. Never forget, never settle, even after you get the brass ring (or Lord Voldemort, in Fiennes' case) because the things that people think you're charming for wind up becoming what people think is most annoying, and soon you find yourself irrelevant in the entertainment landscape.

Sony presents Maid in Manhattan in an AVC-encoded 2.40:1 widescreen transfer that's much better than I was expecting. What particularly surprised me was the amount of detail in the wide shots; there's an impressive level of clarity, and at times, the image looks multidimensional. Image detail on the tight shots was decent, and blacks were consistent through the feature. While there were occasional moments of softness in the tighter shots, it's forgivable, and overall, you're left stunned by how this film looks.

The Dolby TrueHD soundtrack doesn't impress quite as much as the video, but it's formidable in its own right. Dialogue is strong through much of the film; there is effective speaker panning and directional effects that provide for an immersion-level experience. You're not going to get thrown into the middle of any action per se, but for what the film's scenes carry, the lossless track does it smartly and without concern.

If you don't count the trailers for Made of Honor and This Christmas, a blooper reel (7:18) showing the hilarity of Tucci and Fiennes is the big and only extra on the disc.

Maid in Manhattan is a story that we've seen before, featuring an actress that many of us wouldn't like to see again, to be honest. Technically the Blu-ray is an upgrade from the standard-definition version, so if you really really like it, give it the old double-dip treatment. Otherwise, don't waste your time.