Maid to Order (1987)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Amy Holden Jones

Writers:

Amy Holden Jones (written by) and
Perry Howze (written by) ...

Release Date:

10 July 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Comedy

Tagline:

She was raise in a Beverly Hills mansion. Now, she's got to clean one. Ally Sheedy is Jessie Montgomery ... worse help is hard to find.

Plot:

Spoiled Jessie Montgomery, whose wild behavior and spending excesses cause her well-meaning but exasperated...

Plot Keywords:

Fairy Godmother | Maid | Wish | Party | Couple

Cast

Ally Sheedy	...	Jessie Montgomery
Beverly D'Angelo	...	Stella Winston
Michael Ontkean	...	Nick McGuire
Valerie Perrine	...	Georgette Starkey
Dick Shawn	...	Stan Starkey
Tom Skerritt	...	Charles Montgomery
Merry Clayton	...	Audrey James
Begonya Plaza	...	Maria (as Begoña Plaza)
Rain Phoenix	...	Brie Starkey (as Rainbow Phoenix)
Leland Crooke	...	Dude
Teddy Wilson	...	Woodrow
Perla Walter	...	Trini
Rita Gomez	...	Juanita
Jason Beghe	...	Bret
Kimberly Beck	...	Kim

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:L | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Vista Organization

Trivia:

The band at the party, the Loaded Blanks, are actually the hard rock band Great White.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Maria uses the vacuum cleaner after Jessie sucks up the curtains, a significant portion of the debris lands on the pink chair behind Maria. In the next shot when Maria shouts angrily in Spanish, the chair is clean.

Quotes:

[Jessie brings Stan his laundry]
Stan Starkey: What the... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY WRINKLED SUIT?
Jessie Montgomery: I just pressed it for you.
Stan Starkey: I know, but you're not supposed to press this! This is SUPPOSED to be wrinkled; I BOUGHT it like this! It's a Georgio Armani WRINKLED suit! Wrinkles are IN! We're in the 80's, kiddo; wake up! I can't believe this! My Georgio Armani, my favorite suit, PRESSED!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Step by Step: Maid to Order (#5.5)" (1995)

A bumpy fairy tale, but buoyed by a great cast

Ally Sheedy works very hard to convince us she's a spoiled rich girl who takes everyone for granted. I felt it was all a con, and therefore couldn't wait for her character to make that transformation into a Better Person. Sheedy wasn't necessarily miscast as she was misdirected; she naturally projects a very savvy, efficient persona, and acting childish is beneath her. The second part of the film, with Sheedy working as a maid to wealthy neurotics Dick Shawn and Valerie Perrine (both terrific), is more successful, and the fantasy elements of the plot have had time to grow on us and are more acceptable. There are still some clumsy or awkward moments here, however for the first time Michael Ontkean is a CHARMING Prince Charming (not just a substitute for one) and the supporting cast is made up of wily and likable characters. "Maid to Order" leaves you smiling and that means it has done a good job, though it takes at least fifteen minutes to kick into gear. *** from ****