Maid to Order (1987)

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:

Worse help is hard to find.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Limo | Couple | Weird Couple | Singing | Class Differences

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 (DeLuxe)

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:L | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Trivia:

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

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Jessie leaves the Sunday dinner at Audrey's house, as she and the others are saying goodbye to Audrey's father, the actor's marks are clearly taped down on the floor.

Quotes:

Stella Winston: [Jessie meets Stella for the first time, as the latter bails her out from the police station] ... You're getting out. The charges have been dropped.
Jessie Montgomery: Great! Did Daddy grease a few palms or what?
Stella Winston: Not exactly... I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?
Jessie Montgomery: After a night like this one? I need all the good news I can get.
Stella Winston: The good news is, you have no criminal record; as far as you're concerned, last night didn't happen. The bad news is, neither did anything else BEFORE last night. As far as you're concerned.
[...]

Cinderella in reverse -- a sweet romantic comedy with lots of heart.

Good movies just really are few and far between, and Maid to Order is one of the good ones -- although I wouldn't say it was funny ha-ha. It's one of those dreaded "romantic comedies" that male critics love to hate (including Janet Matlin, who tries to be more macho than her male counterparts). It's a "feel good" movie with a message, but it does make you feel good and its message is a good one. It is sweet and harmless and it has become one of my favorites -- there's just something very appealing about it.

Maid to Order has first-rate production values and a wonderful cast, not the least of whom is the late Dick Shawn, in an over-the-top role of a Hollywood record mogul married to Valerie Perrine. They stand out as not exactly your average married couple. Then again, they may BE average for Malibu.

The leads -- Ally Sheed and Michael Ontkean -- are charming and have a lot of chemistry together. The rest of the cast is equally good. It's not meant to be taken seriously and is perfect for a rainy afternoon.