The Maid (1990)

Anthony Wayne goes to Paris. He's going to work there as a bank- employee. He has got 30 days off to orientate himself and to find himself a house. He falls in love with Nicole Chantelle (... See full summary »

Director:

Ian Toynton

Writer:

Timothy Prager

Stars:

Martin Sheen, Jacqueline Bisset, Victoria Shalet

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Martin Sheen	...	Anthony Wayne
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Nicole Chantrelle
Victoria Shalet	...	Marie
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	C.P. Olivier
James Faulkner	...	Laurent Leclair
Isabelle Guiard	...	Nicole's Secretary
Dominic Gould	...	Pierre Meyer
Catherine Lachens	...	Catherine Olivier
Joe Cosgrove	...	Luke
Carina Barone	...	Elisabeth
Jerry Di Giacomo	...	Hampton
Jean Martin	...	Neighbour
Philippe Dehesdin	...	Concierge
Catherine Alcover	...	Manageress
Rémy Burkel	...	Man of Personnel

Storyline

Anthony Wayne goes to Paris. He's going to work there as a bank- employee. He has got 30 days off to orientate himself and to find himself a house. He falls in love with Nicole Chantelle (she doesn't know that) and becomes her maid, which means that he has to look after the spoiled Marie, Nicole's daughter. He's the first who can handle her, and he really enjoys being maid. Then it appears that Nicole is his future colleague at the bank...

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Plot Keywords:

maid | love | bank | mother daughter relationship | family relationships | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

User Reviews

If you like Martin Sheen, you'll like this movie.

Sheen gets very little opportunity to play romantic comedy, but he actually does it quite well.

The trailer and summary say it all. Anthony Wayne is something of a ladies man, except he can't get the ladies. The clock in his house (which I would have thrown out years ago) may be a hint as to why, given the egomaniac side it suggests, but his heart's in the right place. Upon relocating in Paris he spots the lady he wants to spend time with and seeks a way to get closer. When he discovers she needs a maid he promptly turns up, only to discover she has a remarkably obnoxious brat of a daughter, which explains why she hasn't had any joy keeping maids up until now. His cash (allowing him to pay others to do the work), his charm and a good heart win over both mother and daughter. Problem is, he's actually the mother's new co-worker and, when she finds out his true identity, she's not impressed by his lies.

OK, that's the summary, now what's wrong with it (since I gave it 8 and not 10). Primarily, the editing. This is the worst hack-job of editing I've seen in a long time. I'm sure there was more to explain how Wayne worked his way into the little girl's heart (the fact she managed to memorise the song in record-breaking time without actually being told the lyrics right through hints there's a huge edit there) and without all that, it's too pat. This is a brat of a daughter who's reduced stronger maids than him to pulp. Are we to assume that just because he's a man (and replacing the father-figure, perhaps?) that she's just going to suddenly behave herself? For an all too brief period she actually puts up a fight, but either the script lacked what was needed, or the editor hacked it out. Either way, the turn around from brat of the year to 'adorable' little girl is far too fast and totally unconvincing.

The other problem is that whoever wrote this script knows exactly zip all about making deals, and it shows. Not that I wanted a comedy version of Wall Street but, again, the solution comes too easily and is totally unconvincing.

That said, I enjoyed it. Sheen has some great moments and he's clearly enjoying himself. So much of what he's done in the past is heavy, thought-provoking, horror filled or just plain odd, and he rarely gets the chance to show he has a good sense of humour (although that's presently being rectified with The West Wing, wherein he manages to combine deadly serious, thought provoking stuff with some fall down funny lines). He's doing the best he can with a not very impressive script and, by and large, where the film falls down the problem does not lie in his performance.

This is light-hearted fun. So long as you're not expecting anything more than what is essentially a 'chick-flick' with some nice moments, you won't be disappointed. The guys should enjoy Bisset while the romantics will enjoy something mildly entertaining and totally painless. You KNOW he's going to get his girl. The fact it doesn't make any sense is pretty irrelevant.

Kudos to the actors, serious negative points to the writer and the editor, both of whom need to go back to school.

Details

Country:

UK USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 1990 (France)

Also Known As:

The Maid

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arnold Semler, Canal+, Channel Four Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Color:

Color