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Maid to Order

Maid to Order

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Not just for fans of Ally Sheedy
Review: I bought this movie solely because I'm a big fan of Ally Sheedy. But that is not necessary in order to enjoy this picture. It has all the essential ingredients for a good movie: a well-developed storyline, well established characters, scenes that will make you laugh and cry, and very capable acting to boot. Maid to Order actually has much in common with Arthur 2: On the Rocks. (see my review) Fans of that movie certainly should enjoy this one as well. Maid to Order, like Arthur 2, is essentially about a character, played in this case by Ally Sheedy, who goes from riches to rags to riches. Jessie (Ally) is just a young woman with too much of her father's money to spend and too much time to do it with. She simply needs to grow up. A fairy godmother (Beverly D'Angelo) grants her father's (Tom Skerritt) wish when he regrets even having a daughter. She's left homeless and without a past. She is forced to take a job as a maid, working for a flamboyant couple (Dick Shawn and Valerie Perrine) whom her father knows. The going is rough in the beginning, but she soon learns how to become friends with the rest of the hired help. This movie essentially belongs to Ally Sheedy (rarely is she not in a scene), but the supporting cast all have their shining moments as well. One of the classical lines comes from Stan (Dick Shawn) who tells Georgette (Valerie Perrine), "I don't deserve to touch your toenails. Although it was the highlight of my breakfast." All turns out happily for everyone in this movie. And Jessie is finally recognised by her father, who welcomes her back with open arms. Some movies can't be judged by box office receipts, and this is one of them.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: feel good film
Review: a film that simply shows that anyone can change!I feel that there is a good side to anyone.It just needs to be discovered!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: cute 80's comedy classic
Review: Ally Sheedy stars with the delightful Beverly D'Angelo in the Cinderella comedy MAID TO ORDER.

Jessie Montgomery (Ally Sheedy) is a Beverly Hills teen-queen with a big check-book and an even bigger attitude. Her frustrated father (Tom Skerritt), wishes that he didn't have a daughter...and wacky "fairy godmother" Stella (Beverly D'Angelo) grants his wish...and Jessica finds herself on the street looking for a job.

Jessica finds herself as the maid to the way-out Starkey family (Valerie Perrine and Dick Shawn), while suddenly finding real friends in the other domestic staff who become her second family.

Cute 80's comedy which has developed a real following. Ally Sheedy's best film and, aside from the "Vacation" movies, Beverly D'Angelo's best solo comedy effort.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A fairy godmother helps a spoiled little rich girl grow up
Review: Any movie that has Beverly D'Angelo as the fairy godmother is going to be my kind of movie. I have been a fan of D'Angelo's ever since she played Patsy Cline, including doing all of her own singing, in "Coal Miner's Daughter," and when I saw "National Lampoon's Vacation" I was not disappointed to discover that the film's R rating did not involve nudity because of the scene with Christie Brinkley in the swimming pool. Besides, when you throw supporting performances by Tom Skerritt and Merry Clayton into this film, you can forgive a lot of the shortcoming of "Maid to Order."

D'Angelo's fairy godmother is named Stella (interesting, since D'Angelo got rave reviews for a television production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" in which she played Stella Kowalski), who shows up to deal with spoiled little rich girl Jessie Montgomery (Ally Sheedy) who needs to learn a lesson. This means going the riches to rags route by coming home from a party one morning and discovering that nobody remembers her, including her father (Skerritt). It looks like Jessie is going to have to try to make it on her own and the future does not look bright.

Jessie eventually manages to get a job as a maid (saw that one coming, did you?) for rock 'n' roll promoter Stan Starkey (Dick Shawn) and his airhead wife Georgette (Valerie Perrine), who are attempting to redefine new money vulgarity. Slowly but surely Jessie learns to do her job and starts to connect with the downstairs staff, who take pity on her even though there is very little to like initially. This includes the cook, Audrey James (Clayton), the maid Maria (Begona Plaza), and the handsome chauffer, Nick McGuire (Michael Ontkean), who become the closest thing Jessie has to family and friends in the brand new world in which she has to live.

"Maid to Order" is fairly predictable and while we never really believe that Jessie was evil rather than stupid, there are a couple of heartfelt moments when she realizes that whatever she was it was wrong to be that way. The strength of the film remains the relationships she forms with the rest of the staff, which matters in the big magical moment when she has the opportunity to wish for anything in the world and she actually thinks of her friends instead of herself. This 1987 film might be predictable, but at least "Maid to Order" never gets stupid, which means this sweet little comedy comes from Amy Holden Jones out ahead in the end.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A fairy godmother helps a spoiled little rich girl grow up
Review: Any movie that has Beverly D'Angelo as the fairy godmother is going to be my kind of movie. I have been a fan of D'Angelo's ever since she played Patsy Cline, including doing all of her own singing, in "Coal Miner's Daughter," and when I saw "National Lampoon's Vacation" I was not disappointed to discover that the film's R rating did not involve nudity because of the scene with Christie Brinkley in the swimming pool. Besides, when you throw supporting performances by Tom Skerritt and Merry Clayton into this film, you can forgive a lot of the shortcoming of "Maid to Order."

D'Angelo's fairy godmother is named Stella (interesting, since D'Angelo got rave reviews for a television production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" in which she played Stella Kowalski), who shows up to deal with spoiled little rich girl Jessie Montgomery (Ally Sheedy) who needs to learn a lesson. This means going the riches to rags route by coming home from a party one morning and discovering that nobody remembers her, including her father (Skerritt). It looks like Jessie is going to have to try to make it on her own and the future does not look bright.

Jessie eventually manages to get a job as a maid (saw that one coming, did you?) for rock 'n' roll promoter Stan Starkey (Dick Shawn) and his airhead wife Georgette (Valerie Perrine), who are attempting to redefine new money vulgarity. Slowly but surely Jessie learns to do her job and starts to connect with the downstairs staff, who take pity on her even though there is very little to like initially. This includes the cook, Audrey James (Clayton), the maid Maria (Begona Plaza), and the handsome chauffer, Nick McGuire (Michael Ontkean), who become the closest thing Jessie has to family and friends in the brand new world in which she has to live.

"Maid to Order" is fairly predictable and while we never really believe that Jessie was evil rather than stupid, there are a couple of heartfelt moments when she realizes that whatever she was it was wrong to be that way. The strength of the film remains the relationships she forms with the rest of the staff, which matters in the big magical moment when she has the opportunity to wish for anything in the world and she actually thinks of her friends instead of herself. This 1987 film might be predictable, but at least "Maid to Order" never gets stupid, which means this sweet little comedy comes from Amy Holden Jones out ahead in the end.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: 1980s tale of riches to rags
Review: Brat Packer Ally Sheedy plays rich girl Jesse Montgomery who is careless about her finances and other people-- when cut off by her well-meaning dad, she borrows money off the butler -- who works for a living unlike her! I love how Jesse is supposed to be so cool and fashionable because in retrospect those 1980s hair and fashion are so heinous.

When her father says he wishes he never had her, a fairy godmother (Beverly D'Angelo) makes it true. Jesse is rebvorn as someone with no past. Her family, friends and dog have no idea who she is and she is ordered off the property. She has no money and only the fancy dirty dress she wore to her last party. Now she has to look for work.

She goes to a temp agency that has just received a call for a white maid. ("There is no such thing as a white maid in Los Angeles", says the woman seconds before Jesse appears with no credentials and experience. Such a racist premise as comedy could only come from the 1980s.)

Jesse is placed with a wealthy family that knows her father, but she was be subservient to all of them. Her ineptitude and idiocy make her realize how badly she has behaved in the past and that, since she does not know when if ever she will go back to her old life, she better learn to be a good maid and quick.

If you like a good 1980s romp that is feel-good, this is for you!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Reverse Cinderella
Review: I am amazed that there are others out there who also love this film. I happen to be a Cinderella fan, and this twist on the fairy tale is charming. Dick Shawn and Valerie Perine at their very best. A sweet tale to make you smile!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Cool 80's Movie
Review: I am surprised this movie got some good comments I thought I was the only one who loved this movie. Like one of my other faves, "Working Girl" (another "that's so 80's" movie) its a happy story where things go right even though it may be unrealistic. I will NEVER forget the wife who melted down the soap scraps for the help to use and recycling aluminum foil, and those wigs so stupid but funny in that 80s way. And like the other reviewer I liked that Shine song and I thought that story reminded me of another "washed up" singer who turned to the bottle. Rent this again or buy it from Amazon its a good price for an lazy afternoon movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I love this movie
Review: I first saw this movie in 1993 and really enjoyed it. Recently I saw it again, and feel the same way about it as I did all those years ago. In this movie Ally Sheedy plays a spoiled, rich girl who is punished by her fairy godmother and forced to work as a maid for a rich Malibu couple. I find the story interesting, and the clothes that her employers wear are quite amusing!
It was heart warming to watch Jesse become a better person through working and being in the company of the other servants.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What a story!
Review: I first saw this on TV, I think it was on UPN Local TV. I have since gotten ahold of the DVD. Beverly D'Angelo plays a stunning role as Ally Sheedy's Fairy Godmother; Ally Sheedy becomes poor and must get a job as a maid. Everyone she had always known is now under a spell and does not recognize her including her friends, her father, his workers, and his friends and colleagues. It is a bit of a tear jerker but there's a lot of humor mixed in mostly aimed a reality, "Life is not fair". All in all it is a dose of the real world for Ally Sheedy! On the DVD, the only options are to play the movie and to select a scene, but most mid-eighties movies are like that with no special features. I find that they usually update them with an anniversary DVD depending on how well it does. Being that it just came out about a year and a half ago on DVD, it may be a while before there is an anniversary DVD, perhaps in 2007 as a 20th anniversary DVD!*****


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