''Maid to Order'' is a 1987 American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction ...

. It is a variation on the

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

formula, where the

fairy godmother In fairy tales, a fairy godmother () is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies. In Perrault's ''Cinderella'', he concludes the tale wit ...

is not the means to a better life for the

heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero ...

, but rather the

nemesis In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia ( grc, Ῥαμνουσία, Rhamnousía, the goddess of Rhamnous), was the goddess who personifies retribution, a central concept in the Greek world view. Etymology The ...

. Rather than doing so out of malice, though, the fairy godmother hopes to teach the heroine that life has more of importance than financial security.

Plot

Jessica "Jessie" Montgomery (

Ally Sheedy Alexandra Elizabeth Sheedy (born June 13, 1962) is an American actress. Following her film debut in 1983's '' Bad Boys'', she became known as one of the Brat Pack group of actors and starred in '' WarGames'' (1983), ''The Breakfast Club'' (1985) ...

) is a bratty, hard-partying rich girl in her mid-20s. Jessie's self-indulgent lifestyle (along with a lack of respect for anything or anybody, even herself) has been wearing thin on her father Charles (

Tom Skerritt Thomas Roy Skerritt (born August 25, 1933) is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962. He is known for his film roles in ''M*A*S*H'', ''Alien'', '' The Dead Zone'', '' Top Gun'', '' A ...

), a widowed

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

. When Jessie's boyfriend Brent (

Jason Beghe Jason Deneen Beghe (; born March 12, 1960) is an American actor. Since 2014, he has starred in the NBC TV series '' Chicago P.D.'' as sergeant Hank Voight. He is also known for starring in the 1988 George A. Romero film '' Monkey Shines'', play ...

) breaks up with her, out of frustration with her immaturity and utter lack of values, she could not care less. Then, Jessie is arrested for drug possession and DWI with a suspended license (she also attempts to bribe her arresting officers). Charles blames himself for his daughter's downward spiral: Jessie's mother died only a few years after the girl was born; instead of laying down the law, he spoiled Jessie rotten...often leaving her in the care of his valet Woodrow ( Theodore Wilson) and other family retainers. Now, hearing that his daughter has been busted and her car impounded, he wishes aloud (ostensibly to Woodrow, but also to himself) that he had never had a daughter. Outside, a star falls. Jessie's identity is magically erased, leaving her fully clothed, but with no resources or possessions, and no family or friends. Enter Stella Winston (

Beverly D'Angelo Beverly Heather D'Angelo (born November 15, 1951) is an American actress who starred as Ellen Griswold in the ''National Lampoon's Vacation'' films (1983–2015). She has appeared in over 60 films and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for h ...

), a fairy godmother who has been "assigned" to the Montgomery family. Stella pays Jessie's bail and explains what has happened as a result of Charles' wish. Being Jessie, she does not believe a word Stella says. When she walks to her father's mansion, neither he nor any of the servants recognize her; neither does Jimmy, the family dog. When Jessie breaks into the mansion, she is promptly chased out and has to flee when the cops show up. Wandering the streets, Jessie trips over some girls with whom she recently partied. They insist they have never seen Jessie before in their lives, and shove her away. She once again encounters Stella...who spells out all of Jessie's faults and suggests the girl find a job to provide for herself. Having never worked a day in her life (she dropped out of junior college after "six years"), Jessie nonetheless succeeds in finding employment as a live-in

maid A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era domestic service was the second largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids ...

for an eccentric Malibu family: Stan Starkey (

Dick Shawn Dick Shawn (born Richard Schulefand, December 1, 1923 – April 17, 1987) was an American actor and comedian. He played a wide variety of supporting roles and was a prolific character actor. During the 1960s, he played small roles in madcap comed ...

), his wife Georgette (

Valerie Perrine Valerie Ritchie Perrine (born September 3, 1943) is an American actress. For her role as Honey Bruce in the 1974 film ''Lenny'', she won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles, the Cannes Film Festival Award for Bes ...

), and their daughter Brie (

Rain Phoenix Rain Joan of Arc Phoenix ( Bottom; born November 21, 1972) is an American actress, musician, and singer. She is the older sister of Joaquin, Liberty and Summer Phoenix and younger sister of River Phoenix. Early life Phoenix was born Rain Joan ...

). A few years ago, the Starkeys won several million dollars in the

lottery A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...

; they now aspire to break into the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sp ...

s. Gradually, Jessie bonds with the Starkeys' other retainers: cook Audrey (

Merry Clayton Merry Clayton (born December 25, 1948) is an American soul and gospel singer. She provided a number of backing vocal tracks for major performing artists in the 1960s, most notably in her duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song " Gimme S ...

), a failed singer; fellow maid Maria (Begoña Plaza); and chauffeur Nick (

Michael Ontkean Michael Leonard Ontkean (born 24 January 1946) is a retired Canadian actor. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Ontkean relocated to the United States to attend the University of New Hampshire on a hockey scholarship before pursuing ...

), an aspiring songwriter. Jessie learns the true meaning of friendship, hard work, and self-respect...while falling in love with Nick. When she helps Nick and Audrey break into the music business, Jessie's old life is returned to her; her dad and everyone else recognize her again. However, being a better and more mature person, Jessie continues her relationship with Nick; the ending implies that they ultimately get married.

Cast

– Jessie Montgomery *

– Stella Winston *

– Nick McGuire *

– Georgette Starkey *

– Stan Starkey *

– Charles Montgomery *

– Audrey James * Begoña Plaza – Maria *

– Brie Starkey (as Rainbow Phoenix) * Theodore Wilson - Woodrow *

- Brent *

Katey Sagal Catherine Louise "Katey" Sagal (; born January 19, 1954) is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing Peggy Bundy on '' Married... with Children'' (1987–1997), Leela on ''Futurama'' (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2023), Cate Hennes ...

- Louise *

Victoria Catlin Victoria Catlin (born Victoria Shechter on September 23, 1952) is a retired actress best known for her roles as Blackie O'Reilly in '' Twin Peaks,'' Ellen Forrest in ''Maniac Cop,'' Dr. Catherine Peake in '' Howling V: The Rebirth'', and Anastasia ...

- Alicia Nolin * Khandi Alexander - Hooker in Jail *

Henry Woolf Henry Woolf, (20 January 1930 – 11 November 2021) was a British actor, theatre director, and teacher of acting, drama, and theatre who lived in Canada. He was a longtime friend and collaborator of 2005 Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter, having st ...

- Jailer * Robert Jaffe - Miles * George Chala Sr - Gas Station owner (Uncredited)

Reception

Reviews were negative.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' "found it too easy to anticipate most of the big moments and too hard to believe that Sheedy was really a spoiled, mean-spirited rich bitch." Janet Maslin in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praised Sheedy, saying her "petulant manner and her air of faint distaste for her surroundings are just right for this role. And she shows herself to be an able physical comedienne." FloridaGator80 writes "despite its shortcomings, Maid to Order leaves you in a good mood." ''Maid To Order'' holds a 42% rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

based on 12 reviews.

Filming locations

Jessie's father's mansion is located at 365 S Hudson Street, Los Angeles, California. The Starkey mansion, where Jessie worked, is located at 32596 Pacific Coast Hwy,

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...

. The gas station where Jessie kicks the vending machine was located on Sunset and Swathmore in the Pacific Palisades.

Availability

The movie was released on VHS by

International Video Entertainment Artisan Entertainment (formerly known as U.S.A. Home Video, International Video Entertainment (IVE) and LIVE Entertainment) was an American film studio and home video company. It was considered one of the largest mini-major film studios until ...

in 1988 and again in 1991 by Avid Home Entertainment. In 2002, Artisan Entertainment released the film on DVD without bonus features and was presented only in full screen.

Soundtrack

* "

Spirit in the Sky "Spirit in the Sky" is a song by American singer-songwriter Norman Greenbaum, originally written and recorded by Greenbaum and released in late 1969 from the album of the same name. The single became a gold record, selling two million copies f ...

", performed by Doctor and the Medics, music and lyrics by

Norman Greenbaum Norman Joel Greenbaum (born November 20, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter. He is primarily known for his 1969 song "Spirit in the Sky". Early life Greenbaum was born in Malden, Massachusetts. He was raised in an Orthodox Jewish househol ...

* "I'm On My Own", performed by Craig Thomas, music and lyrics by Ralph Jones and Claudette Raiche * " Clean Up Woman", performed by Bekka Bramlett, music and lyrics by Clarence Reid and Willie Clark * "I Can Still Shine", performed by

, music and lyrics by Ashford and Simpson * " It's in His Kiss", performed by Merry Clayton, music and lyrics by

Rudy Clark Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

* "976-Self Service", music by Ralph Jones and Claudette Raiche * "Fernando the Champ", music and lyrics by Rudy Regaiado

References

External links

* * * * * {{Amy Holden Jones 1987 films 1980s fantasy comedy films 1987 independent films American fantasy comedy films American independent films Films scored by Georges Delerue 1987 comedy films Films directed by Amy Holden Jones Films with screenplays by Amy Holden Jones 1980s English-language films 1980s American films