Worse help is hard to find

DarthBill

Jessie Montgomery (Ally Sheedy), a caricature of Paris Hilton before there even was a Paris Hilton to make a caricature of, is a spoiled 20-something rich bitch who's wild party animal ways, lack of respect for herself and others, and overall just general aimlessness is driving her soft spoken father (Tom Skerritt) up the wall. When she gets arrested for drunk driving and drug possession, her dad decides that she's finally crossed the line and, beside himself with frustration and disappointment, he says something he never thought he'd hear himself say - he wished his daughter had never come into his life at all. The fairy godmother Stella (Bevelry D'Angelo) hears his wish and decides to grant it in the hope of teaching Jessie a lesson - she continues to exist, but to the outside world, i.e., her father, it's as though she were never born, which means she's on her own. Stranded with no money (except for some loose change), no family, no friends and no home, the hapless Jessie is forced to take a demeaning job as a maid for an eccentric rich couple. As she is forced to do real work for the first time in her life, it is here that she finally learns what work is, and learns the true meaning love, friendship and respect for one's self and others through the eventual friendships she develops with the other workers.

Lightweight, mostly good natured coming of age fantasy fluff. Ally Sheedy, a fine actress who never got the recognition she deserved (though even she couldn't pull off some of those bad haircuts), plays her part well. Even as the spoiled rich bitch early on, you could tell that even she wasn't entirely happy with her life and you could see throughout the film that it genuinely hurt her to have her father not know her. The rest of the cast works well and the overall result is a pleasant time filler. The ever sexy Beverly D'Angelo is quite funny as the fairy godmother.

score 8/10

DarthBill 12 April 2008

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1856572/