''Maid for Each Other'' is a 1992

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

starring

Nell Carter Nell Carter (born Nell Ruth Hardy; September 13, 1948 – January 23, 2003) was an American singer and actress. Carter began her career in 1970, singing in the theater, and later crossed over to television. She was best known for her role as Ne ...

and

Dinah Manoff Dinah Beth Manoff (born January 25, 1956) is an American stage, film, and television actress and television director. She is best known for her roles as Elaine Lefkowitz on ''Soap'', Marty Maraschino in the film '' Grease'', Libby Tucker in both ...

. The film was written by Manoff, Robb Gilmer, Les Alexander, Don Enright and Andrew Smith, produced by Enright and Alexander, and directed by Paul Schneider. It has been characterized as a

buddy movie The buddy film is a subgenre of adventure and comedy film in which two people are put together and are on an adventure, a quest, or a road trip. The two often contrast in personality, which creates a dynamic onscreen different from a pairing of ...

Background

Dinah Manoff had conceived of the film earlier in the 1980s as a potential pilot episode, and was able to produce it after being cast in the series ''

Empty Nest ''Empty Nest'' is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons on NBC from October 8, 1988, to April 29, 1995. The series, which was created as a spin-off of ''The Golden Girls'' by creator and producer Susan Harris, starred Ric ...

''.

Plot

Tibby Bloom (Dinah Manoff), a recently widowed Beverly Hills socialite, is left broke and homeless. Seeking refuge at her mother's home, she gains a job as a maid for a Jasmine Jones (Nell Carter), a flamboyant jazz singer. Jones is holding a large party for several important music-industry contacts in advance of her comeback performance at a club in town. However, several of her past maids have quit, and Bloom, who has never worked as a maid, is taken well out of her comfort zone. The two women form an unlikely bond but soon find themselves neck deep in mayhem and trouble when Bloom finds the body of Jones' ex-husband in a closet. They must keep the police off their trail, prevent Jones from becoming the suspect, and solve the murder.

Soundtrack

The song "Bad Case of You," which Nell Carter performs in the movie, is not available in any other form apart from in this movie.

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews. The ''Los Angeles Times'', while writing that the actors had good chemistry, criticized the "hoary plotting." The ''Chicago Tribune'' compared it, somewhat unfavorably, to

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) ...

vehicle ''

Maid to Order ''Maid to Order'' is a 1987 American comedy/fantasy film. It is a variation on the Cinderella formula, where the fairy godmother is not the means to a better life for the heroine, but rather the nemesis. Rather than doing so out of malice, thoug ...

'', but noted the film's potential as a longer series.

References

External links

* 1992 television films 1992 films 1990s crime comedy films NBC network original films American crime comedy films Films directed by Paul Schneider (director) 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{comedy-crime-film-stub