Maintenance Required (2025) rolls onto Prime Video as a breezy romantic comedy that tries to mix grease, gears, and modern love. Directed by Lacey Uhlemeyer and starring Madelaine Petsch and Jacob Scipio, the film follows Charlie, a passionate mechanic who runs her late father’s all-female auto shop. When a sleek new garage opens across the street, Charlie finds herself competing with its owner, Beau-unaware that he’s also the anonymous online friend she’s been confiding in. The setup echoes You’ve Got Mail, but trades bookshops for car engines in an attempt to give the formula a fresh spin.
What works best here is the easy charm between Petsch and Scipio. Their chemistry is light and pleasant, even if the dialogue doesn’t always give them much to work with. Petsch brings warmth to Charlie, blending determination with vulnerability, while Scipio plays the well-meaning rival with understated charisma. The film’s heart is in the right place, celebrating women working in a male-dominated field and highlighting themes of independence, resilience, and community.
Visually, Maintenance Required is slick and polished, perhaps too much so. The mechanics shop looks more like a showroom than a gritty workspace, making the world feel airbrushed and slightly artificial. The cinematography leans on cozy lighting and pastel tones, giving the movie a soft, Instagram-ready sheen that fits its “comfort watch” status but undercuts its realism. It’s pleasant to look at, but it lacks the lived-in texture that could have made the story feel more authentic.
Where the film falters most is in its writing. The plot unfolds exactly as expected, without any surprises or emotional peaks to set it apart from the rom-com crowd. The conflict between small business and corporate rival is never fully explored, and the romantic tension resolves too easily to feel earned. The dialogue often feels mechanical, ironically fitting the title and the supporting characters don’t add much depth beyond light comic relief.
Ultimately, Maintenance Required is a serviceable romantic comedy, sweet, safe and predictable. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a well-tuned but unremarkable engine: it runs smoothly enough, but never revs high. For fans of easygoing, feel-good romances, it’s a pleasant ride. For those hoping for a fresh take on the genre, this one might need a bit more spark under the hood.
Some quotes from Maintenance Required (2025)
“You know, it’s nice having someone I can be totally open with. Even if it means we remain perfect strangers.”
“You know our rules. No names. No photos. Just cars.”
“The amount of men I’ve met, I didn’t see their faces, I didn’t know their names.”
“Is that your cyber boyfriend?”
“I know he loves classic cars and he hates his corporate job…”
