Why ‘Maintenance Required’ fails as a female empowerment film in the automotive genre

When I recently came across “Maintenance Required” on Amazon Prime, I was excited to see women in the driving seat of the motoring world.

I enjoyed the “Fast & Furious” films and other movies set in the automotive industry, but I want to see more than these kinds of productions, which are portrayed through a male perspective.

With the release of “Motorheads” on the streaming platform in May, I enjoyed seeing Melissa Collazo leading the cast, so I was hoping “Maintenance Required” would kick the female power up a notch in this exciting genre.

But the performances of “Riverdale” star Madelaine Petsch, alongside Madison Bailey and Katy O’Brian, were anything but thrilling.

The film, directed and written by Lacey Uhlemeyer, introduces us to Charlie O’Mally (Petsch), who is running her late father’s dilapidated, now all-female mechanic shop with her besties, Kam (O’Brian) and Izzy (Bailey).

He opened its doors back in 1988, and Charlie is determined to continue its founding principles of loyalty, community hard work.

The trio are determined to run a no-nonsense garage which doesn't scam their clients. They especially cater to the ladies who often fall victim to unscrupulous mechanics who take advantage of their vehicle knowledge.

Meanwhile, part of their shop is a nail salon where Izzy pampers clients while Charlie and Kam work on their cars.

They thrive on offering value to their community, despite struggling to make ends meet.

But part of the business's demise is Charlie’s refusal to accept change, insisting that the storms will eventually pass and business will be good again.

She is car-obsessed, a passion she forged while spending time with her dad. She grew up in the shop, and as she admits, she “played with wrenches instead of dolls”.

Still struggling with her father’s death, Charlie spends all of her free time trying to repair the rundown Marge, a vintage Ford Bronco, to its former glory.

Charlie also avoids the dating scene, despite her friends’ pleas to get out more. The only man she feels comfortable with is an online confident Beau, whom she met on a Bronco forum.

They have been exchanging intimate text messages for months, but Charlie has no plans of taking their relationship out of the digital world. Beau is also from the other side of town, and Charlie feels safe opening up to him virtually instead of in real life (IRL).

But in a dramatic twist of fate, Beau (Jacob Scipio) gets transferred to Charlie’s city even though at this point, they still haven't met.

She is also unaware that her online lover is referred to as “the closer” at Miller Boys and that he has been recruited to spearhead the opening of the organisation’s new branch across the street from O’Mallys.

Charlie and her team are furious about their flashy competitor and believe that their corporate greed will force O’Malleys to close their doors.

Meanwhile, with Beau now living in Charlie’s city, they meet by chance and sparks begin to fly.

However, when they discover they are business rivals, Charlie and Beau are forced to reevaluate their futures.

I am always a sucker for a good love story, but this one was forgettable. The chemistry between the co-stars was anything but electric and their banter fails to land.

Petsch was stellar as Cheryl Blossom, a rich and manipulative mean girl on “Riverdale”, but she didn't leave a lasting impression on “Maintenance Required”.   

British actor Scipio, who featured in two of the “Bad Boy” movies alongside Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, also failed to step up as the leading man.

Parts of the movie, which were worse than the acting that it presented itself as a modern-day adaptation of “You've Got Mail”, but it fell very short of following in that iconic film’s big footsteps.

The dialogue was boring and predictable and the movie is filled with too many cliches and it often strays too far away from reality.

And with its strong focus on cars, automotives are barely in the spotlight, apart from a few models here and there and a couple rambling on about their obsession with the industry.

I would have loved to see more scenes with adrenaline-fueled racing and displays of stunning cars.

* I give “Maintenance Required” a two out of five stars.