Lacey Uhlemeyer’s Maintenance Required features Madelaine Petsch as Charlie/GreaseMnky and Jacob Scipio as Beau/Bullnose, two car enthusiasts who end up falling for each other after meeting each other on an online car forum. However, they remain oblivious to their true identities even when they meet in real life.
Eventually, in a true You’ve Got Mail-esque fashion, Beau finds out that Charlie, aka his real-life nemesis, is actually the girl he has fallen for online. Afraid that she will turn him away, he decides to keep the truth from her for a little longer.
However, when he finally gets her to open up and trust her, Charlie sees his beloved car ‘Diane,’ immediately figuring out that Beau is actually Bullnose. This revelation nearly ruins their love story, as Charlie, who has trouble trusting people, finds it deceitful. She leaves him, feeling none of it was ever real and that Beau was just playing games with her.
Diane and Marge Serve More Than Just Cars in Maintenance Required
In Maintenance Required, Diane (a Ford Bronco) and Marge are actually cars. Diane is a car that Beau has been trying to fix for a long time, and Marge is a car that Charlie and her Dad were supposed to fix together.
Both Diane and Marge are more than just wheels; they share an emotional connection with their respective owners. And it is because of them and the love their owners have for automobiles that brings them together.
Throughout the movie, the two cars continue to bring them together and occasionally even drag them apart. Having met on an online Reddit forum for cars, Beau and Charlie continue to share updates about their progress with each other, offering advice and solutions whenever necessary.
It is when Charlie fixes Marge that they agree to finally meet and celebrate, an event that goes wrong as Beau realizes his real-life nemesis and online best friend are the same person. Moreover, when they finally connect, it is Diane’s reveal that ends up tearing them apart.
However, at the end of the film, it is Diane and Marge that bring them together, thus making them emotional elements of the series.
Maintenance Required Feels Like a Straight Rip-Off of You’ve Got Mail
When watching Maintenance Required, it is hard not to draw parallels to the 1998 classic You’ve Got Mail. In You’ve Got Mail, Meg Ryan’s character runs a small bookstore, Tom Hanks plays a corporate bookstore chain owner, and their anonymous online correspondence sets up a romance amidst business rivalry.
Maintenance Required seems to follow a remarkably similar storyline: two characters with conflicting business interests, who already know each other online but not in real life, and eventually discover that underneath the professional conflict lies a genuine connection.
Despite the striking resemblance, the 2025 Prime Video movie lacks the depth, feel, charm, and appeal of the classic. It could have done a lot better if it had credited or paid homage to the iconic rom-com; instead, it remains as a reused film trope without the emotional element that made the Tom Hanks-starrer film a timeless gem.
Well, what do you think about Maintenance Required: Is it a worthy watch or just another derivative entry into the vast sea of streaming titles?
Maintenance Required is available for streaming on Prime Video, while You’ve Got Mail can be rented on the platform as well.
