Rob’s Car Movie Review: Maintenance Required (2025)

For the past couple of years, there has been a noticeable dearth of car movie releases, both theatrical and streaming. Indeed, with the exception of HBO Max’s series Duster, it has sadly been all quiet on the car movie front of late. Thankfully though, Amazon MGM Studios has ended the lack of entries in our favorite film genre with the release of their new film, Maintenance Required.

A flashy rom-com, featuring attractive, young stars, an enticing setting, and an apparent bevy of classic and modern performance cars, Maintenance Required practically leapt off the Amazon Prime homepage, begging me to watch it.

While on the surface it certainly seems to possess all the proper hallmarks of a fun car movie, the question remains as to whether or not it would it meet my fairly high standards for enjoyment. In this installment of Rob’s Car Movie Review I’ll break the film down and determine whether it is worth investing an hour and a half of my (and your) time.

So, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Maintenance Required!

Maintenance Required was released on October 8^th, 2025, and was a production of Amazon MGM Studios in association with Future Artists Entertainment, Luber Roklin Entertainment, and Roukya Films. A limited theatrical release in the United States was handled by Amazon MGM Studios, and streaming by Amazon Prime Video.

The film was directed by Lacey Uhlemeyer, based on a screenplay by Uhlemeyer along with Erin Falconer and Roo Berry.

Starring is Madelaine Petsch of Riverdale fame, Jacob Scipio, Katey O’Brian, Madison Bailey, and noted actor-comedian, Jim Gaffigan.

The movie focuses on Charlie (Petsch), a young, female owner of a struggling auto repair shop in San Francisco. Every day, she puts all her energy into keeping the business afloat, and on the well-being of her two female employees and best friends, mechanics Kam (O’Brian) and Izzy (Bailey.) As a result, she has no social life and no time for any of life’s pleasures.

In the few idle hours Charlie has to herself, she goes on an online forum where she is known only as “GreaseMnky” and flirtatiously chats with “Bullnose,” a man who, unbeknownst to Charlie is really Beau (Scipio), an executive of a large, nationwide auto repair company, Miller Boys.

While Charlie routinely expresses her fears of not being able to keep her auto repair business afloat due to competition, Beau purposely hides his vocation from her, in fear that it will jeopardize their relationship as Beau has just opened a Miller Boys location close by her shop.

As we get to know Beau more, we learn that he is deeply unsatisfied with most aspects of his life, including a relationship with a vapid girlfriend who holds little interest in him beyond his looks and money, and the dismissive way he is treated by his boss, Mr. Miller (Gaffigan.)

Curious as to what Charlie is like in person, Beau decides to drop by her shop and meet her, but decides not reveal to her that he is, in fact, her online crush, Bullnose. Beau is dazzled by her beauty and spirit.

A few days later, Charlie is reluctantly persuaded by Kam and Izzy to attend an open house-style party at the Miller Boys location near her garage.

While there, she runs into Beau, who is hosting the party, and wearing a Miller Boys name tag. Charlie is upset that Beau deceived her by not revealing who he was at their prior meeting, and runs home to tell Bullnose about the day’s events, still unaware that Beau and Bullnose are one and the same.

Deciding that he wants to reveal to Charlie that he is actually Bullnose once and for all and attempt to spark a romantic relationship with her, Bullnose asks her out on a date. Charlie accepts the invitation, and gets all glammed up for the occasion.

Beau arrives at the restaurant late having been delayed at work, and upon approaching Charlie, loses his nerve to reveal his Bullnose alter ego, as Charlie is still cross with him for having concealed his Miller Boys vocation. He sheepishly suggests that since her date has clearly stood her up, that she should dine with him. Charlie dismisses the idea out of hand and runs home to tell Bullnose to never message her again.

Some time later, Charlie’s business is close to the point of insolvency despite her ceaseless efforts, and in a moment of despair and loneliness, she decides to reach out to Bullnose, and agrees to meet him at a coffee shop. Beau arrives and pretends it’s a coincidence that they keep running into each other.

He tells Charlie of his recent resignation at Miller Boys, and invites her to an upcoming, fancy classic car show. Charlie relents and accepts the invitation, as Bullnose’s second no-show on a date has made her decide to finally be done with him.

The two attend the car show, having a fine time photographing the cars, and then return to Beau’s home. They share a brief romantic moment before Charlie recognizes Beau’s car in his garage, the exact same car Bullnose shared a picture of on the online site that brought them together.

Charlie is stunned that she hadn’t put the pieces together earlier, and feels utterly betrayed by Beau’s cunning artifices and deceptions.

Will their romance die before it even begins?

So, does this storyline sound vaguely familiar to you? If so, it’s because Maintenance Required is little more than a slightly rehashed and updated retelling of the 1998 smash hit, You’ve Got Mail, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. And to my chagrin, it is a fairly lazy remake at that.

In light of the ultra-low $1.5 million reported budget, the filmmakers did well to make the movie look and sound as if it had much more loot behind it. The cinematography is crisp and colorful, the editing competent, and the soundtrack brimming with what I guess “the kids” are listening to these days.

It is this latter facet though that hints at where the trouble began for me watching Maintenance Required. This is most assuredly NOT a movie aimed at adults. Despite an Amazon Prime trailer that didn’t hint at the film’s intended audience, it became clear to me within the first ten minutes of viewing it that this was a movie with a Generation Z demographic, and the younger end of it at that.

The early to mid-twenties aged cast members are all very pretty and are dressed in hip, young fashions, the film’s color palate reflects the popped hues of the lighting in any “under 18 night” at a local nightclub, and the music is full of the fairly vacuous lyrics and electronic drumbeats that typify the Charlie XCX type songs that bewilderingly hypnotize today’s youth. Even the plot beats in the story are easy to digest, including the workings of a small business such as Charlie’s shop. Nope, no heavy lifting here.

Even the painful human conditions we all deal with – loneliness, anxiety, love, and trust – are pretty much doled out in the story with kid gloves on, and the characters seem to repair from difficult situations with nary a trauma burned on their souls. There’s simply no resemblance here to real, adult life.

Everything from the script, that hits all the correct act plot points, the characters whose actions indeed propel the plot forward, to the dialogue which imparts all the necessary reveals, are all delivered without anything special beyond the standards needed to tell a story. It’s not unlike an autonomous driving vehicle: sure, it’ll get you there, but there won’t be many thrills in the process, or too many fond memories of that road trip.

The acting from Petsch and Scipio is adequate, bearing in mind what little they have to work with in terms of writing, though some of the supporting cast seem to have been directed to amp the energy level up to over-the-top, which gets tedious quick. What is really lacking though is any sort of visceral chemistry between the two leads. Not one spark there to be found, I can assure you.

Having pretty much panned the film by this point, I’m actually pleased that I can offer you at least one fine takeaway from the movie, and that comes in the form of its cars.

At the very beginning of the flick, when we are first introduced to Charlie, she is seen driving a classic that is very apropos to the film’s setting. Yup, you guessed it Bullitt fans, she is behind the wheel of a very nice, Highland Green 1968 Mustang GT Fastback.

Though the camera’s lens doesn’t linger terribly long on this doppelgänger of one of the most famous cars in movie history, it is long enough so that one can glean that this a mostly factory correct car, spared of the resto-modding that seems to plague classics that appear in films these days.

What’s more, the filmmakers made sure that the car was in correct Bullitt spec, right down to its 15 x 6-inch American Racing Torq-Thrust D magnesium wheels with the bright polished outer rings.

We never get a look under the car’s hood to see if a genuine 390 cubic-inch big-block is in place, but judging by the sound of Charlie’s car, it is indeed sporting a V8 of some displacement.

Though the Mustang is never pressed hard during the movie, we do nonetheless get a sequence late in the proceedings where Charlie drives it alongside Beau’s equally gorgeous, black 1958 Mercedes-Benz 190SL along PCH near Hearst’s Castle. We are also treated to quite a few looks at it during the film’s duration, and that is a decidedly good thing.

Another pair of vehicles that figure prominently in the picture are Charlie and Beau’s vintage Ford Broncos, which are, in the story, what originally brought them together online.

Charlie’s Bronco, a custom painted, red, white, and blue ’68 Wagon nicknamed “Marge”, is heavily modified with a body lift kit, large off-road tires and wheels, and a customized interior. She has yet to put an engine in it at the time of the time of the story, owing to the fact that she has put a hiatus on the restoration to focus on work.

Beau’s Bronco is a light metallic blue, late sixties Bronco, also lifted, and appears in the movie sans any sort of top.

Both are pretty cool light trucks that today command six-figure money at the big auctions like Mecum and Barrett-Jackson.

Modern exotics also figure into the mix during the open-house scene at Miller Boys.

Charlie gushes over an immaculate, Palladium Grey Metallic 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLR roadster, while other supercars in attendance include a stunning Verde Mantis Pearl 2019 Lamborghini Huracán Evo Spyder, a Rosso Corsa Red 2000 Ferrari 360 Modena Spyder, and a highly desirable 2005 Porsche Carrera GT in traditional GT Silver Metallic.

Quite a collection of speed.

In the car show sequence, we are treated to some topflight classics in full concours condition. There are too many to document all of them here, but some standouts include an exquisite 1956 Maserati A6G/54 2000, a two-tone 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 C SS, and a magnificent 1938 Bugatti Type 57c Stelvio.

To call Maintenance Required a car movie is a bit of a misnomer. Although classic, and performance cars dot the landscape of the film throughout, and feature in a few key scenes, the picture is really just a romantic comedy whose writers chose to use the car scene as the world that the characters interact in. They could just as well have set the movie in the aviation, pro basketball, or, heck, rodeo clown worlds if they had cared to.

While the film has some charms, it doesn’t busy itself whatsoever in delivering something that the viewer hasn’t seen before. It is merely content at phoning everything in and being just another routine entry in the rom-com genre, this one aimed a youthful and primarily female demographic. 

While certainly not unwatchable, Maintenance Required is instantly forgettable after spending your time with it, time that doesn’t require any thinking or emotional investment. Sure, the cars are great, but in every other aspect, some maintenance is definitely required to make this film remarkable in any way, shape, or form. As such, I give Maintenance Required five out of ten pistons, and suggest you find your automotive cinematic thrills elsewhere.

Until next time…