Whoopi Goldberg starred in this comedy as one-hit wonder Mavis Rae, a cigarette-smoking, alcohol-drinking, menopausal and especially opinionated hotelier.

Quickly realizing that her initial success was a fluke, she parlayed her finances from that hit into purchasing the Lamont Hotel in Manhattan.

Mavis operates the hotel on her charm and wit while assisted by Iran native Nasim (Omid Djalili) and Eastern European housekeeper Jadwiga (Gordana Rashovich), who share a love-hate relationship with each other.

Staying at the hotel is her baby brother Courtney (Wren T. Brown), a moderate Republican attorney who is attempting to get back on his feet after being laid off from Enron amidst its bankruptcy scandal.

Courtney begins dating medical imager Rita Nash (Elizabeth Regen), who spoke jive and was portrayed with an exaggerated urban black stereotype despite the fact that she was white.