May 2002 Enough :

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Reviewed by Wilson Morales Enough Distributor: Columbia Pictures Director: Michael Apted Screenplay Nicholas Kazan Producer: Irwin Winkler & Rob Cowan Composer: David Arnold Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Billy Campbell, Noah Wyle, Juliette Lewis, Dan Futterman and Tessa Allen Running Time: 105 min There has always been the never-ending conversation that there are less than eight good scripts in Hollywood. Many would believe that each one of those scripts is recycled time after time with slight modification. It goes without saying that “Enough” will be heavily compared to the film Julia Roberts made a decade ago, “Sleeping with the Enemy”. Both films bring in the social issue of domestic abuse that needs to be address. But instead of capitalizing on this subject matter to make a statement, what we get is an “Arnold S.” film in the guise of Jennifer Lopez, who does a pretty good at keeping the female action genre alive. We first meet Slim (Lopez) as a waitress in a diner tending to a wealthy contractor named Mitch (Campbell). In a couple of eye blinks, the happy couple is now married with a daughter in tow. It doesn’t take long before Mitch started wandering his attention elsewhere and is caught by his unsuspecting wife. Things turn from bad to worse, as Slim has to fear for her life before any more bodily harm comes to her. With the help of her friends including another waitress (Lewis), Slim flees with daughter Gracie from city to city, state to state, as Mitch tracks somehow tracks down her every move. After in fear for so long, Slim decides to fight back literally. With some cash from an old source and some martial arts training, she goes back to settle the score once and for all. Will she succeed and is her will to survive “enough” to combat this brute of a husband? First of all, this is a summer film. This is the time when going to the movies is supposed to be fun. Throw away the logic and the connecting dots because there is none in this film. In this day of age when the Lorena Bobbitts and other battered women have seen their men get their comeuppance, one would think Slim would know what to do to expedite and resolve the situation. The subject matter flies away from any sort of comprehension as we get cheap thrills instead. Throughout the chase and predictable ending which was foreseen miles ahead, Lopez is somewhat convincing as the wife whose spirit is broken when her prince charming turns out to be the opposite. Learning the Krav Maga, a martial art technique, is a good way to increase self-defense classes. Campbell, who played a good guy on TV on the now cancelled “Once and Again” is the most interesting of the leads, but playing the evil one is always a good part. David Arnold’s score is audience friendly, as we know what coming up next and how to respond to it. In short, “Enough” establishes Jennifer Lopez as an actress who can act in any genre including this flight of fancy.