Dir. Michael Apted, 2002, US, 115 mins
Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Billy Campbell, Tessa Allen, Juliette Lewis, Dan Futterman, Noah Wyle, Fred Ward
Review by Just
Working class waitress slim (Lopez) thinks she’s entering a life of domestic bliss when she marries Mitch (Campbell), the man of her dreams. After the arrival of their first child, her picture perfect life is shattered when she discovers Mitch’s hidden possessive dark side, a controlling and abusive alter ego that can turn trust, love and tranquillity into terror and menace. Self-defence isn’t murder. Impressive sleeve notes, I was hooked.
If this was an exploitation B-movie I’d have more time for it, as it is, Enough seems solely and purely conceived as a J-Lo vehicle to show off Ms Lo’s considerable talents (acting aside).
She gets to show us her drippy waitress, love struck singleton, young caring mother (ahh!!!), abused housewife (ohh!!), woman in jeopardy and finally avenging angel, enough for half a dozen quality flicks.
Acting is supplied by no less than Juliette (Natural Born Killers) Lewis, Fred (The Player) Ward and ER‘s Noah Wyle; just doing this for the pay cheque, honest guv! Whenever Ward is on the screen the film sparkles.
Directed by Michael Apted, the man who brought us The World is Not Enough, you might expect more from the man who delivers Bond movies. As it says on the sleeve cover “a harrowing, high style thriller hit.” Wow. Unfortunately this dud fails to either engage or entertain, resorting to using inter-titles interspersed throughout the movie to inform the audience to what is going on.
The story basically allows J-lo to run through her acting talents to the movies underlying theme. er. making J-Lo more money?
The premise that beaten abused spouses need to kidnap their children, go on the run from police custody, get fit real quick and murder your husband, whilst making it look like self-defence, is dubious.
Admittedly some cases of domestic abuse do end in murder, but to suggest that as the only means possible because the court system is a failure is irresponsible. At no point in the film does J-Lo press charges, though she does go into a police station just long enough to flash a bruised cheek at an officer of the law, just long enough for us to feel sympathy for her. It might have worked except for the fact that for an abused and beaten housewife, my, she looks fine.
By the time the film reaches its climax and she has a sickly sweet reunion with her daughter, I had had “Enough.”
