Enough? No, not really, because at the end of it you’re wishing it lasted a lot longer.
Slim (Jennifer Lopez) isn’t shady. She‘s a buxom lady. Works at the local diner with Ginny (Juliette Lewis), and that’s all I know. But jolted out of her eating-house existence, Slim’s world turns around. She meets Mitch (Billy Campbell), falls in love, has one grand wedding, has one quick kid, and leads the Esquire life, with big house, big car and a big rich husband. But like just like those fairy-tales-turned-scary-tales, Mitch turns out to be a chesty chauvinist who beats her when she finds out about his illicit affair. Too afraid to report to the cops, she endures his bullying for a while, until her friends help her get away.
With no money and one adorable and very confused kid, she tries escaping the thugs Mitch has on her tail. Determined to have Slim back, he has his men follow her across cities, but loses her trail when she decides to adopt a new identity and a new hairstyle. Fed up with having to cower and run, she vows to change her life and equip herself with whatever it is that gives Mitch his spunk. She does.
“Enough” entertains. It’s a fairly simple story, decently told, crafted above average, but it holds your attention. Jennifer Lopez is a regular woman here, and I think she’s done a fantastic job. Emoting with the required depths of maternal devotion, wife-like worry and singular strength of mind, she evolves from kitten to cat, claws and all.
Slim’s little kid Gracie (Tessa Allen) has it all - looks, talent and lots of loot after this role. And she’s six. Every bit the unfortunate kid who has to run, hide, and change her name (she chooses Queen Elizabeth), she evinces a charm that’s not displaced here. Worth checking out.
This article was first published on 26 Oct 2002.