Enough (2002)

Based on an Oprah's Bookclub book surely better than this, Enough is a domestic violence thriller and a daft one given it is broken up into unhelpful chapters by Frasier-style titlecards (one scene opens with a shot of the Golden Gate Bridge and then 'San Francisco' appears written on the screen, for example, and other titles announce stages in Slim's relationship with the abusive Mitch when, really, the white dress or the home reno scene, etc. etc., are pretty good signposts alone) and what really makes Enough, well, Not  Enough is the fact Slim, played by Jennifer Lopez, extracts herself from her violent marriage with help from "Jupiter, all-mighty powerful king of the gods", a white saviour father figure and bankroller of cars and homes, self-defense lessons and wigs, detracting from the otherwise tantalising concept of a helpless, resourceless, battered woman learning to fight back.

★★☆☆☆

CINECAL: ONE SENTENCE REVIEWS

Maid In Manhattan (2002)

Better examples of this sort of "rising above one's station" comedy include The Secret of My Success, Working Girl and even, kind of, The Devil Wears Prada but self-conscious performances by J Lo, Stanley Tucci and Bob Hoskins and uninspired writing keep this a middle-of-the-road romcom, one about a maid mistaken for an upper crust socialite and chased around town by a Senatorial candidate.

★★☆☆☆

CINECAL: ONE SENTENCE REVIEWS