Enough (film)

In a Los Angeles diner, a waitress named Slim meets Mitch Hiller, who wards off an impolite man attempting to sexually attract her for a bet. They fall in love and eventually marry, living happily in an expensive house with their daughter Gracie. Six years into their relationship, Slim discovers Mitch has been repeatedly cheating on her unremorsefully with other women. When she threatens to walk out of their relationship and expose his infidelities, he brutally beats her and threatens her against separation, insisting that because he is the breadwinner in the family, he is ultimately in control, and he will not end his numerous affairs unless she wishes to fight him.

Slim confronts Mitch's mother about the abuse, who briefly consoles her but indirectly implies that Slim may have provoked Mitch's reaction, given his extensive and documented history of abuse. Her best friend Ginny advises her to escape from his clutches and press charges against him, but the police offer no form of assistance to her troubles. After Mitch taunts Slim, revealing he is aware whom she has been speaking with and has been watching her movements by proxy, she realizes she has no other option available except to flee with Gracie. She enlists the help of her friends, including Ginny and her stepfather Phil, and attempts to escape with her late one night. Mitch foils the plan and assaults Slim while threatening her friends at gunpoint, but is forced to release them after Gracie is awakened, as he is unwilling to expose his true nature in her presence.

Mitch empties and freezes Slim's bank accounts, sabotaging her attempts to rent a room. Tracking her down at a cheap motel, he tries to break into their room, but she and Gracie escape, relocating to Seattle and moving in with her former boyfriend Joe. The next day, men posing as FBI agents arrive and threaten Joe, damaging his apartment in the process. Slim visits her wealthy, estranged biological father, Jupiter, who claims to have been unaware of her existence and believes she merely wants money, although she sent several unanswered letters to him as a child. Slim and Gracie briefly find refuge at a commune, where Jupiter later contacts her, revealing that Mitch's associates have threatened him. Now wholeheartedly committed in helping her through her dilemma, he sends her a large amount of money, allowing her and Gracie to assume new identities as Erin Ann Shleeter and her daughter Queen Elizabeth, and advises her to contact him for more aid if necessary.

Joe visits Slim in her new residence in Detroit, Michigan, but Mitch arrives to confront her, having tracked down her whereabouts through the help of his friend Robbie, a police officer who had posed as the rude man in the staged altercation in which Mitch and Slim had first encountered each other. Realizing that both he and Robbie had been deceiving women into having romantic affairs with them for their own personal gain, Slim further rejects Mitch when he attempts reconciliation. She narrowly escapes from him when he attempts to furiously murder her in Gracie's presence, before both mother and daughter escape from Robbie in a car chase.

Slim consults attorney Jim Toller, who admits to her that there is little she can do until the custody hearing set for the following month, although he warns her the custody hearing is a potential trap aimed to lure her back to Mitch, who would then gain sole legal custody of Gracie after falsely accusing her of being addicted to drugs. She enters seclusion in San Francisco, sends Gracie away to safety while she trains in Krav Maga self-defense techniques, and enlists the assistance of a woman who bears a striking near-identical resemblance to pose as her. She infiltrates Mitch's new residence, conceals his guns, jams the phone, and plants fake letters explaining she has visited to discuss custody of Gracie. When he arrives, Slim beats Mitch unconscious during their fight before she eventually knocks him off a balcony to his death. After the police arrive and deem her actions as self-defense, Slim and Gracie reunite and return to live with Joe in Seattle, looking forward to a brighter future.

On November 9, 2000, New York Daily News reported that Lopez was in talks to star in Enough, "which follows a newly married young woman's descent into domestic violence after her dream man physically abuses her, causing her to go on the run".^[7] Sandra Bullock was originally cast to play Slim, a waitress, but in November 2000 Variety magazine reported that Bullock had to back out of Enough because of a scheduling conflict with another film.^[8]

On May 19, 2001, it was reported that Lopez was cast as Slim, and Once and Again actor Billy Campbell was cast as Mitch, a "wealthy contractor" and Slim's abusive husband.^[8] Juliette Lewis, Noah Wyle, Dan Futterman and Fred Ward were also announced to be co-starring in the film.^[3] According to Basham, filming began on May 21, 2001, and took place on location in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Port Townsend and Seattle.^[8] During a documentary featured on a special edition DVD of the film, Kazan said Lopez was "very good" at creating the character on the film "through unscripted details, physical gestures and fiddling with props." He described her emotional acting as "perfect pitch".^[9] Apted, who had heard rumors that Lopez was a diva, described her as "fantastic" and good to work with.^[9] He also noted Lopez was "very much on the case, and that was very impressive."^[9]

In 2008, Lopez revealed that during the filming of Enough, she overworked and had a nervous breakdown: "I was suffering from a lack of sleep. And I did have a kind of nervous breakdown. I froze up on set. Well, not on a set, but in my trailer. I was like, I don't want to move, I don't want to talk, I don't want to do anything. It was on that movie, Enough. Yeah, I did. I had a nervous breakdown."^[10]

Enough is a thriller film that details an abusive relationship.^[11] Its writer Nicholas Kazan commented, "About the worst aspect of the male psyche is that males have been taught, traditionally, to expect to get what they want. Much of the problems that men have, or the problems that men impose on women, have to do with feeling like they're entitled, and that women should do what men want."^[9] Ryan J. Downey of MTV News wrote, "Is America ready to see its favorite iced-up, well-manicured diva, Jennifer Lopez, all glammed-down and kicking ass as a battered wife?"^[12]

Explaining the concept of the film, Lopez stated: "There's twists and turns and it's exciting ... but it also has a message, which is what attracted me to it in the first place, which is an empowering thing." Describing its message, she said "[If] you're in these negative situations, negative relationships, whatever, you can get out ... The power to get out of those things is always within yourself. That's the message of the movie."^[12] When Lopez read the script, she knew she was "going to have to do [the] whole sequence at the end" which featured an act that required her to "become a believable lean, mean fighting machine."^[12]

Lopez then thought she should learn tai chi or taekwondo, but was worried about learning it at an expert level in a short time.^[12] Her trainer then suggested that she study Krav Maga, which, according to MTV News, is the "official self-defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces which has recently become trendy in the States. The fighting style focuses on combating realistic scenarios with moves that are based on common, instinctual reactions."^[12] Talking about the system, Lopez said: "[Krav Maga] levels out the playing field between men and women ... Where it doesn't matter how big or tall or strong you are. You can actually maneuver around that. It's about getting out of the way, counter-attacking and using whatever you can to get the upper hand."^[12]

During an interview with Lopez, discussing the resolution of the film, journalist Diane Sawyer of ABC News noted that people "in the abuse counseling industry have said: you can't tell women that; they can't do that. That's something that's dangerous, even to see it in their minds."^[13] Lopez responded: "...this is a movie that touches upon those themes, but really, it's a thriller ... it's about empowering yourself in any situation ... that you have. When I read the script, I saw it as: you have the power within yourself, no matter how severe the situation can be, to change whatever that is, to find that power within yourself to change any negative situation."^[13]

Enough was planned to be released in September 2001, but was pushed back to "early" 2002.^[8] It was released on May 24, 2002.^[14] With a production budget of $38 million, its first run grossed $40 million domestically and a total of $51.8 million worldwide.^[2] After its opening week, Enough ranked at No. 5 on the American Box Office chart, grossing over $14 million screened across 2,623 theaters.^[14] The next week, it grossed $6.8 million, dropping to No. 7 at the box office, and grossed $3.7 million after its third week, falling to No. 9.^[14]

Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released the DVD of Enough on October 8, 2002, in Dolby Digital English and French languages, as well as subtitles.^[15][16] A VHS edition was released on March 4, 2003. A special widescreen edition containing an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 was released on September 16, 2003; it also included Spanish language options. It has a range of extras which includes three deleted scenes: "Strip Joint Break In", "Enough Is Enough" and "Krav Maga: Contact Combat". Lopez's music video for the song's soundtrack "Alive" is also included.^[9]

During a "making-of" documentary for the film entitled "Max on the Set: Enough" Lopez stated she was attracted to Enough because it was "like a female Rocky".^[9] Cynthia Fuchs from PopMatters wrote an in-depth review of the special edition DVD release, and said: "Just why this film needs a second DVD release is unclear, except for the apparent diktat that there is no such thing as enough or even too much J-Lo".^[9]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 21% based on 126 reviews, with an average rating of 4.1/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Enough exploits the serious issue of spousal abuse to make an illogical, unintelligent thriller."^[17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 25 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".^[18] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.^[19]

Stephen Holden of The New York Times said Lopez "holds the screen in a star performance that has less to do with acting than with embodying a forceful, streetwise woman who stands up for herself", while commenting that its preview had "audience gasping" and "Enough does a better job than most movies of sustaining a mood of palpable physical menace, then confirming your worst fears".^[20] Alice King of Entertainment Weekly described the film's plot as "arduously nonsensical" and felt that Lopez lacked connection with her on-screen daughter Tessa Allen, commenting that: "All this to protect a helium-voiced little girl with whom Lopez has so little chemistry, it's as if she's handling garbage rather than a small child."^[21]

Blake French from Contactmusic.com was underwhelmed with the development of the film, and was critical that the film does not use Slim's old friend and romantic interest enough, nor does it develop Slim's real and adopted father figures while it "uses the tiresome old 'kid' cliché. Gracie is, as always, just old enough to understand the situation, but not quite old enough to make an actual impact in the story."^[22] French did praise Lopez in the end sequence, "By the final scenes, despite their obviousness, I was as engrossed in the movie as I could have been, actually rooting for J. Lo to kick some bad guy butt".^[22]

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote: "Lopez has an image of being sexy and tough, but her appeal as an actress is that she's down to earth and that her emotions are accessible. There's nothing cold about her." Additionally, LaSalle felt that "It's the most tension-producing movie out there right now", stating that "it has the biggest visceral kick, capable of inspiring blood lust in otherwise peaceful viewers.^[23]

ReelViews' James Berardinelli said Enough is director "[Michael] Apted at his most commercial, and, unfortunately, his least compelling."^[24] Michael Atkinson of The Village Voice called Campbell the film's "primary power source", "His steely gaze and overbearing quietude are forever tainted; Enough doesn't stand a chance in Lifetime reruns".^[25]

Robert Koehler of Variety was negative: "Enough, a thriller detailing how a good wife gets back at an evil, possessive husband, is never provocative enough to generate strong emotional response."^[26] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote how Enough was fundamentally similar to the 1978 exploitation flick I Spit on Your Grave "in which a man victimizes a woman for the first half of the film, and then the woman turns the tables in an extended sequence of graphic violence." Ebert also added: "It's surprising to see a director like Michael Apted and an actress like Jennifer Lopez associated with such tacky material."^[27]

Paula Nechack of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer called Enough "implausible and ugly" and felt that it had already been done by actresses including Julia Roberts and Ashley Judd, and its script was "more than enough of a mess to tarnish her box-office luster."^[28]

Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide reviewed the film negatively, but praised the ending sequence, "If ever a movie was undermined by its packaging, it's this formulaic thriller about a resourceful battered wife and the brutal husband who won't let her go ... the entire promotional campaign is driven by the last 20 minutes, in which Slim becomes a lean, mean fighting machine and kicks the bastard's ass".^[29]

Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club said "the film's idiocy works for Lopez: Every diva needs at least one camp classic on her résumé".^[30] Desson Thomson from The Washington Post emphasized his disappointment with the film, stating: "In terms of actual social conscience, the movie gets a demagogic, rabble-rousing F. It also gets a failed grade for honest writing."^[31]

Jennifer Lopez was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for her performance in the film (as well as for Maid in Manhattan) but lost in a tie to both Madonna for Swept Away and Britney Spears for Crossroads.^[32][33]

The official score for Enough was composed by David Arnold, and released by Audio CD on June 4, 2002.^[34] In addition to its score, Lopez recorded the song entitled "Alive", which she co-wrote with her then-husband Cris Judd. Although it served as the song's soundtrack and was used during the film, it does not appear on the film's score.^[35]

• Enough at IMDb
• Enough at AllMovie