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Enough (2002)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 10/21

Enough
10/21: The title Enough says it all whether it's Jennifer Lopez, the spoiled little girl, the cheese factor, or the absurd story.

I really know why things happened this way. It's because the wife was thinking about money all along. Her plan was to stay with the marriage long enough in order to inherit the fortune her abusive husband had amassed by murdering him.

If not, why would she stay at Biltmore Hotel for what must be $300 to $500 a night instead of a regular motel like Ramada or Days Inn? Even the word "abusive" is a stretch here; it only happened a couple of times or so, and the wife had enough wits to walk away from the marriage. It's not like The Burning Bed we're talking about here.

So...yes, the wife knew what she was doing although none of this is clearly spelled out in the film for the audience. If not, it should've ended immediately after she obtained a new name and a social security card while in Michigan because there's no way of tracing her anymore. Who cares about her daughter? She's perfect for her mother's leverage to get what she wants: money.

However, there's a one "but": the phone call made by the wife during the confrontation. She incriminated herself by saying, "I know all that, but I can't do it. I'm not a killer, Gin. I'm not him. I can't do this." That's a strong case of premeditation. Plus, her fingerprints are all over the two guns she stowed away. It's hard to tell now because we don't know if the phone and the guns were thrown in the river along with the bag. As for the phone call, it doesn't matter because the conversation was recorded on her friend's end.

Jennifer Lopez is okay; she carries the film well enough although there's an über cheesy scene of her being serious about acquiring self-defense skills which is another example of premeditation. During the fight, the husband could've kept throwing things to knock down his wife, but he just stood there and took it.

Something needs to be said about the cast. Juliette Lewis is an ugly woman in real life, and it's apparent she's wearing a lot of makeup in the film to hide that fact. Billy Campbell plays the husband, but who is he? He's so bland and weak that it's what Enough has been missing the whole time: an alpha male. Fred Ward can do a better job, but he's old. Hence, all of the attention geared toward Jennifer Lopez. Famous for being cute in ER, Noah Wyle doesn't fit as a baddie.

All in all, if not for Jennifer Lopez, Enough is another watered-down Lifetime Movie of the Week about battered wives.