Second Act movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Second Act

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 103 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL: It’s pretty hard to make the beautiful and talented Jennifer Lopez seem like a regular girl like the rest of us, but that’s what this empowerment movie features. She’s easy to watch on the Big Screen and this is a Chick-Flick that women will probably embrace. I definitely enjoyed it more than I thought I would. While it’s predictable and feels like a movie you’ve seen before, you’ll still leave the theater feeling energized to go for it…whatever “it” is for you. You’ll enjoy the theme song from the movie too: Limitless from the Movie “Second Act”

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Profanity, including a couple of F-bombs. Kids also swear (I hate that.) There is a mother who constantly swears, which rubs off on her kids. I was happy when she tried to make an effort to clean up her own potty-mouth in order to help her kids break their bad habit.
Talk of porn and pleasuring one’s self.
Some crude gestures.
Unwed teen pregnancy and adoption.
Lots of cleavage (mostly J-Lo)
I’m sooooo grateful for a strong father who was adamant about his 3 daughters going to college.

THEMES:

“Change often comes at a cost.” – Hildy (Annaleigh Ashford)
“Even out of the biggest disaster, there can still be hope.” – Maya (Jennifer Lopez)
“We get to write our own story.” – Maya
“Our mistakes don’t limit us. Only our fears do.” – Maya
Honesty
Persistence
Family
Friendship
Adoption

THINGS I LIKED:

Fans of J-Lo will just enjoy seeing her in another movie. She does a great job and looks beautiful, as always. Some of her outfits were super cute.
Leah Remini stars as the classic, supportive, best friend to Maya. Don’t we all wish we had someone like her in our life? Well, maybe except for the potty mouth. She provided great comic relief in the movie and the audience I sat with in the theater loved her. Whenever she spoke or unsnapped the top button on her pants after overeating, the audience laughed with delight. Her character seemed very real, as opposed to some of the other elements in the storyline.
Vanessa Hudgins is really becoming a lovely actress. I thought she did an excellent job in this season’s Christmas movie too (“The Princess Switch). It’s a classic Rom-Com for when you’re in a mood to watch something cutesy and girly.
Feminists will be happy to see lots of female executives in this film.
New York City is the featured landscape of the movie and you get to see lots of cool places like Highline Park, Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Center, streets of Soho, South Street of Seaport, Madison Square Park, and, of course, the ever film-worthy Central Park. Who doesn’t love the Big Apple? The City makes for a perfect leading lady in any movie.
I thought it was funny when Ariana (Charlyne Yi) and Chase (Alan Aisenberg) talked about the frustrating ending of the movie Titanic because that door that Rose (Kate Winslet) was on in the water seemed plenty big enough for both her and Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio). That always bugged me too. She says, “I’ll never let go!” and then she immediately lets go of Jack. ha ha
This is a rare movie in that they finished it on time and under budget.
There is an element of the story that points out some of the ridiculous “this is how it’s done” mentality that corporations still have. Thankfully, business is changing a bit and organizations are starting to value people and the human touch. Executives are starting to listen to consumers more. More importantly, some companies are actually starting to realize their responsibility as they influence society, the environment, and people.
There are some tender moments, but I never cried.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Predictable, but I still enjoyed it and was delighted with a few elements that surprised me.
Awkward dancing during the company Christmas party scenes.
Super predictable “reveal” during a speech with a big audience and then the expected aftermath and resolution of finally telling the truth.
I’m not saying that J-Lo is so old, but it seemed rather odd and unrealistic for her boyfriend to want to start a family with her. Assuming her daughter in the story was at least 25 years old and Maya had her when she was 16, that would make Maya 41 years old and pre-menopausal, right?

INTERESTING LINES:

“Who said life is fair?” – Joan (Leah Remini)
“I wish for a world where street smarts equal book smarts.” – Maya (Jennifer Lopez)
“No relationship that starts with a lie can ever survive.” – Trey (Milo Ventimiglia)
“Every day you wake up and get a second chance to be whatever you want, the only thing stopping you is YOU.” – Maya

OTHER MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

An oldie, but a goodie! Working Girl