Movie Review: Second Act - A Romantic Comedy Turned Sob Story

Second Act is one of those movies that are hyped up by the celebrity endorsement. In this case, it’s Jennifer Lopez. Though I’m a fan of her music, her acting is wanting. I didn’t expect much from the movie other than an entertaining storyline, and even that was disappointing. From her previous acting track record, Jennifer Lopez features in films that majorly paint her as a heroine of some sort. Her life seems to always go perfectly. She’s always the femme fatale. Even when she runs into a brick wall, a stroke of luck always works in her favour.

In Second Act, she plays a middle-income supermarket assistant manager with a chauvinistic boss. She finally gets fed up of his undermining ways and quits her job. Meanwhile, she applies to a cosmetic company and gets an interview for a position that way over her paygrade. The corporate executives think they have a Harvard graduate but she didn’t even attend college. She plays along and gets the job along with a lavish apartment and lucrative salary.

Jennifer Lopez during a scene from Second Act image from https://www.cinema76.com/home/2018/12/21/second-act-is-a-boxed-wine-movie

It later turns out that the young lady whom she competed with at her new workplace is her daughter. When she was younger, she gave her up for adoption as she couldn’t manage to give her the basic needs. Her adopted father, who runs the cosmetic company, noticed the application and gained interest in it. However, he saw right through the forgery but hired her nonetheless.

One day, her father presents her with the adoption paper and she soon learns that her work rival is her mother. The pair has a cute bonding moment all through the movie, catching up on lost time.

Though Second Act is an overall decent movie with decent acting skills by Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens and Milo Ventimiglia, it doesn’t live up to its expectations. Not to mention, the storyline took a complete 360-degree turn from its course raising even more confusion. What appeared to be a fun, light-hearted movie about a mistaken identity turned into a sob story between a mother and daughter.

There are a few laughs here and there throughout the movie but hardly passes off as a romantic comedy. It takes the viewers through the twists and turns of maternal anxiety, female friendships and a bit of romance. So, Second Act is basically a chick flick and not a very good one, at that.

However, Second Act does address some real issues about the value of real friends and mother-daughter relationships. It’s a movie you can watch with your children and loved ones as it creates a sense of family. It’s also entertaining for all age groups and with a rating of PG-13.

Keep some tissues close because you’ll be crying through some scenes. if you’re not a big fan of emotion-filled movies, this one might not be for you. However, you can watch it just to see Jennifer Lopez’s sensual, witty and charming personality come to life in this movie.

I’d give it a 3-star rating. Watch the trailer.