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ENOUGH

Review by Chastity Campbell

Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Billy Campbell
Director: Michael Apted
Audio: Dolby Digital Surround 5.1
Video: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen & 1.33:1 Pan & Scan
Studio: Columbia
Features: See Review
Length: 116 Minutes
Release Date: October 8, 2002

“Scared?”

“Of What?”

“ME!”

Film ***

Most of the time when we think of people who have a top 40 single and a multiplatinum album, we don't generally consider the other talents they might possess.   In Columbia Tri Star's Enough, Jennifer Lopez goes a long way toward proving Hollywood can multitask!

J-Lo plays Slim, a middle class waitress working the daily grind and barely getting by.   She meets her future husband, played by Billy Campbell, while working one day and the sparks that fly aren't from the grill.  

The transition through each section in this movie is marked by a flashcard with a title for the upcoming section.  Most of the time I would classify this as a cheesy effect but director Michael Apted used this technique in such a way that it worked tremendously well in helping you follow, as a little or a lot of time passed without feeling like anything was left out or missing. 

Slim and Mitch get married and we find out that he has a lot of money and will do anything to make his new bride happy.  We get a quick glimpse of Mitch's ruthless side when he strong-arms someone into selling him their house.  Billy Campbell plays this role with an eerie perfection that caused me to bump my respect for his acting abilities up a notch or two!  

Returning to the movie we find that a few years have passed, and Slim and Mitch have a beautiful daughter named Gracie.   Mitch works a lot and Slim is the poster child for stay at home moms.   Slim finds out Mitch is cheating on her and when she confronts him he smacks her.  She tries to leave and he punches her in the face.   He basically tells her she's his, he has needs, and he's not going to change, so she'd better get used to the new rules. 

Slim decides her life and that life of her child is in jeopardy and runs away with their daughter.  Mitch is hot on her tail and some of his goons show up at the apartment she's hiding out in.   She gets away from them, but once she realizes he has friends in high and low, places the rules of the game have changed and it will take a complete overhaul for her to be able to fight this type of war.    She sheds her old identity and spends a lot of time outsmarting the goons Mitch sends looking for her.   A custody hearing is looming in the distance and after a quick consultation with a lawyer she finds out if she doesn't show up, she will lose custody of the daughter she's been trying to protect and will be considered a fugitive.  If only she'd called 911 or gone to the police when he hit her, then she would have evidence to use against him, but since she didn't, she's running out of time and the odds are not in her favor.

With some help from a father she barely knows, she does some training and gets busy preparing for a showdown with Mr. Madman Mitch.  

This movie has so many wonderful twists to it and the creativity in Jennifer Lopez's character is absolutely wonderful.  I found myself yelling in triumph when she foiled the bad guys attempt at catching her time and again.    There is some foreshadowing as far as the ending goes in one part of the movie, but overall I was surprised when the final scene between Lopez and Campbell's characters played out. 

Between the great acting, awesome video quality, and amazing audio you can't go wrong with this DVD.   It was a wonderful experience from start to finish and delivered in all the ways you want a DVD to deliver.

Video ****

When something is this good…it's got to be talked about!   This DVD has the option of being viewed in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen or 1.33:1 Standard Full Screen.   I watched the movie from both aspects and while I prefer the widescreen format to the full screen, viewing it either way will be quite enjoyable.   The near perfect digital representation has to be one of the best transfers I have ever seen.  The images were vivid and crisp with little to no flaws.   The shading in each scene was great, and even the evening scenes were clear and visible without looking fake.   I was truly impressed with the quality of this DVD.

Audio ****

This disc has got to be the best digital audio presentation I have ever heard!   When I popped it in and began my appraisal, I just sat there amazed at the clarity and quality the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix brought to life.  Flawlessly mixed and well balanced in every way, this disc by far has got a leg up on most of the competition.   The soundtrack was very cool and had a very good blend of different styles.  Each audio clip seemed to really represent the scenes and situation without detracting at all from the movie.  I was truly impressed by the effort that went into the audio for this DVD! 

Features ***

Aspect Ratio is a wonderful thing not to mention an awesome feature on a DVD. 

When you pop Enough in and settle down with your popcorn the first thing your grubby little paws gets to do is determine how to view this movie.  Widescreen or Fullscreen which to choose…why choose watch them both like I did!!  

The features on this disc were limited to Filmographies of the primary actors and Director as well as a music video by J-Lo herself.   You are also treated to the trailer that was released in theatres before the movie's debut. 

Not a boatload of stuff to brag about, but the quality of the disc more than makes up for the features it was lacking.

Summary: