"Second Act" Review: It's Jennifer Lopez And Vanessa Hudgens Great Chemistry That Counts

Director: Peter Segal

Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgens, Milo Ventimiglia, Leah Remini, Freddie Stroma

Rate: 3/5

Second Act is a romantic comedy directed by Peter Segal and released on December 21, 2018. The movie starred Jennifer Lopez as the lead role, besides Vanessa Hudgens, Leah Remini, and Dan Bucatinsky. The appearance of Jennifer Lopez in an all-stars cast surely cause anticipation from the fans. However, could Second Act live up to their expectations? Here's the review of the movie.

Jennifer Lopez is Maya, the main character in the movie. Because Maya does not have a college degree, she is not promoted to the supermarket where she works at. While she is still struggling at work, her lover Trey (Milo Ventimiglia) wants to get married. However, due to some unclear reasons, Maya is not ready for the marriage life. All of a sudden, Maya's best friend creates a fake resume together with made-up degrees for Maya in the hope that she is going to get a better job position. This tactic puts Maya into troubles as she lands on an executive post at an upmarket Manhattan beauty company which is headed by Anderson Clarke (Treat Williams). His daughter Zoe (Vanessa Hudgens) also plays a vital role in the company, and since the moment the two women meet each other, Zoe becomes Maya's antagonist. The movie follows Maya's exciting journey with an unexpected job and how she tries to keep her secrets about the fake resume.

Second Act Official Trailer.

As a spin-off of Working Girl (1988), Second Act also conveys the same message as the movie aims to tell the audiences what women really want in their life. However, maybe if you sit until the end of the film, you still cannot figure out exactly what a woman prioritizes in their life - among sexual freedom, an ideal job, an own space or just a happy family with their children. It may seem awkward, but that describes perfectly the complicated thoughts of a woman.

In fact, America is the dreamland where you can have all you want, and Second Act just focuses on women because they might have more difficulties in achieving their dreams than men. The strong point of the movie is that it is really relatable. American people believe that even a woodcutter can be elected to be a president, but in reality, only a prestigious university degree can be counted. The struggle is real, and that's how the movie tugs at the viewers' heartstrings.

We cannot talk about Second Act without mentioning Jennifer Lopez. We get used to know her as a singer with beautiful looks and excellent dance moves. However, when it comes to acting, it seems like Jennifer Lopez cannot get proper roles to challenge herself. She is stuck with rom-com drama with typical characters who eventually get what they want despite many hardships. Evidently, Second Act shares the same template with those movies, but this time Jennifer really makes it different. Her character on-screen has a daughter, and the way Jennifer interacts with the child is something beautiful. After a long time being separated because Maya gave her daughter up for adoption, they meet again. From the way she takes care of her daughter to how she looks at her with all the love from the bottom of her heart, those things are all emotional. Moreover, Vanessa Hudgens' appearance also helps create great chemistry between the two characters Maya and Zoe. Besides, the excellent performances from other stars like Charlyne Yi as the assistant and Leah Remini as Maya's bestie also make a significant contribution to the movie.