ENOUGH

US, 2002, 116 minutes, Colour.
Jennifer Lopez, Billy Campbell, Juliette Lewis, Fred Ward.
Directed by Michael Apted.

Jennifer Lopez is quite convincing as a waitress who has a whirlwind courtship, has a daughter, seems to have the happiest and most comfortable of lives, only to discover that her husband is a callous, womanising and brutal rotter. Enough! The film shows her harrowing experience in trying to elude her husband as he tracks her down unscrupulously. Enough! With the help of her loyal friends, she prepares to confront her violent husband and end the pursuit.

While the film is a combination of melodrama and sentiment, many audiences will identify with the situation and the emotional conflicts. Jennifer Lopez herself gives a more restrained performance than might have been anticipated. Billy Campbell is quite effective both in his initial seeming charm and in his ugly obsessions against his wife. Juliette Lewis is JLo's friend. The film was directed with his usual well-crafted style by Michael Apted whose range extends to documentary (the Seven Up series) to spectacular Bond drama (The World is not Enough).

1. Entertaining melodrama, portrait of a dysfunctional family, family violence? A Jennifer Lopez vehicle, her reputation, screen presence? Her acting, songs?

2. The background of the average American city, the world of the rich and the poor? Seattle, Michigan? The credibility of the plot, characters, motivations? How realistic?

3. The title and its reference to Slim's experience? Her decisions and action?

4. The credibility of Slim's career, the diner, friendships, meeting people at the diner, the courtship, the whirlwind marriage? Her experience of family, love for her daughter, husband? The discovery of the infidelity? His madness and violence? Her escape, her reliance on her friends?

5. Slim and her friend, the support of Phil? The marriage, her life being agreeable, men hitting on her, the struggle in the restaurant?

6. Mitch and the incident, his involvement with Slim, the later revelation that it was a set-up, his partner and friendship, Mitch using him for surveillance? The friend and his pursuit of Slim in the car?

7. The courtship, the marriage, the happiness, Phil and Mitch's mother, her friends, the friend from Seattle, the dance and the reception? The passing of the years, her pregnancy, the joy of the birth, her daughter, an ideal family?

8. The discovery of the affair, listening on the phone, the effect on her, confrontation with Mitch, his brutal bashing of her, his talking about loving her, his needs? Her suffering, not going to the police - and the lawyer criticising her behaviour and not making it known to authorities?

9. The escape plan, its failure, her finally leaving, going to Seattle, the goons that Mitch hired, following her, in the apartment of her friend, searching, her hiding with her daughter? Going to her father, his scepticism, his decision to own her or not? Going to Michigan, the new life, her daughter at school? Her job? The connection with Phil? Changing names? Her job, success, her father giving her the money, a new house and a new life?

10. Mitch and the phone taps, getting his friend for the surveillance, the friend from Seattle coming to visit, being photographed with her, in the room with her? The surveillance pursuit, the car?

11. The escape to San Francisco, disguising herself, her friend helping her, asking for a month to be free, misleading Mitch, her training to fight, her father's help?

12. The build-up to the climax in the apartment, disconnecting the phones, the girl with Mitch, her waiting in the house, his return and her being almost caught? The final confrontation, the battle of words, physical, Mitch as a coward?

13. A brighter future for Slim and her daughter? The background of domestic violence and its being dramatised in a melodrama like this?