That's Enough

Here we are for another week of script reviews. We begin with Enough. I had the chance of reading it too. It's an interesting script with some intriguing characters and good drama. I managed to catch the sneak preview of Rat Race on Saturday. I liked it a lot. I will probably review it sometime this week.

Enough script review

"Howdy folks, John here. Today I'll be taking a look at the script for Enough by Nicholas Kazan (Bicentennial Man, Fallen). The movie finished shooting a couple of months ago and will be released at an unspecified date in 2002. It will star Jennifer Lopez (The Cell, Out of Sight), Billy Campbell (who shares the same birthplace as TNMC btw) and Juliette Lewis with Michael Apted (The World Is Not Enough) directing.

The style of the script is a bit unusual and it forced me to re-read sections periodically to understand exactly what the writer's intent was. This won't be a problem for the finished film but it did make reading it a bit more difficult than was necessary. The script calls for a series of chapter titles to appear through out the film. Think of Clerks or the TV show Frasier for these except the writer wanted them a bit wilder in the way they appear. This was one of the parts that I think could easily be jettisoned. These titles tend to give a humorous feel to the script that is inappropriate for the subject matter. There were times when I wasn't sure if I should be taking the material seriously or not. That's just wrong. The subject material is very serious and there shouldn't be an element to detract from that.

The script follows a young woman named Slim (Lopez). That's just a nickname but she won't tell anyone what her real name is. She works as a waitress at a diner but dreams of going to school so that she could become a psychologist. One day she meets a guy in the restaurant who charms her socks off. She is promptly saved from him by another man who tells her the first guy had a bet going over how fast he could get into Slim's panties. This and a physical threat sends the first guy scurrying away. Thus begins the romance between Slim and Mitch. We next see them getting married and eventually having a child.

Things turn ugly though when time passes and Slim discovers that Mitch has been having an affair. Rather than sheepishly deny it he claims he can do what he wants because he pays all the bills. When Slim objects he beats her. He makes it clear that she can stay or leave but their daughter is his. Soon Slim's friends help her escape with her daughter but Mitch doesn't give up easily. He quickly hires detectives and thugs to track her down and bring her home. At this point the script takes on a distinct similarity to Sleeping With the Enemy. Slim is highly paranoid, changing her appearance, location and basically cutting off contact with her family and friends. Mitch is portrayed as a hulking physical presence in the script that generates in Slim a real fear for her life. He shows a truly ruthless nature that indicates nothing is off limits to him morally in retrieving his daughter and if at all possible his wife too.

The script was basically quite good. As I said there were elements like the chapter titles that diluted the script's intention but removing those leaves a fairly well formed thriller. The ending alone was probably enough to secure Ms. Lopez's interest in the project. I won't tell you what happens but I will say that the title gives a strong hint. The story does bear a resemblance to Sleeping With the Enemy but it's a fairly minor resemblance.

The characters are fairly interesting ones. Mitch is a truly evil type who carries the physical presence to be threatening but simultaneously masks it with a genuine charm. If played well by Campbell it could become something of a classic villain. The Slim character is interesting but could probably stand a bit more definition early on. The script calls for a quick montage of shots that could do that but on paper they don't really work. When filmed they will more than likely give us a good idea what Slim is all about. I say this because there are parts in the script where she seems unsure of herself. That leaves the reader doubly conflicted since we're not entirely sure what kind of woman she is. Like I said it will probably work fine on film but is an issue on paper that needs to be recognized. Their daughter Gracie could be toned down just a notch. She comes off just a hair too much like the cliched mouthy kid in movies. She needs to be more confused and scared and less a source for one liners. These are for the most part minor complaints about the characters, with a little adjustment and the personal touches brought by the actors they should be just fine.

My major complaint is reserved for a romantic sub-plot involving Slim and a college boyfriend named Joe. The Joe character feels like he was shoe horned into the story to make it a little less dark. His visit midway through to the in hiding Slim is what really makes the movie resemble that other one I keep mentioning. It just felt unnecessary to me. It doesn't really pay off and just distracts from the overall story. I say cut that scene and just make Joe a friend.

The script has the framework for a good thriller. It needs a bit of tweaking, but then again most scripts do. Nobody will mistake it for one of the greats but it has the potential to be a solidly entertaining film."

(Review submitted by John Shea.)

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Jean-François Allaire (aka DeadPool)

Questions, comments, praises etc. Email me at deadpool@tnmc.org

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Jean-François Allaire is TNMC's first columnist. At only 24 years old he has become a respected entertainment journalist, with his columns appearing in such major websites as Corona's Coming Attractions and Scr(i)pt magazine. Hailing from Montreal this young writer is determined to dig up all the details on the movies before they hit your local theater. If you're part of a movie production then you really need to be talking to him.