Directed by: Peter Segal
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Vanessa Hudgins, Milo Ventimigilia, Leah Remini, Treat Williams, Annaleigh Ashford, Alan Aisenberg
Yes, there are plot holes large enough to drive a Mack truck through in Second Act, but it also has some sweetness and warmth to it. Not enough to recommend it, but still there is some. Jennifer Lopez plays a likable protagonist throughout, and is so perfectly dressed and dolled up in every scene she even appears to take a shower with makeup on. Lopez plays Maya, an assistant manager at a local supermarket looking for a big promotion. Despite her obvious knowledge of the store and its customers, she is passed over for an insufferable jerk who specializes in MBA speak and excels in "team building exercises". Why? Because she doesn't have a college degree. But, she sure does dress like a Fortune 500 CEO would.
So, thanks to a manufactured resume and social media pages, Maya is soon interviewing with the CEO of Franklin & Clarke, one of the supermarket's biggest suppliers. The job is as a consultant, and Franklin & Clarke treats their consultants quite well. They hire her without even vetting her and furnish her with charge accounts at Bergdorf's and a fancy apartment. Not bad for a consulting job. And why bother giving Maya money to shop? She already has the wardrobe. But, Maya's resume, which lists her educational background as Harvard and Wharton as well as five years at Estee Lauder is so loaded that it's amazing the company doesn't red flag it right away. Her Facebook page's profile pic has her standing in front of Mt. Kilimanjaro and is obviously photoshopped. Considering how much money the company blows on Maya and their inability to suspect they are being swindled, it is baffling how the company remains in business. When Maya and the CEO's daughter Zoe (Hudgins) are split up into teams to come up with a new facial product, one of the bigger concerns is the profit margin. They will need a huge one to keep paying Maya.
Maya's deceit doesn't just cover her professional life. She gave up her baby for adoption when she was 17, which she hides from her supportive, loving boyfriend Trey (Ventimiglia) who wants to start a family. They had better get a move on since Maya is north of forty years old. But, soon they break up due to Maya's reluctance to start a family, so he is out of the way for the bulk of the movie. At least we were spared Trey's nagging when he sees Maya isn't as home as much as she used to be because she is out trying to invent a face cream over the course of three months. I guess FDA testing is not part of the plan, and I further suppose Franklin & Clarke has plenty of insurance to handle the inevitable lawsuits.
Because the adoption is mentioned so early, we know Maya will soon meet her daughter and she does, in a way that lends itself to more questions than answers. Questions which I won't go into now. Maya is soon asked to join the CEO, the unfortunately named Anderson Clarke (Williams), for a weekend rowing competition, and since Maya's resume listed her as a Harvard coxswain, why not have her captain the rowing crew? The race ends up in a not so funny fashion, yet Clarke is amused anyway. He is the nicest, least ruthless, and most naive CEO in corporate history.
I didn't hate Second Act as much as I wondered how it didn't simply premiere on Netflix. It is lightweight stuff, and you have to travel back in time about a decade to witness the last time Lopez starred in a leading movie role. She is still beautiful and the camera does nothing but put her beauty on display through carefully choreographed slow-motion shots which look like they belong in a music video. The movie is about as deep as one as well. This is such a Jennifer Lopez vehicle (she produced as well) that the other characters appear grateful to be in the same scene as her.
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