Second Act (film)
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''Second Act'' is a 2018 American romantic comedy film directed by
Peter Segal Peter Segal (born 1962) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Segal has directed the comedic films ''Tommy Boy'' (1995), ''My Fellow Americans'' (1996), '' The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps'' (2000), ''Anger Managemen ...
and written by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and
Justin Zackham Justin Zackham is an American and British screenwriter, director and producer. He wrote the films ''The Bucket List'', '' One Chance'', ''The Big Wedding'', and '' Second Act''. He also created the FX TV series '' Lights Out''. Zackham coined th ...
. It stars
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
, Leah Remini, Vanessa Hudgens, Treat Williams and
Milo Ventimiglia Milo Anthony Ventimiglia (, ; born July 8, 1977) is an American actor. Making his screen acting debut on ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' in 1995, he portrayed the lead role on the short-lived series '' Opposite Sex'' in 2000 before landing his br ...
, and follows a woman in her forties who successfully pursues a second chance at a corporate career, after a friend's son creates a fake résumé and credentials for her. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise of Lopez's performance but criticism of the story and the script, and grossed over US$72 million worldwide.


Plot

Maya Vargas (
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
) is the assistant manager of the Value Shop store, where she has worked for the past 15 years. During that time she dramatically improved sales, customer relations, and general store culture through her intuitive and innovative methods. She awaits a store visit by an executive of her company, Mr. Weiskopf, anxiously hoping to be promoted to manager. Her boyfriend Trey, co-workers, and several regular customers all assure her that she is guaranteed the promotion, but she is passed up in favor of Arthur, a non-local company employee with an MBA from Duke. Mr. Weiskopf explains that while he values Maya's dedication and success, she only has a GED and no college degree, which makes her ineligible for the promotion by company policy. Her godson, a skilled computer programmer, rebuilds her background online, giving her a
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
degree and world travel, and she is hired by one of the store's suppliers, a large cosmetics company. The CEO, Mr. Clarke, has her head a team developing a new product in competition with a team led by his daughter Zoe. During her time with the company, Maya learns that Zoe is the daughter that she gave up after giving birth as a teenager because she couldn't cope with the challenges of parenthood herself.


Cast


Production

In June 2017, Jennifer Lopez signed on to star. In October 2017, Leah Remini, Annaleigh Ashford, Vanessa Hudgens, Dan Bucatinsky and Freddie Stroma joined the cast of the film. In November 2017, Milo Ventimiglia, Treat Williams, Larry Miller, Dave Foley, Charlyne Yi, and Alan Aisenberg were added. Lopez was also a producer.


Filming

Principal photography began on October 23, 2017 in New York City, initially at Food Bazaar Supermarket in Queens, and then continuing in The Bronx and Manhattan, including at
Michael Jordan's Steakhouse Michael Jordan Steakhouse, founded by retired American basketball player Michael Jordan, is a fine-dining restaurant group. The main location was in Grand Central Terminal, New York City, though locations exist in Uncasville, Connecticut; Ridgef ...
in
Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...
. Filming finished on December 15, 2017.


Music

On September 21, 2018, Sia was announced as the composer for the original song " Limitless" for the film's soundtrack, produced by
Jesse Shatkin Jesse Samuel Shatkin (born 1979) is an American songwriter, producer and engineer. He has worked with Sia, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Lopez, Fitz and the Tantrums and One Direction, among others. Shatkin was nominated in 2014 for Grammy Awards a ...
and performed by Lopez. On October 9, 2018, Lopez performed the song at the American Music Awards.


Release

''Second Act'' was initially scheduled to be released in the United States on November 21, 2018, but in September 2018, following "incredible" test screenings, its distributor
STXfilms STX Entertainment is a mini-major American entertainment and media company. Founded in March 2014 by film producer Robert Simonds, the studio produces film, television, and digital media projects. In April 2020, STX announced that it would merg ...
moved it to December 14, and then again to December 21, 2018. The studio spent $19–30 million on promotion and advertisements for the film.


Reception


Box office

''Second Act'' grossed $39.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $33 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $72.3 million, against a production budget of $16 million. In order to
break-even Break-even (or break even), often abbreviated as B/E in finance, (sometimes called point of equilibrium) is the point of balance making neither a profit nor a loss. Any number below the break-even point constitutes a loss while any number above i ...
, the film needed to gross an estimated $30–40 million. In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside '' Aquaman'', '' Welcome to Marwen'' and '' Bumblebee'', and was projected to gross $9–13 million from 2,607 theaters over its five-day opening weekend. It made $2.5 million on its first day, including $515,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut at $6.5 million for the weekend, finishing seventh at the box office. It then grossed $1 million on Monday and $3 million on Christmas Day, for a five-day total gross of $10.6 million. In its second weekend, it increased by 13%, grossing $7.4 million.


Critical response

On '' Rotten Tomatoes'', the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, "''Second Act'' proves Jennifer Lopez remains as magnetic as ever on the big screen; unfortunately, the movie's muddled story isn't always worthy of her gifts." On '' Metacritic'', the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.
Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for ''Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
of '' Variety'' wrote: "Even though ''Second Act'' shouldn't work, it does (sort of). It's got flow, a certain knowing ticky-tackiness about its own contrivances. You know you're watching a connect-the-dots comedy, but the dots sparkle. And Lopez gives her first star performance in a while. Age has enriched her talent; she brings curlicues of experience to every scene." Ariana Romero of ''
Refinery29 Refinery29 (R29) is an American multinational digital media and entertainment website focused on young women. It is owned by Vice Media. History Justin Stefano, Philippe von Borries, Piera Gelardi, and Christene Barberich co-founded Refinery29 i ...
'' gave the film a positive review and wrote: "All of the bumps in Maya's life are distractions from the joy of seeing Jennifer Lopez, one of our most charming celebrities, triumph, all while making us laugh and wearing impeccable clothing." Romero also praised the film's costume designers,
Patricia Field Patricia Field (born February 12, 1942) is an American costume designer, stylist and fashion designer. Early life Field was born in 1942 in New York City to an Armenian father and a Greek mother, who emigrated from Plomari, Lesbos, Greece. Fi ...
and Molly Rogers. Keith Uhlich of '' The Hollywood Reporter'' wrote that "J.Lo looks movie-star fabulous in her many form-fitting dresses." Michael Phillips of the '' Chicago Tribune'' gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, saying: "Good cast, nearly hopeless script. ''Second Act'' hinges on a significant reveal around the midpoint, and it's a lulu in the worst way—preposterously coincidental, outrageously contrived." On ''
Roger Ebert.com ''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times' ...
'',
Nell Minow Nell Minow is an American film reviewer and writer who writes and speaks frequently on film, media, and corporate governance and investing. Ms. Minow was named one of the 20 most influential people in corporate governance by Directorship magazine ...
judged it a poor film that "tries to borrow from" '' Working Girl'': "Even the boundless charms of Jennifer Lopez cannot overcome a mess of a script in 'Second Act,' a mishmash that has as much of an identity crisis as its name-switching, past-hiding, resume-inflating main character." Lopez's performance in the film earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 2019 Imagen Awards.


References


External links

* {{Peter Segal, state=expanded 2018 romantic comedy films 2018 films American romantic comedy films Films directed by Peter Segal Films scored by Michael Andrews Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Nuyorican Productions films STX Entertainment films Workplace comedy films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films