SECOND ACT Movie Review and Interview with Jennifer Lopez and Leah Remini

Last weekend I had a chance to see Second Act starring Jennifer Lopez and Leah Remini.  This romantic comedy is one you will want to go see with your best pals!  It is funny, sweet, inspiring and the outfits worn by Jennifer’s character, are AMAZING!   And the best part was the opportunity to interview both of these fantastic ladies and the Director Peter Segal last Monday.  Both ladies are as gorgeous in person as they are on camera and both incredibly really down-to-earth.

 

As Maya Vargas (JENNIFER LOPEZ) celebrates her 43rd birthday, she has one wish. A promotion. After 15 years at Value Shop, the past six as assistant manager, she’s ready to run the big box store in Queens. Her resumé doesn’t scream upper management, but her track record sure does. She’s an innovator who listens to customers, knows what they need and finds a way to deliver. But Value Shop hires “the right man for the job” –a man with an MBA–not GED-certified Maya. Maya’s boyfriend Trey (MILO VENTIMIGLIA) and best friend Joan (LEAH REMINI) try to boost her spirits, but Maya is frustrated as once again street smarts doesn’t equal book smarts.

 

Was her entire future determined when she was 16, or can she actually reinvent herself in her 40’s? That question is at the heart of SECOND ACT, a new comedy from Peter Segal (Anger Management, Tommy Boy), one of today’s most successful comedy directors, for STX films. Maya’s prospects brighten when, out of the blue, she lands an interview at the elite Manhattan consumer products firm, Franklin & Clarke.

 

CEO Anderson Clark himself (TREAT WILLIAMS) wants to meet her and invites his daughter Zoe (VANESSA HUDGENS), a rising star at the company, to check out Maya, too.While Zoe is skeptical, Anderson is dazzled by Maya’s ability to think on her feet –not to mention her Wharton degree, Peace Corps service,mastery of Mandarin and overall power player vibe. But unknown to Zoe, her father, and initially even Maya herself, those credentials were invented by Maya’s godson, who surprised her with a brand-new online identity for her birthday.

 

A SECOND ACT was written by veteran writer Justin Zackman (The Bucket List) and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas.

The idea started incubating with Zackham and Goldsmith-Thomas over six years ago. Goldsmith-Thomas said, “I had this idea about reinvention, why so many people are stuck in lives they don’t want dreaming of lives they do, only to realize they had the power all along to change, so I wrote it down and started looking for a writer to collaborate with. I thought Justin Zackham’s work had a lyrical quality, and we started talking and really digging in.”

I love how they took this idea of reinvention and spun it in a positive light.  So often, we do feel stuck and afraid to move towards what we really want.  One of my favorite inspirational guru’s, Gary Vaynerchuk, says the most important attribute one can have is to know what they want out of life.  Once that is understood, nothing can stop you!  Second Act touches on this and does so while entertaining us with the fun rapport between Jennifer and Leah’s characters.  Having good friends cheering you on is priceless really!

And seeing these two in person with this same rapport as in the movie, was wonderful.  You could sense theirs is a real friendship based on respect and fun.  They joked back and forth and Jennifer was the first one to acknowledge that this was Leah’s first major role, which she was really surprised at learning at the beginning of production because she said she felt like she saw Leah everywhere.

When asked why romantic comedies appeal to her, Jennifer said that as many of us know, she is romantic at heart.  We all chuckled and loved that she made fun at herself.  Like I said, she is about as down-to-earth as they come!  She also said that she really liked the idea of women reinventing themselves – at any age.  Who says we have to keep on doing what we’ve done because it is familiar?!  She likes that her character pushes through her fears but as she takes steps to realize her dreams, she gains more confidence in her abilities.  As her adorable boyfriend, Trey, played by Milo Ventimiglia, says at one point in the movie “you were the only one who didn’t believe in you.”  Moving through our fears is a process and this movie inspires us to get our footing and just go for it – much like what Maya does.  And you are going to LOVE the outfits. Period.  I would gladly take any of the outfits worn by Lopez and Vanessa Hudgens.

Director, Peter Segal, said that that SECOND ACT premise hit home with him.  “This is the kind of movie I love, it reminded me of Working Girl, Tootsie, The Secret of My Success – wish fulfillment movies where someone gets a second chance, and a disguise through the storytelling to become a different person.”  After the interviews were done, I had a chance to speak with him and told him as I am approaching a big birthday this next month, I really appreciate how SECOND ACT is all about second (or third) chances – that we are never stuck.  Pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones is and can be a good thing!

So be sure to check out Second Act, out in theaters December 21st!

Follow along at:

Note:  We were hosted by STX Entertainment but all opinions are our own.

0