The 2002 film Enough, starring Jennifer Lopez, offers a refreshingly new (maybe even abnormal) perspective on women in today’s society. It also highlights the role of power and money among different genders. Additionally, Enough illustrates many examples of Jim Cullen’s ideas of texts that break taboo and representations that contain both progressive and conservative social messages.Enough narrates a story about a working-class waitress named Slim who falls in love with a very successful, wealthy, business man. Eventually they get married, buy a beautiful home, and have a child named Gracie. Her husband, Mitch, makes enough that Slim never has to work and instead remains at home taking care of their child. This part of the film represents the conservative tone that is commonly illustrated in many television shows, novels, and movies still today. In discussion we elaborated on Cullen’s examples (I Love Lucy and All in the Family) of how shows began breaking taboos and taking both a progressive and conservative tone. Just as I Love Lucy displayed a home-maker and breadwinner model through the relationship of Lucy and her husband Ricky, Enough does similarly with Slim and Mitch. Ricky and Mitch both have power of their wives; they are the “head of the house.”
Mitch’s power over Slim however, turns ugly when he begins to commit adultery. Mitch lives off of the power he has over Slim, and uses it to his advantage. He assumes that because Slim is his wife she must remain obedient to him, despite his actions. When Slim finds out that her husband is cheating she confronts him and although at first he apologizes, later when the infidelity continues he argues that this is “just the way it is.” When Slim argues back with him, he slaps her across the face. As his affairs continue and Slim becomes less and less
tolerant of it, he becomes more abusive. This demonstrates the roles of power in relationships, although this is a much more extreme case. Many women who are in abusive relationships do not feel as though they have the power to fight back, so they remain compliant and do nothing about it. Slim tries to find a way to escape but fails one too many times, because of her fear of the power her husband has. Mitch’s sense of entitlement illustrates his extreme use of power over his wife.Eventually Slim escapes with Gracie and while in hiding, they take on different identities to remain hidden from her husband. Slim tries to make arrangements to get the police involved but the police unfortunately cannot do anything for her unless she offers proof that her husband is abusive. I think that the film critiques the lack of help the government offers victims of domestic violence and in doing so may be trying to develop more awareness about a serious situation that exists in society. When police fail to get involved Slim realizes she has to take matters into her own hands. So, she begins training with a professional defense fighter to literally “fight back.” Below is a link to a video that shows Slim training.
After months of physical training, she plots her defensive plan. She breaks into her husband’s apartment, learns its layout, hides weapons, and prepares for his arrival. Slim successfully fights back, resulting in the death of her husband. This illustrates a newfound power that Slim has over her husband, and a perspective that is not commonly seen in pop culture. Rarely is a white woman perceived as stronger, wiser, and more powerful than a man, and Enough succeeded in going against traditional standards that are still some-what upheld in society today. As well, Enough demonstrated some of Cullen’s ideas of shows and movies alternatively taking a progressive and conservative tone.
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