Jennifer Lopez and Leah Remini’s New Movie ‘Second Act’ Getting Mixed Reviews

The Jennifer Lopez vehicle Second Act has hit theaters, but audiences and critics are walking away with mixed feelings.

Over on Rotten Tomatoes, both the audience and critic percentages have dropped into “rotten” territory. Out of the 280 users who rated the film, only 52 percent liked it. The average audience rating is 3.4 out of 5.

Second Act, which also stars Leah Remini and Vanessa Hudgens, is also far from a critical darling. Fifty-six critics have weighed in, and only 23 of them left “fresh” reviews. The average rating is 4.9 out of 10, giving it a rotten 41 percent rating.

Most of the negative reviews pointed out that the film is worthwhile showcase for Lopez’s talents, but there is not much of a solid story to hold things together.

“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,” RogerEbert.com’s Nell Minow wrote. “Perhaps there is a clue in the credits, where we learn that Lopez is the producer as well as the star. As is so often the case, here that means that the movie is more about what would be fun for Lopez to do than what would be fun for the audience to watch.”

The Los Angeles Times’ Marks Olsen wrote, “Jennifer Lopez may be perfectly content with a Jennifer Lopez vehicle like Second Act as part of her larger portfolio of projects – her official bio for the movie describes her as ‘one of the most successful and well-known brands in entertainment.’ Whether Lopez will ever return to the fuller performances of earlier films such as Selena or Out of Sight remains to be seen. This Second Act leaves this viewer wishing that Lopez’s screen career could lead to something more than functional brand service.”

However, the reviews were not all terrible. In particular, some reviewers singled out the dynamic between Lopez’s Maya and Remini’s Joan, who are also close friends in real life.

“Perhaps the brightest and best bit is the chemistry between Lopez and Remini,” Awards Circuit.com’s Toni Gonzales wrote. “The two BFF’s are in fact BFF’s in real life. And, boy does it show. There is absolutely nothing manufactured about their closeness and comfort with one another. The two are hands down the best part. Their constant affectionate bickering makes for moments that will leave most women longing for their bestie.”

Black Girl Nerds’ Jamie Broadnax added, “What makes Second Act unique is its authenticity and realness between BFFs Maya and Joan. Some of the most humorous moments are shared between these two, and actors Lopez and Remini looked like they had a lot of fun making this picture together. The chemistry between Lopez and Remini is palpable, and every scene with them in it is golden.”

Second Act is currently showing in most theaters across the U.S.

Photo Credit: Facebook / Second Act