Second Act

"Her talent was real. Her résumé was not."

2018 1h 43m EN

😐

6.3

MID

🥫

44%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

5.8

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 1,270🥫44%Rotten Tomatoes●46Metacritic★5.8IMDB · 32,768

RomanceComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Value Shop assistant manager Maya Vargas wants only one thing for her 43rd birthday -- a promotion. While her résumé may not scream upper management, her track record certainly does; she is an innovator who listens to her customers and delivers results. When she loses the job to a college-educated candidate, Maya sets out to prove to Madison Avenue that street smarts are as valuable as book smarts -- and it's never too late for a second act.

“Her talent was real. Her résumé was not.”

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Cast

Jennifer Lopez
Maya
Vanessa Hudgens
Zoe
Leah Remini
Joan
Milo Ventimiglia
Trey
Treat Williams
Anderson Clarke
Lo Mutuc
Ariana
Annaleigh Ashford
Hildy Ostrander
Alan Aisenberg
Chase

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Segal
Writers: Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Justin Zackham
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, China

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, China.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Segal, shot by Ueli Steiger. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Andrews. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jason Gourson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jennifer Lopez and Vanessa Hudgens and Leah Remini carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Her talent was real. Her résumé was not.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Segal directs. Ueli Steiger behind the camera. Michael Andrews scores. Jason Gourson cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America, China. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.5× over at the box office.
2Released 8 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, China.
4Directed by Peter Segal, shot by Ueli Steiger. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Michael Andrews. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jason Gourson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jennifer Lopez and Vanessa Hudgens and Leah Remini carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Her talent was real. Her résumé was not.".
9IMDB entry: tt2126357 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 14 themes, including "new york city", "career woman", "forty something", "best friend".

The technical file

Cinematography: Ueli Steiger
Original score: Michael Andrews
Editing: Jason Gourson
Production design: Richard Hoover
Costume design: Molly Rogers
Makeup / hair: Louise McCarthy
VFX supervisor: Timothy J. Feeley
Sound: Jeffrey J. Haboush
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $16,000,000
Box office: $72,282,227
Return: 452% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Second Act (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes: 44% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 46/100
IMDB rating: 5.8/10 · 32,768 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

2 wins & 1 nomination total

Also by

Peter Segal

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

The Movie Mob2022-10-21
★ 6/10
While the story is predictable and inconsistent, the final product is enjoyable, focusing on family over stereotypical rom-com romance. Second Act was billed as sort of a rom-com, but that isn't very accurate. While a comedy, Second Act focuses on the story of a sharp woman without traditional credentials that learns to find success by being true to herself. The story is inconsistent, but there are plenty of funny moments throughout, particularly when the Monday Moms are on screen. The film's best part is Jennifer Lopez's character finding and reuniting with her long-lost daughter, whom she had to give up for adoption as a young teen. The supporting cast of quirky characters is entertaining too. But the lead character makes some dishonest decisions and lies to her loved ones repeatedly, making the viewer feel conflicted about rooting for her. Ultimately, Second Act gets distracted from its own story making the ending feel haphazard, stitched together, and uninspired. Still, a comedy not wrapped up in romance but a mother/daughter relationship is a nice change of pace.

Production companies