In "Monster-in-Law," Jennifer Lopez's character explains her oddball collection of jobs this way: "Life's too short to live the same day twice."

	Melissa Moseley, New Line Productions Jane Fonda, left, and Jennifer Lopez: nose to perfect nose in "Monster-in-Law." Click photo for larger image. 'Monster-in-Law' Rating: PG-13 for sex references and language. Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Jane Fonda. Director: Robert Luketic. Related article Sykes gets the monster laughs in movie Family Film Guide review of "Monster-in-law"

An addendum: Life's too short to watch the same movie -- disguised with different titles -- twice.

In the early going, "Monster-in-Law" seems suspiciously like "Maid in Manhattan," in which Lopez portrayed a hotel maid who falls for a dapper Senate candidate played by Ralph Fiennes. It was a Cinderella story, complete with evening gown and Harry Winston diamonds.

But "Monster-in-Law," starring Lopez, Jane Fonda and Michael Vartan, is like a Kentucky Derby horse that starts slowly, picks up the pace and pulls away from the pack in the home stretch.

It distances itself from "Maid" and sporadically crackles with comedy, courtesy of its two leading ladies. Wanda Sykes also tosses off zingers throughout, and Elaine Stritch provides sarcastic sizzle in what amounts to an extended cameo.

"Monster-in-Law" stars Lopez as the free-spirited Charlie, living in Venice Beach near her standard-issue movie friends: one gay guy, one gal pal. Bohemian dresser Charlie is a fashion designer at heart but spends her days walking dogs, working as a doctor's office receptionist and doing any number of other odd jobs.

She keeps bumping into a handsome stranger and then finds herself working as a waitress at his party. Turns out he's Kevin (Vartan), a surgeon who just moved back to L.A.

Before you can say mismatch made in heaven, Charlie and Kevin are a couple. Charlie lost her parents when she was young. Kevin is the son of Viola (Fonda), a newswoman with a Barbara Walters-style resume. But when she learns the network plans to replace her, Viola has a meltdown on live TV, which earns her a trip to what her assistant (Sykes) calls the "funny farm." (In real life, Viola would spin her experiences into a book and hit the talk-show circuit.)

When Kevin proposes to Charlie, Viola's world further spins off its axis and she decides to drive the fiancee away with her batty behavior. She even moves in with the couple. When Charlie decides to fight back, Viola discovers she may have met her match.

"Monster-in-Law," directed by Robert Luketic ("Legally Blonde"), features a couple of screaming-crying jags and fantasies that seem out of place. If they worked, there should have been more; if they didn't (and the fantasies don't), they should have been excised.

As written by Anya Kochoff, the story requires little of Vartan. He must look handsome, appear kind, deliver lines to a tearful Charlie such as "This isn't my world anymore, you're my world" and disappear for the midsection of the movie so Viola can torment Charlie.

Although Lopez hasn't been an average girl searching for Mr. Right for some time, she still manages to play the role convincingly. You have to root for Charlie, especially whenever Viola is around, which leads us to Fonda.

Fonda's publicity blitz for her autobiography and for this film have landed her on TV more often than the "Desperate Housewives." But the movie puts her larger-than-life personality and formidable acting skills to good use; she is believable as the sort of woman who just might drive away a lesser opponent.

Yes, "Monster-in-Law" is far from perfect, but it's all about the actresses. And when Charlie and Viola go toe to toe (or diva to diva), the movie kicks into gear. Fonda, whose character gets a back story and shot at redemption, may have taken a 15-year hiatus from acting, but she's lost none of her movie moxie.