Jennifer Lopez has been a long-time triple threat but fans of her music may have missed her recent romance movie role amidst the headlines about her own relationship.
Marry Me is a 2022 movie that sees the 55-year-old play a role much closer to home, as she acts as a pop star named Kat Valdez, who finds herself in an unusual relationship. The superstar had planned to get married to her long-term partner in a live ceremony for all of her fans to see, but she learns, just seconds before the big moment, that he’s been having an affair this entire time.
On stage Kat has a meltdown, and in a moment of madness locks eyes with an ordinary maths teacher, Charlie Gilbert, played by Owen Wilson, who decides to hold up a sign saying “marry me”. Struck by insanity and inspiration, she decides to say yes, and the two unlikely newlyweds have to figure it out as they go along, whether their entirely separate lives can join as one.
A viewer took to Rotten Tomatoes to write a review, claiming: “If you love ‘rom coms’ and all the cheese that those stories entail, then chances are you will love this movie. If those types of storytelling tropes drive you crazy, this isn’t going to be the movie to win you over to their side. Although nothing original, I did enjoy good portions of it. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Lopez have good chemistry.”
Another review shared: “Marry Me is comprised of pure feel-good movie magic. The cast is amazing, the story is endearing as can be, and the characters immediately win your heart. Marry Me is a perfect getaway.”
It was announced that the film would be made a few years prior in 2019, based on the graphic novel of the same name by author Bobby Crosby. Most of the filming took place in Manhattan that year, before the film was later released in 2022 after multiple delays.
While Marry Me didn’t have great success at the box office, it did become one of the most streamed titles when it launched on Peacock. And a key feature of the film that J-Lo fans were particularly pleased about was its original soundtrack that had a life of its own.
A fan wrote: “Marry Me It’s a great romance and musical film, a beautiful story with lots of good and catchy music that involves its characters very well.” Someone else pointed out their love for the music in the film, stating: “Amazing romcom with a different view, something that I haven’t really seen before. The music is good too.”
The soundtrack was released as an album from Lopez, and its lead single, Pa Ti, debuted in the top ten of Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs. Not to mention, another song from the movie, On My Way, went on to win Best Song at the MTV Movie & TV Awards.
It’s not the first time Lopez has starred in a movie with a wedding at the heart of the storyline, as she also appeared in the 2022 film Shotgun Wedding and the 2001 classic, The Wedding Planner. Although some viewers seem to favour these over her role as the famous Kat, which has received its fair share of negative reviews.
One person claimed: “Bad acting, bad songs. I was laughing at it, not with it.” While someone else commnted: “Me and my wife love rom-coms and watch them all the time; this movie had maybe three mildly funny lines, and the story progression made absolutely zero sense. Genuinely one of the worst movies I think I’ve ever seen.”
If you’re a fan of Jennifer Lopez, then you’re in luck, because her recent rom-com Marry Me is available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer as of July 11.