Review: ‘Marry Me’
Romantic comedies, or rom-coms as they’re affectionately referred to by fans of the genre, were once considered a surefire way to score an easy box office hit. Done on limited budgets (unless they featured a major movie star who demanded millions as a salary) with short turnaround time, the most successful of them went on to make double, triple, and sometimes even quadruple their budgets in the late 90s and early 2000s. 2002’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding, for example, was made on a $5 million budget and went on to make over $350 million worldwide, over 70 times its budget. Main in Manhattan, also released in 2002, grossed over $150 million worldwide. Aside from a few notable exceptions, such as 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians, romantic comedies have been mostly been relegated to streaming services these days, with Netflix churning one out every few weeks to mostly middling reactions.
Jennifer Lopez, who is no stranger to rom-coms, having starred in genre classics such as the aforementioned Maid in Manhattan and The Wedding Planner, is attempting to usher in a theatrical rom-com renaissance of sorts with this month’s Marry Me and Shotgun Wedding, which is set for a June 29 release. Lopez, who had an acting career resurgence after her critically acclaimed performance in Lorene Scafaria‘s Hustlers back in 2019, not only stars in but also produced both Marry Me and Shotgun Wedding under her Nuyorican Productions banner, and if Marry Me is any indication, the genre is definitely in safe hands.
Marry Me centers on Kat Valdez (Lopez), a popular singer and one half of celebrity power couple with fellow singer Bastian (Maluma). As Kat and Bastian’s inescapable hit single, “Marry Me,” climbs the charts, they are about to be wed before an audience of their fans in a ceremony that will stream across multiple platforms. Divorced high-school math teacher Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson) has been dragged to the concert by his daughter Lou (Chloe Coleman) and his best friend Parker Debbs (Sarah Silverman). When Kat learns, seconds before the ceremony, that Bastian has cheated on her with her assistant, her life turns left as she has a meltdown on stage, questioning love, truth, and loyalty. As her gossamer world falls away, she locks eyes with a stranger-a face in the crowd. If what you know lets you down, then perhaps what you don’t know is the answer, and so, in a moment of inspired insanity, Kat chooses to marry Charlie. What begins as an impulsive reaction evolves into an unexpected romance. But as forces conspire to separate them, the universal question arises: Can two people from such different worlds bridge the gulf between them and build a place where they both belong?
With a premise like that, Marry Me could have very easily been a cringeworthy, goofy mess of a movie but it is saved from that fate by the fact that almost every single person involved in the film is taking it seriously, treating the source material with care, respect and most importantly, heart. From Lopez, who turns in some of her finest acting work in the film, to Sarah Silverman, who aces her role with perfect comedic timing, to Chloe Coleman, who is one of the best child actors working today, to director Kat Coiro, who foregoes some of the genre’s more conventional trappings in favor of a refreshing, almost whimsical tone, almost the entire cast and crew know what type of film they are in and they embrace it wholeheartedly, without any shame or embarassment.
The odd man out, however, is Owen Wilson, who sleepwalks through most of his scenes and mumbles through the bulk of his dialogue. It’s only when he shares a scene with Lopez, who lights up the screen whenever she appears, that he is able to make an impression, feeding off of and (barely) matching her popstar energy.
Lopez, on the other hand, has the charisma and the on-screen presence of a movie star, as made evident by her dynamic turn in Hustlers. But here, she proves that she is also able to deliver an emotional, surprisingly nuanced performance that peels back the layers to not only her character in the film but her own public persona as well. Anyone who has paid attention to her career trajectory or to her personal life throughout the past few decades will immediately recognize aspects of both sprinkled throughout the film – from her very public relationship troubles to the lack of awards she has received during the course of her career – but Lopez also imbues the character of Kat with enough personality and pathos to differentiate her from her own life.
Overall, Marry Me is an endearing, heartwarming and fun romantic comedy with a wonderful performance from Jennifer Lopez at its center. Much like its bevy of main characters, it’s not perfect – it’s almost saccharine sweet with no real edge or flare and it does suffer from an overstretched second act – but its whimsical, lighthearted tone and genuine sincerity more than make up for its flaws.
Rating: 3.5/5
Marry Me is now playing in theaters. It will be released on Peacock on February 11.