Universal Pictures
I can take or leave the rom-com genre, mainly because they all follow a predictable formula with only minor variations — in love, lost love, found love (or found love again). It’s really no different with the latest entry, Marry Me, but this one comes with an actress now being labeled ‘The Queen of the Rom-Com’, the one and only Jennifer Lopez, back on the big screen after trying her hand at a more dramatic role in Hustlers. And as an added bonus, she’s also playing a famous singer this time around.
J.Lo stars as recording artist Kat Valdez, who has taken the world by storm with her new song ‘Marry Me’, a duet with another popular artists named Bastian (Maluma). The song is a pivotal moment in their lives because the happy couple are actually about to get married at a concert with about 20 million people expected to tune in. But as with every other movie of this type, the wedding comes to a screeching halt just as Kat is about to be elevated to the stage in her wedding gown when Page Six posts a video of Bastian cheating with Kat’s personal assistant. Stunned, Kat begins rambling to the audience about love and mistaking other feelings for love when she spots a man in the audience holding a sign that says ‘Marry Me’, which he was just holding for a friend. But in the spur of the moment, she says yes to him — not that he was actually asking — and the two are ‘married’ on stage, turning the world of math teacher Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson) upside-down.
Kat’s manager Colin (John Bradley, who seems to be popping up in everything lately although this movie has been long delayed due to the pandemic) tries to convince her to pay the guy off and move on with her life, but she begins to see this as an opportunity to prove that she didn’t just make an impulsive mistake. It takes some convincing for Charlie to get on board but he agrees even if it means making more public appearances than he is comfortable with. Even with their vast differences, a spark begins to ignite between the ‘married’ couple until … Kat is finally nominated for a Grammy, news that is delivered in person by Bastian. Forced to perform the song together again, Charlie senses that Bastian really is the man for Kat but is he really? Or are Charlie and his daughter Lou really what Kat needs in her life?
Marry Me does follow the tried and true rom-com formula so there really aren’t any surprises in the story. You know there’s going to be a happy ending and that’s fine because the actors do such a fine job that you root for that happy ending. I can’t say that I’m the biggest fan of Owen Wilson, and you really do have to suspend disbelief to thing that someone like Kat would entertain a relationship with someone like Charlie, but he brings enough authenticity to the guy that his charm alone is enough to win her, and the audience, over. Maluma came to prominence after his duet with Madonna, and while his role is relatively small he still seems like a natural when it comes to acting. John Bradley is also very good as Kat’s manager, always trying to guide her in the right direction but never throwing up a wall between her and Charlie. There is also some able support and comedy relief from Sarah Silverman as Charlie’s friend Parker, and Michelle Buteau as Kat’s other assistant. And if you look closely, you’ll also spot Utkarsh Ambudkar (now starring on the excellent Ghosts on CBS) as a rival math coach, and Jameela Jamil as a make-up artist for Kat.
Of course the star is Jennifer Lopez and she is just great, rightfully earning that Rom-Com Queen title. To me, she was completely believable, pushing her emotional breakdown on stage just far enough without going completely over-the-top, to gradually growing closer emotionally to Charlie. They come from different worlds — and thank goodness Kat isn’t a complete diva or else this would never work — but she makes you root for these crazy kids to find a life together. And when things get turned upside-down in her life, Lopez easily sells us Kat’s emotional response to it all. She also gets to sing quite a few catchy tunes, and her last one performed in a studio with a full orchestra really tugged at my heartstrings. Dare I say the last few scenes of the movie even made my eyes tear up just a bit?! The only eye-rolling moment of the film comes at a concert in which Kat is singing about church with nun and priest (altar boy?) back-up dancers clad in S&M rubber costumes, while Kat is in a nude illusion body suit with a strategically place, bejeweled cross design. If people were made at Lady Gaga’s ‘father, son and House of Gucci’ line, they will be positively apoplectic over this. I’m not even Catholic and I thought it was a bit too much.
As much as the film succeeds on the performances of the cast and some decent writing, a lot of the credit has to also go to director Kat Coiro, who brings a female perspective to the genre. You can’t help but think had a man been directing this, the Kat character might have been a complete and controlling diva, using Charlie to help her own image while being completely oblivious to their connection until a second act moment when she finally sees it but it’s too late (of course there is a third act redemption). But Coiro makes it all flow very naturally and, again, makes you root for the unlikely lovebirds (and I just learned that this film is actually based on a graphic novel!). So as resistant as I am to the rom-com genre, I thoroughly enjoyed Marry Me, and the long delay for the film’s release brings it out now at just the right time when we all need a dose of humor and romance in our lives.
Marry Me has a run time of 1 hour 52 minutes and is rated PG-13 for some language and suggestive material.
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