Ben Affleck isn’t the only A-lister reuniting with Jennifer Lopez for a little romance. Owen Wilson has rejoined his co-star from Anaconda more than 20 years later in a completely different genre for the romantic comedy Marry Me. Critics have had a chance to see the movie, which will be released in theaters and on Peacock on Friday, February 11 – just in time for Valentine’s Day viewing.
In the adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by Bobby Crosby, Jennifer Lopez stars as Latin pop singer Kat Valdez, who learns her partner has been having an affair and makes a split-second decision to marry Owen Wilson’s Charlie Gilbert, a man she doesn’t know but finds in the audience at one of her concerts.
Let’s check out what the reviews say about this reunion, starting with our own CinemaBlend review. Sarah El-Mahmoud gives the movie 3 out of 5 stars, saying while the plot is scoff-worthy, somehow between Kat Coiro’s direction and the chemistry of its stars, Marry Me pulls it off, feeling like a rom-com plucked from the golden era of the early 2000s:
The flair of Marry Me is how it takes you along the ride to get to know its characters as the relationship grows between Kat and Charlie. There’s an inherent skepticism about a pair that got married at first sight in front of the world (you’d think some publicist would charge between them), but Kat Coiro’s direction understands this and uses it to its advantage.
Angie Han of THR agrees the movie feels like a throwback, but that it’s so self-aware of how celebrity works in the current day and age that it could basically double as an advertisement for albums from Jennifer Lopez and Colombian singer Maluma (who plays Lopez’s philandering lover Bastian). She writes,
Coming in an era when rom-com films seem more often than not to take the form of subversions, genre hybrids or bittersweet dramedies, Marry Me‘s old-fashioned romanticism feels in some ways like a throwback. Yet it does not feel stale, because Marry Me demonstrates a shrewd understanding of the way modern celebrity operates, and in particular of the way Lopez’s does. Kat blends so seamlessly with Lopez’s own career and image that Marry Me essentially doubles as an excuse for Lopez and Maluma to release a joint album for their existing fanbases.
Carlos Aguilar of The Wrap, however, says Jennifer Lopez is too good for this generic screenplay, and although he commends the movie for having two Latino leads in Lopez and Maluma, diversity does not guarantee good storytelling:
A business woman with a well managed career spanning several decades, Lopez can write this one off as a marketing ploy to showcase some new potential hits, remain present on our screens, and target the Valentine’s Day moviegoing crowd with the film equivalent of a single red rose and a cheap teddy bear from a 24-hour pharmacy. It’s better than nothing to mark the cheesy holiday, but the lack of effort shows.
Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson seem to hit a positive note with all of the critics, but Caroline Siede of AV Club, who grades Marry Me a C+, says the screenwriters don’t fully commit to trusting the lead duo. The movie isn’t confident enough to dig into the themes like feminism or social media that are introduced. She writes,
It prioritizes first act set-up and third act hurdles, with too little of the charming middle that makes a rom-com float or sink. There are three credited screenwriters working from a graphic novel by Bobby Crosby, and you can feel the tension of all those voices in the mix. Themes about social media and self-sufficiency come and go without any real follow-through. And for as much as the movie wants to cheekily evoke Lopez’s real-life experiences, there’s a limit to how far it will take that.
IndieWire’s Kate Erbland is just slightly less critical of the movie’s faults, grading it a B-. She is among the critics who compare the film favorably to the Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant 1999 hit Notting Hill and says Jennifer Lopez makes a case for why rom-coms are still worth making:
So, can Jennifer Lopez save the rom-com? Very nearly, and 'Marry Me' at least makes the case for the genre to get a fresh injection of new ideas and savvy stars. The basic shape of it doesn’t surprise, but in the realm of rom-coms, that can actually be a bonus. It’s comforting, and based on Lopez’s return to the genre, she seems to feel the same way.
Some reviews seem to think the classic rom-com formula is more successful than others, but all agree that the unlikely chemistry between Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson makes this one a charmer.
If this sounds like a movie for you, make it part of your Valentine’s weekend plans, as it will be released both in theaters and to Peacock subscribers on February 11. You can also check out our 2022 Movie Release Schedule to see what other films are coming soon.
