Thanks to her reunion with Ben Affleck for Bennifer 2.0, Jennifer Lopez has not been much out the headlines in the past year – but with Marry Me she’s back with a bang to remind us of one of the many strings to her bow: queen of a good rom-com.
Despite what the slightly lacklustre, 2005-in-a-bad-way trailer might have suggested, Marry Me is an enjoyable movie, with just enough charm, self-awareness and humour (plus the grace of a good cast) to recover from its central – frankly preposterous – conceit.
Superstar singer Kat Vasquez (Lopez) is set to perform her duet Marry Me with fellow superstar singer and fiancé Bastian (Maluma) in a concert streamed to 20 million fans around the world, in which they will also genuinely tie the knot.
When a last-minute snag throws those plans into disarray, in a moment of madness/panic/spontaneity, Kat opts to marry unassuming maths teacher Charlie (Owen Wilson) instead because he is in the audience holding a sign saying ‘Marry Me’, which she – rather ridiculously – interprets as a proposal rather than a reference to the song she is promoting (best not to prod too much).
After clearing the hurdle of the film’s first 20 minutes or so though, Marry Me settles nicely into the swing of the standard ‘getting to know you’ rom-com vibe.
Keeping things current, the film pokes fun at the celebrity and influencer culture – and thereby, by extension, J-Lo herself, who is clearly playing a character not far from her real self (there’s even mention of Kat’s multiple marriages and engagements).