Reuniting on screen for the first time since Anaconda (1997), Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson energize Marry Me. The new romantic comedy may not entirely work, but there is no denying it’s a great deal of fun.
Synopsis
Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) is slated to marry her fellow pop star boyfriend Bastian (Maluma). This is no private ceremony though, propelled by the popularity of their recent duet, “Marry Me.” They are scheduled to tie the knot at a concert with a combined in-person and live-stream audience of 20 million.
Included in that number are divorced math teacher Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson) and his daughter Lou (Chloe Coleman). When Kat discovers Bastian has cheated on her right before the big moment, she decides the marriage is off.
Yet, millions of people tuned in for a wedding, so she picks Charlie at random and marries him on-stage. Suddenly, the mild-mannered divorcée tumbles into the realm of superstardom. While the marriage may be a stunt, it is official. Kat and Charlie embark on a journey to save her image, and also, just maybe, fall in love.
Rom-Com Rules
Even by romantic comedy standards, Marry Me has a set-up that is utterly preposterous. A pop star seeing a man holding a sign that says “Marry Me!” and jumping on the moment to “do something different,” as Kat says, is rather jarring right out of the gate. Yet, romantic comedies are a genre known for throwing logic to the wind with verve. Is The Proposal (2009) more ‘believable’ than this? Does it really unfold much differently than Notting Hill (1999) in terms of outrageous pairing?
Opinions on this may vary, but the fact is that once you accept Marry Me’s inciting incident, the film does quickly come into clear focus. The screenplay also cleverly provides a quiet moment in the car between Kat and Charlie immediately after the concert hubbub. That choice embraces the absurdity of the situation by anchoring it in the character’s recognition of their collective folly.
From there, the film broadly succeeds at the wedding (pun fully intended) of the two tones. Juxtaposing Kat’s photoshoot, talk show, and social media followers focused life with the sleepiness of Charlie’s is effective. Where the narrative falters is when it hews too tightly to the archetypal beats of romantic comedies. Yes, the set-up remains wild, but the story structure becomes surprisingly ordinary.
Kat and Charlie start as opposites but find common ground. They embrace each other’s approaches to life and somehow discover a true connection. Wrinkles emerge and they fall apart before a final reconciliation with a promise of a fulfilling love story to come. These are the bones of all romantic comedies and it’s hard to fault Marry Me for embracing them. Nonetheless, the screenplay’s strict adherence to the trope-filled beats holds the film back from its creative potential.
Lopez & Wilson
The fundamental component that propels Marry Me to success is the shockingly endearing chemistry between Lopez and Wilson. Neither performer is new to romantic comedies, but their filmographies reveal divergent approaches to the genre. Yet, in large part due to Lopez and Wilson’s individual talent, they make it work. Lopez seems to channel much of her real-life experience as a public figure who has dealt with an array of romantic woes.
Kat emerges as a magnetically charismatic presence who nevertheless harbors a great deal of self-doubt. Playing off this, Wilson sculpts Charlie into a variation on his own persona of a folksy and laid-back everyman. He coaches the math team, embarrasses Lou, and truly worries about Kat’s well-being. Therefore, the two create a tender dynamic that suits the tale of strangers, to friends, and then to lovers that Marry Me presents.
Additionally, Lopez’s musical gifts become an integral part of the film’s overall success. When a song is a major plot point in the film, it needs to be quite good, both from a composition and performance standpoint. Lopez, frankly, sings the living daylights out of her portion of “Marry Me.”
Musical partner Maluma is also fabulous, but it is Lopez’s show and she turns a vital dramatic beat at Madison Square Garden into a layered and affecting bit of pop stardom. Even the quieter moments often blossom because of her ability to modulate between mega-balladry and softer tones.
One of the standout moments in the film is when Kat accompanies Charlie to the annual school dance. There is of course the requisite awkwardness and photo booth antics that Wilson and Lopez both play to perfection. However, the scene truly solidifies as a high point when Lopez climbs on stage to sing “After Love.” It is entrancing, and it’s also a testament to her extraordinary powers.
Kat Coiro
Prior to Marry Me, Coiro’s directorial efforts were predominantly TV comedy episodes. With credits including Brooklyn Nine-Nine, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Girls5eva, she is no stranger to broad comedy. Those roots shine through here, especially if you consider the movie like an elongated, stand-alone episode of a sitcom.
Coiro wastes no time diving into the cold open, that being the concert. From there, she focuses on spotlighting the comedic and romantic situations that Kat and Charlie find themselves in as they attempt to navigate their sudden connection. Coiro finds a nice rhythm with her editors, one of whom is longtime Sex and the City editor Michael Berenbaum. Therefore, while much of the film is rather standard visual fare, it flows well and never drags.
Where Coiro incorporates a fascinating wrinkle is in her handling of how social media and technology impact her characters’ lives. Kat (Valdez) constantly has phones in her face taking videos and pictures, assistants live streaming even the most mundane daily events, and even a videographer who follows her at all times.
Coiro smartly distances the movie from over-reliance on one platform or another to instead present a blanket of media access. Cuts to phone screens, camera viewfinders, and so on give Marry Me a flavor of surveillance that melds in nicely. The Conversation (1974) this is not, but Coiro nonetheless deftly layers her film with an aesthetic awareness of the scrutiny surrounding Valdez.
Conclusion
Marry Me is a pleasant surprise in that, yes, it is somewhat absurd and also a touch underbaked. Yet, it is still a rollicking good time with two charming leads under the guidance of a talented director. In February’s waning days, Marry Me provides a lovely slice of comfort cinema.
Marry Me had its world premiere in Los Angeles on February 9, 2022. The film was released in the United States theatrically as well as on the streaming platform Peacock Premium on February 11, 2022.
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