Directed By Kat Coiro

Starring – Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Utkarsh Ambudkar

The Plot – Music superstars Kat Valdez (Lopez) and Bastian (Ambudkar) are getting married before a global audience of fans. But when Kat learns, seconds before her vows, that Bastian has been unfaithful, she decides to marry Charlie (Wilson), a stranger in the crowd, instead, begging the question if opposites really do attract in this romantic comedy.

Rated PG-13 for some adult language and suggestive material

marry me trailer – YouTube

POSITIVES

Though nothing new or insightful with regards to the overdone monotony of romantic comedy screenplays, “Marry Me” does bring with it an endearing charm and tender sentiment that goes a long way in carrying the movie’s lack of creativity through troubled waters. This is especially the case with the influence of its complete ensemble, beginning with Lopez and Wilson, who unload a balance of heart and commitment to the respective roles that make each of their arcs compelling in the cultural distancing that periodically strains heavily on their relationship. For Lopez, even essentially playing herself, there’s still a glowing radiance and sincerity in her timely deliveries that give her that every woman capability that we wouldn’t expect from a woman so visually striking, and when combined with Wilson’s kindhearted-but-firm Charlie, constructs a narrative that the audience can invest in accordingly, all the while illustrating the diversity in the worlds between them that couldn’t feel any more tumultuous to the well-being of their newfound dynamic. It’s in this aspect too where the film finds some surface level artistic expression in the air of its presentation, in both Instagram and Twitter captions visually conveying the unraveling of this love narrative before our very eyes and tapping into the polarization and intrusion of these generational tools steering users towards one leap-frogging conclusion after the other. Aside from Lopez and Wilson doing their thing, the film’s supporting ensemble also harvests a few familiar faces between the boisterously radiant Sarah Silverman, the intellectual transcendence of 13-year-old Chloe Coleman, and the newfound clarity of John Bradley, who in recent turns in this and “Moonfall” has already cemented two prolific scene-stealing instances that breaks convention and leaves me curious what genre the gifted actor will attempt next. As for the progression of the film, the 102-minute run time never feels taxing or trying on the indulgence of the audience, instead vividly sifting through the dual narrative of Kat and Charlie with enough time and intimate detailing that helps flesh out the lived-in characterization of each, while partaking in the bolting pacing of life in the limelight, seemingly shaping and evolving with each passing second in the focus of the public eye. It gives the structure a clean-cut outline that refuses to extend itself as something it rightfully isn’t and cements itself as the perfect date night film this Valentine’s Day weekend, with something to appreciate for both sides of the audience who may or may not seem hooked with the promise of yet another romantic comedy.

NEGATIVES

In one word; predictable. Even with a film with so much charm and creativity in the outline of its world’s-colliding plot set-up, the script from a trio of various screenwriters can’t escape the blandness in execution that comes as a result of the aspect of so many familiar tropes and growing cliches finding their way to the experience. Music montages filling in the gaps of notable exposition, forced one-liners, garish product placement, and third act distancing are just a few of the examples conjured up here that seem to check-off this often talked about but never seen list of similarities between so many films, creating a circumstantial speedbump that keeps “Marry Me” from ever fully committing itself to break away from the pack. In addition to this, while I did enjoy the individual performances of Lopez and Wilson, the lack of romantic chemistry between them is fairly evident in the scenes where the spark doesn’t quite ignite the candle of transferrable emotions. It’s fine enough initially, when these characters from two different worlds creates a lukewarm emphasis to their dynamic, considering they’re strangers, but when the film evolves it to represent their growing feelings, it never burns anything conductively palpable to the tangible between them, leaving them feeling like best friends instead of lasting lovers. Finally, the film commits the same problem that movies about stand-up comedy often does, in that this film about a global pop star doesn’t have a single decent chord of music between it. Music is of course subjective, but I do consider myself a decent fan of Lopez’ musical career, with “Waiting for Tonight” and “All My Love” being consistently shuffled in my listening device. However, the soundtrack here is the B-side depth-less tracks used to reach a quota in an album’s production, and nothing even close to the level of alluring personality that has mirrored Lopez’ own real-life stardom. The lyrics are topically shallow, the music is rhythmically flat, and the spontaneity of their arrival feels more awkward than realistic, leaving Kat feeling like a temporary trend of an artist, instead of the generational icon that the film so desperately wants us to believe.

OVERALL

“Marry Me” certainly isn’t going to reinvent the wheel with regards to its detectably bland formula or suitcase full of genre-specific cliches, but it is essentially harmless when compared to other Valentine’s Day releases of the previous decade. Blessed with two richly diverse performances from Lopez and Wilson, as well as the depth in the layering of an eclectic ensemble, the film finds its way into your heart and manages to stay there based on the result of a question that we can’t help but say yes to.

My Grade: 6/10 or C