Maid In Manhatan, Monster-in-law, The Wedding Planner –what do these rom-com favorites have in common? Why none other thantriple-threat Jennifer Lopez! And rom-com’s muse is back in thegenre. This time around, she is 52 years old and looking fine as can be and challenging traditional marriage norms with her new film ‘Marry Me’.
Based on the graphic novel of the same name, Lopez plays Kat Valdez, a super-pop star who is in a highly public relationship with a handsome Latino singer Bastian (Maluma) the two are set to wed during a live concert. Tragedy strikes minutes before the ceremony when Bastian’s infidelity is revealed. In a shocked and bewildered state, Kat asks to marry a fan in the crowd-clueless math teacher Charlie, played by Owen Wilson.
At first glance, you might think that the premise for ‘Marry Me’ is a bit far fetched but there have been a number of real-life crazy celebrity weddings over the years. So maybe a pop-star marrying a fan on a whim is not so crazy after all. In the film, Kat (Lopez) mentions she was once married for 48 hours ‘Which doesn’t count’ her character says. This could be a reference to Britney Spears’ Las Vegas wedding to her childhood friend Jason Alexander, which only lasted 55 hours. You can say that art imitates life, since Jennifer Lopez herself is no stranger to short lived marriages. In an article from brides.com entitled: 21 Shortest Celebrity Marriages in History – Lopez is on the list – twice. In the film, she takes a swipe at traditional marriage norms. Asking why women can’t propose and demanding that women should be able to keep their names. And that’s pretty much how the serious tones of the film goes. So don’t worry as the movie is every bit as a rom-com as Lopez’s past movies. This time it even has a lot of song and dance numbers. so if you are a fan of Lopez’s music and artistry, well Marry Me will definitely be a treat for you.
Once you sit back and put on your romcom glasses it is an enjoyable film, as far as rom-coms go. It was fun to see Lopez shed her superstar status and become an ordinary person who flies coach and rides a bus. As a Game of Thrones fan, it was also nice to see John Bradley, who played Samwell Tarly in the fantasy series play Kat’s manager in the film.
There is also much that has to be said as to society’s dependency on social media. While the public consumes so much content from stars and celebrities, its nice to go offline once in a while. Sometimes its better to leave some things not shared with the rest of the world.
In the end, the movie helps you realize that no matter how crazy or illogical it is to take a chance at love, you take it. You shoot your shot because when things do work out, all that risk becomes worth it. And if things don’t work out? Well, you’ll always have that experience right? And you’ll come out of it stronger and wiser.