Marry Me - Theatrical Review

There are some similarities in Marry Me to Notting Hill, mostly being its science fiction element of having the most famous actress/singer fall in love with an average schmo and it works out. In fact, there is more of a possibility of anything in the film Dune coming true in real life than there is in Marry Me, or for that matter, Notting Hill. With those stats, at least Notting Hill was packed with tons of original laughs and wonderful characters who everyone rooted for. This is NOT the case in Marry Me, although both Owen Wilson and Jennifer Lopez are sweet enough on screen. There's just not any chemistry in this strictly by-the-book rom-com with some of the blandest dialogue known in cinema.

Marry Me takes some of its cues lightly from Romeo and Juliet where the world's most famous singer Kat Valdez (Lopez) is about to get married live on stage at a concert with her boyfriend in the middle of her own show. The entire world is watching and awaiting the glorious kiss. Right before she is to exchange vows, she finds out that her fiancee has been cheating on her with other women. Distraught and through the words of her song, she chooses a random guy in her audience to marry, complete with a ceremony right then and there. This poor sap is Charlie Gilbert (Wilson) who is a divorced middle school math teacher and is raising his daughter alone. Over the course of a few months, the two actually fall in love despite their differences. And that's the definition of science-fiction.

The script and dialogue in Marry Me are downright cheesy and awful and are mostly delivered in an unexciting way. It's a shame because Lopez, Wilson, and their costars Sarah Silverman and John Bradley (Game of Thrones) are so likable and charming. But in this movie, there's just no excitement or romance that can be seen as realistic. At least in Notting Hill, there were some quirky characters and well-written dialogue that made everyone care about the characters. Instead, Marry Me serves more as the next album for Lopez, highlighting a dozen songs she sings in the film. Other than the musical element that will no doubt go over like gangbusters to fans of Lopez, there's not much to witness or root for in this movie.

Marry Me is sweet and serves as a romantic comedy for those who want to hear J. Lo songs from start to finish, but the chemistry isn't there with Lopez unless it's Ben Affleck or Matthew McConaughey. Through cute, cheesy moments of Lopez teaching middle schoolers how to dance and learn math, Marry Me is better left at the aisle unless one is a super fan of the pop star. For Fans Only!

 Watch it in theaters or stream it on Peacock!