Marry Me

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

Marry Me is a romantic comedy following superstar Kat Valdez, who is set to marry her celebrity fiancé live in concert. But when she discovers that he has cheated on her moments before they exchange their vows, she decides to marry a stranger in the crowd instead. Now we're left to wonder if Kat Valdez and divorced maths teacher, Charlie Gilbert, stand a chance. I liked the moments in which this film slowly and steadily built up the heart. This idea of a budding romance between two unlikely people who just connect and find comfort in one another was such a pure takeaway message. I enjoyed seeing these grounded moments in which Kat got to go to a high school dance or be a step-mum; likewise Charlie rediscovered joy in living around such an energetic, larger than life person. The pieces don't always fit well, they're not supposed to, but that message of pure genuine connection is wonderful. I thought the editing managed a good pace against all odds, crafting steady dialogue scenes and this heart-wrenching montages in all the right places.

It was unbelieveable to me how much hard work Jennifer Lopez, who played Kat Valdez, put into this film. It was clearly work that paid off, because she is by far the best performance in the feature. When first we meet her we are greeted with this focused, driven woman who is brimming with talent. She is beyond a shadow of a doubt a protagonist in her own life, and breezes through scenes with exceptional presence. I loved seeing the excitement and joy bubble within her as she drew closer to getting married. Yet, the scene in which she discovers she has been cheated on and unravels onstage is quite moving, you feel how she is barely keeping together while also coming apart on live TV. From there Lopez is intent on crafting a role who seizes her own agency while being vulnerable enough to slowly let this new figure into her life. The chemistry Lopez and Wilson share is quite sweet and those quieter scenes in which they get to be alone tend to play the best. Seeing Lopez play the character fighting for her love right at the end of the rom-com was a delight to watch and a beautiful note to end the feature on.

 

John Bradley, who played Collin Calloway, might be presenting as the manager for this but he felt more like Lopez's British big brother; the amount of genuine care and sympathy Bradley put into his performance was extremely moving. Owen Wilson, who played Charlie Gilbert, comes at his role quietly and humbly which I found to be perfect; Wilson's soft-spoken performance and natural good nature is what makes you feel won over by him. Sarah Silverman, who played Parker Debbs, is the comedic wild card of the cast; Silverman hoards the best lines and earns every single laugh she gets from the audience.

Romantic comedy is a very fun genre I think; they have a lot of charm and that journey to a happily ever after is quite the nice journey to be on. It is also one of the genres with some of the laziest writing I have ever seen. In recent years we've been treated to films like Man Up or Long Shot that tilt the genre on its head and have shown a lot of growth for this brand of storytelling. Marry Me was like watching a script that says, "You know what? I kinda liked what we were cranking out twenty years ago better." The film isn't inherently funny, though there are a couple of worthy zingers in there. The big punchline is the premise, how unlikely that someone like Jennifer Lopez would ever wind up with someone like Owen Wilson. But that isn't actually very funny, it's a bad message that counters the film's actual theme. The film operates this way a lot, promoting love and connection while actually only doing it in a very shallow way. It's very difficult to relate to Kat because she's so unlike a grounded everyday person; while Charlie, the awkward maths teacher, is a little too cheesy to feel especially real. Seeing these roles interact is nice, but later in the film it becomes a struggle to create conflict between them. Having Charlie rather selfishly break up with Kat out of jealousy was not a strong moment and actually muddied the overall sincerity of the film.

Kat Coiro has a very monotonous visual style that makes spaces feel cramped, even concert scenes felt small which I found to be rather telling. The score done by John Debney is nothing to remark upon, there is barely a musical cue within the feature I found memorable. I was also extremely underwhelmed by the soundtrack, especially because these songs being written and performed was such an integral aspect of the story. Instead the songs came out as very empty, meaningless pieces filled with very vapid lyrics that showed little forethought.

Utkarsh Ambudkar, who played Coach Manny, is a bizarre minor role that feels very out of place in the final act; Ambudkar's intense school rivalry persona makes an already cheesy scenario worse. Maluma, who played Bastian, is quite a two-dimensional playboy pop star role; Maluma never really shares any chemistry with Lopez so their break-up doesn't sting as much as it could. Chloe Coleman, who played Lou Gilbert, is one of the weaker child performers I've seen in recent years; she couldn't have been any less connected to Wilson (who played her father). Jimmy Fallon, who played himself, is a rather egregious cameo; Fallon fails to present him or his talk show in a way that gives his platform any worth. Michelle Buteau, who played Kat's Assistant, is a comedic role that could've dealt to have some funny lines; it felt like Buteau was paired poorly with a very stoic character. Stephen Wallem, who played Jonathan Pitts, had one running gag that defined his role the entire film; seeing Wallem fanboy over Lopez the same way throughout the film came to be quite tiresome.

It's insanely charming and tried to hook me in but I can't get past the fact this brand of rom-com belongs in the early 2000s. I would give Marry Me a 4/10.