"Marry Me" Review: A Dull Film That Leaves Profound Questions
Jennifer Lopez has plenty of good rom-coms under her belt. There’s something about her charm that as far as Jenny has been removed from the block, she still feels like Jenny from the block. Marry Me is not going to be one of the hits that goes in the collection. Perhaps the concept would work with better casting but this formulaic, supposed feel-good romantic film lacks heart and left me asking questions about screenwriting, ageism, and the biases film culture has created.
For context, let’s talk about the film so we can get to the meat and potatoes. Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) is a singer/songwriter superstar. She plans to marry her fiancé Bastian (Columbian music star Maluma) after performing their huge hit, Marry Me. Right before she steps on stage for the big event a scandal strikes with video evidence of Bastian cheating. So what would any rational person do? She goes on stage and decides to marry a random guy in the audience instead.
Enter Charlie (Owen Wilson), standing in the crowd with a “marry me” sign beside his tween-age daughter Lou (Chloe Coleman), a major Kat Stan! Kat makes a split second decision based on sight. Let’s pause here for a second. Glances, physical appearance and how the camera captures it is a part of romantic comedies. The way the camera frames its subject, with help from lights and gels, are a part of the fantasy or romance that we get hooked into in the storytelling. Since the Golden Age of Hollywood, these cinematic techniques have helped us fall in love with stars on screen. So, for nearly 100 years, at least five generations in families, we’ve been taught what is beautiful and how to gaze at a subject by the big screen. So Kat locks eyes with Charlie and makes a big decision. She doesn’t learn until later that he’s a mild-mannered single dad and math teacher (all the things that make him a down to Earth guy). Stay with me.
From there we get a reverse Can’t Buy Me Love set up in which Kat and Charlie proceed with the on stage marriage. They decide to keep the stunt going as Kat’s adoring fans can’t get enough of this fairytale, unbelievable story. Charlie is fine with this new adjustment in his life, but is fervent about continuing life as a teacher and all around drama-free guy. As the two get to know each other, we quickly see how opposites attract. Charlie’s normal and simple life contrasts against Kat’s busy, notorious and calculated life. Charlie has his funny best friend, Parker (Sarah Silverman) and Kat has her funny best friend Melissa (Michelle Buteau) who talk in their ear along the journey. It’s the tried and true set up of a film of this type. Will they end up together? It’s the question we want to know the answer to and this movie blandly tells it.
Wilson is a robot, barely opening his mouth wide enough to get his lines out. Charlie’s body is stiff in most scenes in contrast to Kat’s movement; she’s literally dancing and moving in pretty good song and dance numbers throughout the film. While Lopez gives us charm and age-defying looks, it’s hard to get past the unequal weight of her counterpart bringing the film down. So suddenly, it becomes evident that we’re dealing with a real life global super star on the screen. Kat as a character isn’t a stretch for Lopez because she can identify with the life. This is what pulled me out of the film. Even if we take J Lo’s real age off the table, it’s evident she’s not twenty something. In fact, late thirties could be the least we’ll give her. So why does a woman who isn’t a spring chicken just getting into the music business in this film, making a split second decision to marry a stranger? Why does she not know how to call for transportation? Why does she not know to put the cap on a blender before starting it? For the film it may be cute, but when you think critically it isn’t.
Still with me? So in my head I started thinking, she’s too old for this film from a wisdom perspective. Kat should be smarter than this! However, if she doesn’t have the knowledge and wisdom at this age, why wouldn’t writers John Rogers, Tami Sagher, and Harper Dill do the work to give us Kat’s arrested development backstory? Instead, it’s simplified to the fact that people do these things for her. This was an opportunity to make a mature love story. It’s one in which making impetuous decisions due to trauma or baggage can hit anyone at any age. It would fill in the plot holes, give character development and evolve the genre. Instead, I kept thinking they should have casted Ariana Grande and another young male star for the role because they’re too old to be acting like this. Charlie could still be a math teacher but taking care of his dead brother’s daughter making him even more loveable. Perfect.
Thus, this question of ageism kept pushing its way in my mind. Why did I feel this way? Why am I judging Owen Wilson’s looks, movements and why I felt he was so old visually in comparison to J Lo? Can only young people make silly decisions? Do we look at youth and excuse their lack of wisdom due to age but expect more from older people while overlooking the baggage that we all carry that may stunt their growth in certain areas? These thoughts on a micro level made me think about the macro and how we’ve arrived at this point in cinema.
Marry Me is a below average romantic comedy, but the questions it leaves, in my opinion, are profound. I Want You Back is out this weekend, and in it we get a more grounded film of the same genre with characters who are older but their impetuousness is explained. It’s funnier and the chemistry is there! It’s an example of how we can take what we’ve seen over the past hundred years and show growth in storytelling and what beauty is on screen. A part of beauty is getting older, imperfections, overcoming mistakes, being flawed, and so much more. Hopefully, we can see that in films and redefine what it looks like while not being afraid to make popcorn fun too!
Rating: D+
