Marry Me
review by Bobby Blakey
I will admit that I was more of a fan of Jennifer Lopez in her early days in films like The Cell, U-Turn, Anaconda, and Out of Sight, but also more recently with her turn in Hustlers. So seeing her return to the romantic comedy genre with Marry Me, I was not overly excited, but having Owen Wilson, Sarah Silverman, Chloe Coleman and Maluma along for the ride gave it promise. Could this latest flick hit all the right notes or will it fail to make the charts?
Marry Me follows a modern love story about celebrity, marriage and social media. Kat Valdez is half of the sexiest celebrity power couple on Earth with hot new music supernova Bastian. As Kat and Bastian’s inescapable hit single, “Marry Me,” climbs the charts, they are about to be wed before an audience of their fans in a ceremony that will be streamed across multiple platforms.
Divorced high-school math teacher Charlie Gilbert has been dragged to the concert by his daughter Lou and his best friend. When Kat learns, seconds before the ceremony that Bastian has cheated on her with her assistant, her life turns left as she has a meltdown on stage, questioning love, truth and loyalty. As her gossamer world falls away, she locks eyes with a stranger—a face in the crowd. If what you know lets you down, then perhaps what you don’t know is the answer, and so, in a moment of inspired insanity, Kat chooses to marry Charlie. What begins as an impulsive reaction evolves into an unexpected romance. But as forces conspire to separate them, the universal question arises: Can two people from such different worlds bridge the gulf between them and build a place where they both belong?
I must admit I found this film to be cute and heartwarming. The trailers annoyed me with the notion that they could just get married all of a sudden on
stage and it be official, but thankfully they address all these issues in the final product and while silly isn’t out of the realm of possibility from some of these stories. It does actually all make sense and the fairytale like love story ended up working way better than I had thought it would. Lopez and Wilson have great chemistry that is awkward at times, but also cute to watch. This is a story that isn’t just about the ridiculous notion of this marriage, but about two people that need something different in their lives to help them live again.
All the supporting cast are good with international music star Maluma making his feature film debut and does well. Silverman brings the laughs while still playing a straighter laced character as opposed to just the funny sidekick. There are so many elements here that are insanely clichéd so you know exactly where this movie is heading. It hits all the usual tropes of the genre so it’s not breaking down any barriers in the industry, but it is works well enough that it helps it to stand out and work.
I didn’t have high hopes for this one, but walked away having a good time. It features all sorts of new music from both Lopez and Maluma, but I will say I wasn’t a fan of any of the songs here, but that is just my own opinion. Whether you are a fan of the cast or just the genre this is one that is worth getting involved with.
In addition to the film this release offers up bonus content including deleted scenes, a gag reel, commentary, music video, featurettes and more. Grab your copy of Marry Me available now on digital, Blu-ray and DVD from Universal Home Entertainment.