movie reviews on marry me

What’s the difference between the new Jennifer Lopez rom-com “Marry Me” and a heart-shaped box of valentine chocolates? As Forrest Gump reminded us, in a box of chocolates you never know what you’re going to bite into, and in “Marry Me” you know exactly what you’re going to get. But hey, it’s still a box of chocolates. What you’re going to get may not be very nourishing but it is going to taste very, very good.

It may feel like a remix of “ Notting Hill ,” with an adorably dorky ordinary guy falling for a glamorous superstar, but it is based on a web comic-turned series of graphic novels by Bobby Crosby and Remy “Eisu” Mokhtar. Lopez plays Kat Valdez, a thrice-divorced pop superstar. She is constantly surrounded by the people posting on her many social media accounts and making sure she delivers on her promotional obligations. Cameras are on her every minute, either to be instantly uploaded or “banked” for future release. She is more product than person.

Kat’s latest hit is called “Marry Me,” a duet with her fiancé, Bastian (Colombian singer Maluma). They have announced that they will top off her “Marry Me” concert tour by having their wedding on stage and streaming, with an expected audience of 20 million. Seconds before the ceremony she learns that Bastian has been unfaithful.

In the audience is Charlie ( Owen Wilson ), a grade school math teacher and single dad invited to the concert by his friend Parker ( Sarah Silverman ). Kat spots him in the audience, holding Parker’s “Marry Me” sign, and impulsively says yes, inviting him on stage. And he accepts, not because he has any romantic illusions but because he does not want to add to her humiliation with a rejection.

Kat and her team promise to make a contribution to Charlie’s school if he will go along with the marriage for a few months, make some public appearances, and do some interviews. He stands by her on a red carpet. She shows up at Math Club to teach the kids some cool dance moves and a lesson about resilience. He encourages her to turn off the cameras and take off the hair extensions. She encourages him to make some changes that are not really meaningful, but this movie really is not about him.

Lopez can act as we saw in “ Hustlers ,” “ Selena ,” and especially in “ Out of Sight .” Here, she does not really need to. She is playing someone much like herself, a pop star and celebrity who has not been lucky in love and is still “Jenny from the block” at heart. She is “just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” Wait, that last part is from “Notting Hill.” It’s so easy to get them mixed up.

Lopez is the heart of the film, which rests on her warmth and pure star power. She shines in several concert performances. The songs are all bangers, though one number will be of concern to some viewers, with dancers wearing nuns’ coifs and wimples, Lopez herself barely wearing anything, and lyrics that use church to refer to love or something more physical. The title song and “ On My Way ” will be giving the “ Encanto ” songs some competition on the Hot 100.

The quiet moments with Wilson have an endearing tenderness. It is easy to suspend disbelief about actors in their 50s playing characters in their 30s. They look great. J.Lo is ageless and Wilson’s shaggy charm hasn’t changed since “ Wedding Crashers .” But they bring a mature sweetness and a feeling of calm in the connection between Charlie and Kat that we do not usually see in rom-coms and it is most welcome. If “Marry Me” over-repeats its mantra about sitting in the question until the answer finds you, at least that notion reflects a seasoned patience that is a nice contrast to the usual frantic emotions of movie love stories.

Yes, the script might as well have been written by an algorithm to hit every rom-com beat, from the meet-cute to the magical connection to the setback to the happy ending, but it deserves extra credit for what it avoids. There are no silly misunderstandings, contrived situations, or cartoonishly awful people. Even the one character whose trash talk at a school competition goes too far gets a happy ending. And the “When Harry Met Sally”-style clips over the credits with couples telling their stories make the possibility of happy endings for all of us seem a little closer.

Now playing in theaters.

Nell Minow is the Contributing Editor at RogerEbert.com.

Jennifer Lopez as Kat Valdez
Owen Wilson as Charlie Gilbert
Maluma as Bastian
John Bradley as Collin Calloway
Sarah Silverman as Parker Debbs
Chloe Coleman as Lou Gilbert
Utkarsh Ambudkar as Coach Manny

Writer (based on the graphic novel by)

Bobby Crosby
Remy “Eisu” Mokhtar

Cinematographer

Florian Ballhaus
Harper Dill
John Rogers
Tami Sagher
John Debney
Michael Berenbaum

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‘Marry Me’ Review: Putting ‘I Do’ on the To-Do List

As a pop star who weds a math teacher in a stunt wedding, Jennifer Lopez is all business. But the original songs shine.

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‘Marry Me’ | Anatomy of a Scene

The director kat coiro narrates a sequence from her film featuring jennifer lopez, owen wilson and maluma..

“Hi. I’m Kat Coiro, and I’m the director of Marry Me. At this point in the story, Kat Valdez, played by Jennifer Lopez, and Charlie Gilbert, played by Owen Wilson, have come together and had some really beautiful moments together, developed an intimacy and a closeness that they’re both feeling pretty good about when Bastian, played by Maluma, approaches Kat about playing at Madison Square Garden, and not playing just any song but playing a ballad version of ‘Marry Me,’ which is the song that they were going to play at their original public wedding. Charlie is very supportive of Kat and her career and wants to support her, but at the same time, he’s terrified at the idea of her and Bastian doing something that’s going to bring them very close.” “Crowd’s going bananas.” “I know.” “Well, I wouldn’t say bananas, but—” [MUSIC PLAYING] “(SINGING) I’d never seen forever. I’d never seen forever in the world. But now I’m looking down. I’m looking in inside.” “It was really important to me in this scene that it be the biggest event of the film, just from a spectacular point of view. We’ve spent all these little quiet, intimate moments with Kat— JLo— and Charlie— Owen— and now her big, gigantic, superstar life is rushing back into that world.” “(SINGING) Marry me. Marry me. Say yes. Marry me. Marry me. Say yes.” “And so having her rise up out of the floor onto the stage in front of 20,000 real fans was really important for just making Charlie feel like he could never be a part of that world, like he doesn’t fit in in an elemental way.” “(SINGING) They never— no, they never. This forever, ever, ever, ever, ever. And nobody do it better, better, better.” “We were shooting the film on a budget, and we did not have within our means the ability to shoot in a big arena. And it just so happened that Maluma was doing a concert at Madison Square Garden during the week of our prep for the film, and so we worked with his team and asked if we could basically piggyback on his concert to make this sequence come together. So the way it ended up working was while they were loading in, we took our cameras and went into the empty Madison Square Garden and filmed Jennifer and Maluma performing the song. And then when his concert went underway, at one point in the middle, you know, he put on his Bastian costume, and we had Jennifer rise up out of the stage, and we had our steadicams on the stage with her. We had all our cameras in the audience. And so when you watch the film and you see the audience reacting, that is Maluma’s actual audience reacting to Jennifer’s surprising them. And we did it three times. Then they actually launched into a song together that was similar tempowise and similar choreographywise but was an existing song because we obviously couldn’t leak our song that early on. And so we filmed them singing this other song, and so we were able to use a combination of both what we filmed before the concert started and what we filmed during the concert.” [VOCALIZING] [APPLAUSE]

By Wesley Morris

Rarely are romantic comedies titled more desperately than “Marry Me.” There is something pleasing about the bluntness. And because it’s a command that involves Jennifer Lopez, we’re permitted to skate atop the movie’s despair. But the ice is thin. Lopez has rarely stayed emotionally still long enough to luxuriate in moods less emphatic than “I will” and “I do.” Her comedies argue for restlessness as a quest for true stability: The right man soothes her nerves, dispels her doubts, restores her worth. But none of those movies has been as point-blank as this new one, whose original source is a punky graphic novel .

The pop star she’s playing, Kat Valdez, has agreed to a stunt wedding during a live concert (and before a presumed online audience of 20 million) with her pop star boyfriend, Bastian. Within minutes of the ceremony, Kat discovers that he’s been messing around with one of her assistants but she decides to wed someone and picks the divorced dad (Owen Wilson) holding a “marry me” sign in the crowd. Lopez performs this choice so lifelessly yet with such automatic determination that it’s fair to classify the sign as a cue card.

This brand-new relationship is Kat’s way of mourning her suddenly old one. Introspection and grief never cross her mind. “Why do I pick the wrong guy?” is as inward as things get. Amazingly, the next day, she endorses sticking with the brand logic of the marriage while doing yoga in her soulless high-rise home. She couldn’t have selected a blander, less objectionable stranger for a husband than Charlie Gilbert. He teaches middle-school math, co-parents one of those only-in-a-movie preteens (she’s spunky yet unsure of herself) and speaks in Wilson’s drawling whine.

Charlie dislikes the demands of Kat’s celebrity. “Her entire life is sponsored,” he cries, upon watching her shoot a post for Vitamix. But he concedes to the arrangement because, it seems, the daughter (Chloe Coleman), a big Kat Valdez fan, will finally believe her dad likes fun. He never sits her down to talk about fun’s downsides. Does she know why he and her mom aren’t together? How aware is she that Kat’s been married three other times and that one of those marriages lasted for two days? It doesn’t matter because this movie vows to satisfy all involved parties.

Does “involved” include me? I just kept counting the missed opportunities. Once, at about the halfway point, Charlie bets Kat that she can’t give up her accouterments of affluence and live like, say, Jenny from the block . Yet what Kat requests in exchange is so … puny — for Charlie to open some social media accounts — that I hurt for her imagination. (That’s his daughter’s version of proof of life.) There’s a movie in that premise, nonetheless. Maybe even some stakes: Kat may yet discover where she keeps the wine glasses and how to properly use a Vitamix (they’re called lids, Kat.) And, online, Charlie might meet a woman who dreams of even more for him. And hopefully, Lopez would play her, too.

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Marry Me Reviews

The cast radiates star power with an energy that I haven’t seen in a long time.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 22, 2024

While the story feels like one we have hear before, the charisma of Owen and star quality of JLO make it an enjoyable throwback to rom-com glory.

Full Review | Jul 26, 2023

The PERFECT Movie to see this Valentines Day. Jennifer Lopez & Owen Wilson ignite the screen with such a cute passion that you can’t help but enjoy the movie. It’s silly, it’s funny, & it might even be formulaic… but you knew that going in already.

Full Review | Jul 25, 2023

Unlike the charisma of past Lopez love interests (Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Vartan), Owen Wilson just doesn’t have what it takes to be a leading man in this genre.

In the end, it’s not the slightly fantastical plot of marrying a stranger in the crowd that is Marry Me’s downfall, but rather the lack of humanity that brings the larger-than-life down to earth.

Marry Me focuses on the believable perils of a renowned person’s life, and while it’s too on the nose at times, it still feels incredibly authentic, which could very well be due to the heart Lopez always brings to the roles she’s embodying.

Full Review | Jul 23, 2023

Kat Coiro’s film’s sole purpose is to promote Lopez and Maluma’s album. This isn’t so much a film as an utterly charmless infomercial.

Full Review | Original Score: D+ | Jan 4, 2023

Marry Me is such a naturally sweet film, that has great balance of romance and comedy. It ask real questions about your perspective on love and how social media can alter your perception of what is acceptable for love. JLo and Owen Wilson are cute in this

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Dec 26, 2022

As pleasing and cute as “Marry Me” definitely is, it also falls prey to a few major issues in Lopez’s church of rom-com.

Full Review | Dec 6, 2022

Lopez and Wilson may not be the most obvious on-screen couple. But both deserve a ton of credit for what they manage to do in “Marry Me”. They take this utterly ridiculous concept from a mostly formulaic and predictable movie and actually make us care.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 16, 2022

Marry Me is a sweet little charmer of a film that left me feeling a certain way... so romantic, in fact, that I'm feeling all propose-y. Mitch, love of my life and partner of 14 years, father of my dog, will you marry me?

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 28, 2022

Director Kat Coiro does wonders in the concert moments, making you feel like you’re in the room.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 10, 2022

In terms of putting smiles on dials and lovey-dovey thoughts in heads, the mission is well and truly accomplished here.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | May 19, 2022

The cast creates a kind of festive noise that distracts from the plot limitations and average mise-en-scène. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | May 18, 2022

Completely formulaic. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | May 16, 2022

Conventional, yet entertaining and charismatic. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | May 13, 2022

An old school rom-com with a ridiculous premise but in a new Universal Pictures Home Entertainment blu-ray release which includes everything you ever wanted to know about 'Marry Me' but were afraid to ask.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 10, 2022

Lopez and Wilson are fine, but so much attention is paid to the worst aspects of social media that one will want to take a shower post-viewing.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 9, 2022

I'm reminded why J-Lo is the queen of Rom-Coms. A look at ageism, social media, and gender norms with some conventional tropes that are well executed. Thoroughly enjoyed the costumes and songs!

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 4, 2022

It's weird to be living in a time where a movie like "Marry Me" doesn't warrant a recommendation but you desperately want it to succeed.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Mar 31, 2022

Cast & crew
User reviews

Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, and Maluma in Marry Me (2022)

Music superstars Kat Valdez and Bastian are getting married before a global audience of fans. But when Kat learns, seconds before her vows, that Bastian has been unfaithful, she instead deci... Read all Music superstars Kat Valdez and Bastian are getting married before a global audience of fans. But when Kat learns, seconds before her vows, that Bastian has been unfaithful, she instead decides to marry Charlie, a stranger in the crowd. Music superstars Kat Valdez and Bastian are getting married before a global audience of fans. But when Kat learns, seconds before her vows, that Bastian has been unfaithful, she instead decides to marry Charlie, a stranger in the crowd.

John Rogers
Tami Sagher
Harper Dill
Jennifer Lopez
Owen Wilson
528 User reviews
181 Critic reviews
51 Metascore
2 wins & 4 nominations

Top cast 99+

Not George (Spencer)

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Did you know

Trivia Jennifer Lopez 's son Max Muñiz makes his film debut in this movie, as a student at the Mathalon competition.
Goofs Kat's manager Colin tells her that he'll get Charlie to sign an NDA to undo the wedding. That would do nothing towards canceling the marriage; what he really needs is an annulment.

Charlie : Is this smart?

Kat : I think we left smart six weeks ago.

Crazy credits The closing credits contains a series of couples and the stories on how they met.
Connections Featured in Jennifer Lopez: On My Way (Lyric Version) (2021)
Soundtracks Marry Me (Kat & Bastian Duet) Written by Michael Pollack , Nick Sarazen (as Nicholas Sarazen), Livvi Franc (as Olivia Waithe), Maluma (as Juan Luis Londoño Arias), Edgar Barrera , Stefan Johnson , Jordan Johnson , German (as Oliver Peterhof) Produced by Monsters & Strangerz , Michael Pollack , Nick Sarazen Maluma appears courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment U.S. Latin LLC

User reviews 528

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Apr 15, 2022
How long is Marry Me? Powered by Alexa
February 11, 2022 (United States)
United States
Official Facebook
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Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York, USA (The scene overlooking the water the morning after Kat and Charlie spend the night together for the first time.)
Universal Pictures
Kung Fu Monkey Productions
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$23,000,000 (estimated)
$22,438,180
Feb 13, 2022
$50,541,093

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Runtime 1 hour 52 minutes
Dolby Digital

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Jennifer lopez and owen wilson in ‘marry me’: film review.

A pop singer impulsively marries a stranger after discovering that her fiancé has been cheating on her in this romantic comedy directed by Kat Coiro.

By Angie Han

Television Critic

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Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson in 'Marry Me'

Pretty early in Marry Me , a character makes the point that the romance we’re watching unfold, between global pop sensation Kat Valdez ( Jennifer Lopez ) and regular guy Charlie Gilbert ( Owen Wilson ), is no fairy tale. Kat’s just-broken engagement to fellow superstar Bastian ( Maluma ) — that was the fairy tale. What Kat and Charlie have is something else, maybe something realer and more grounded.

This is ridiculous, of course. The whole point of Marry Me is that it’s a fairy tale. How else to describe a love story that begins with Kat dumping her cheating fiancé at the livestreamed concert that was to be their wedding, picking total stranger Charlie out of the crowd to marry instead and then falling for him in spite of herself? But Marry Me is clever enough to know that the insistence otherwise is part of the dance, too, and it builds its central relationship around chemistry just sweet and sincere enough to make us eagerly buy into it for 112 minutes.

Full credits

Distributor: Universal Pictures Production companies: Perfect World Pictures, Nuyorican Productions, Kung Fu Monkey Productions Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Maluma, John Bradley, Chloe Coleman, Sarah Silverman, Michelle Buteau Director: Kat Coiro Screenwriter: John Rogers, Tami Sagher, Harper Dill, based on the graphic novel by Bobby Crosby Producers: Jennifer Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, John Rogers, Benny Medina Executive producers: Alex Brown, Willie Mercer, Pamela Thur, J.B. Roberts Director of photography: Florian Ballhaus Production designer: Jane Musky Costume designer: Caroline Duncan Editors: Michael Berenbaum, Peter Deschner Composer: John Debney Casting director: Leslie Woo, Julie Tucker, Ross Meyerson

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Marry Me review – This charismatic romcom might as well have been called JLo: The Movie

Jennifer lopez’s latest attempt to resuscitate the romantic comedy repeatedly blurs fact and fiction, article bookmarked.

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Dir: Kat Coiro. Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Maluma, Sarah Silverman, Chloe Coleman, John Bradley. 12A, 112 mins.

There’s always been a Jennifer Lopez disconnect. In reality, Lopez is a diva extraordinaire, a fabulously wealthy, one-woman entertainment ecosystem. On film, Lopez is the perennial working-class striver: a wedding planner, a maid in Manhattan, a retail worker waiting for life’s second act. Coupled with many of her pop anthems – “I’m Real”, “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” – she has repeatedly used her work to distance herself from the persona she’s otherwise cultivated. Marry Me , her latest attempt to resuscitate the romcom, makes literal that strange contradiction. It revolves around a pop superstar trapped in a glass cage of fame and fortune, and the vulnerable, ordinary woman crying out for love underneath. It could have been called “JLo: The Movie”.

Directed by Kat Coiro, Marry Me casts Lopez as Kat Valdez, who has agreed to marry her equally famous pop star boyfriend Bastian (Maluma) during a Madison Square Garden concert. Mere seconds before she hits the stage, she discovers via a TMZ alert that he’s been cheating on her with her assistant. Devastated but wearing an expensive wedding dress and standing under a spotlight, she does what any self-respecting publicity hound would do: she plucks a random audience member from the crowd and marries him instead. Luckily for Kat, maths teacher Charlie ( Owen Wilson ) is a gentle divorceé with a cute kid and no real interest in being famous. Faster than you can say Notting Hill , they start to fall for one another.

It is the highest of high concepts – even for a genre that’s always embraced them – and Marry Me just about gets away with it. No, it’s never clear why sensible, earnest Charlie goes along with such a wacky stunt, or at least what’s in it for him. But Wilson’s neurotic charm, which becomes more Woody Allen-esque with every passing year (sorry), overrides the more fantastical silliness here. He and Lopez have winsome chemistry, and the film admirably plays into their surface incompatibility. “He’s cute, right?” Kat asks her assistant at one point. On her assistant’s look of cynicism, Kat backtracks: “OK, he’s fine.”

Lopez is sensational, sourcing pathos – whether intentionally or not – from the similarities between herself and her character. When Kat whimpers over Jimmy Fallon (in a far-too-extended cameo as himself), joking on TV that she’s “no stranger to weddings”, your mind naturally goes to Lopez’s own dramatic love life. Later, when she sadly remarks that she’s never been nominated for anything, it reminds us of Lopez’s maddening lack of Oscar attention for 2019’s Hustlers . Fact and fiction blurs throughout.

How Jennifer Lopez conquered music, romcoms and love in the spotlight

If only the film around her had a few more dramatic stakes to grab onto. As it stands, conflict emerges from the resurfacing of Bastian – a subplot far too reliant on Maluma, a charismatic pop star but plywood when it comes to acting – and whether or not Charlie’s daughter can win a maths tournament. It’s all curiously lukewarm, while the enormous gulf between uber-famous Kat and man-on-the-street Charlie is left unexplored beyond a tepid debate about Kat’s social media usage.

It leaves Marry Me a few script drafts away from “future Sunday-afternoon romcom classic” territory, as much as Lopez and Wilson try their hardest. Still, in an era in which many of Lopez’s romcom peers – namely the Witherspoons and the Bullocks – have pivoted to dark dramas, it’s lovely to see her still banging the drum for a genre that’s never earned the respect it’s deserved. Then again, she knows what that feels like.

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Marry Me (2022) review – Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson are a perfect match

The excellent writing, the charisma of Jennifer Lopez, and the charm of Owen Wilson make Marry Me the delightful rom-com that will make your heart smile.

This review of the Peacock film Marry Me (2022) does not contain spoilers.

It is Valentine’s Day weekend and there are so many movies to watch this weekend, but I think Marry Me (2022) might be the perfect movie to snuggle up to your significant other and enjoy.

The big day has arrived for superstar couple Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) and Bastian (Maluma). They will perform their song Marry Me together simultaneously as they are about to get married in front of the whole world. Next, we meet Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson), a Math teacher who is a divorced father of one who is trying to be a good dad. Shortly after our brief introduction to our leads, we meet Parker Deebs (Sarah Silverman), one of Charlie’s fellow teachers at the school. Parker had her heartbroken by her girlfriend and has extra tickets to Kat/Bastian concert, to which she forces Charlie to go.

As they are set to hit the big stage, Kat sees the page six news break that Bastain cheated on her with her assistant. Then, as we saw in the trailer, Kat sees Charlie in the crowd with a Marry Me sign and marries him on the stage. The world goes crazy, Parker is excited, his daughter Lou is excited, but Charlie is thoroughly confused. Post nuptials, Collin Calloway, Kat’s agent, suggests that they pay off Charlie, but Kat has other plans for the couple. The moment from here led to a press conference with Kat and Charlie, a brilliantly written and acted scene that truly set the stage for what was ahead in the film.

If you sit in a question long enough, an answer finds you. – Charlie

I mention this when talking about rom-coms or on-screen couples. You have to have chemistry to make us want to care about what happens. If we don’t care about the couple, it doesn’t matter how good the script is; the entire movie will fail. So on the surface, you have two polar opposites when it comes to Kat and Charlie and even more when you think about the actors, Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. However, when you look deep down at both the characters they play in Marry Me and their body of work outside of the film, they are a match made in heaven.

I can’t pinpoint another actor that would have played the role of Charlie as good as Owen Wilson did. You are looking at a Math teacher who has cheesy jokes, reads a book before going to bed at 8 PM and is your prototypical good guy. If you close your eyes while describing Charlie, you envision Wilson. Wilson has the perfect charm to pull off the believability to have the charm and ability to make a woman laugh to make someone like Kat fall in love with him. Wilson is an underrated actor on many levels and his comedic timing is magnificent.

As I mentioned with the press conference, it worked because Lopez and Wilson share great chemistry. At times you see Lopez possibly playing herself within Kat, but it never deters you from anything other than falling for their love story that is growing at every turn. They play well off each other, and Lopez can command your attention no matter what she is doing every time she is on the screen.

I’d be crazy not to mention the supporting cast here that was fantastic at lifting the story and both Kat and Charlie. Starting with Sarah Silverman, she was perfect for playing the opposite of Owen Wilson, and my goodness is she just so funny. John Bradley also brought a ton to the table as the agent of Jennifer Lopez and Chloe Coleman was as adorable in this as she was in My Spy . I loved the entire cast.

If I were looking to criticize something, it would be the songs. There were a couple of them that I did like, but some felt downright bad and I questioned why. I might have a theory on maybe it was on purpose because of the arc, but I could be wrong. And I do believe the run time could’ve been trimmed a few minutes and not lost anything.

Overall, Marry Me is a delight because of the fantastic writing and performances across the board. They did a great job setting up Kat and Charlie to fall in love and bringing back Bastain to question it all. Marry Me sits perfectly next to The In Between as the perfect movie to get brownie points with your significant other this holiday weekend.

What did you think of the Peacock film Marry Me (2022)? Comment below.

Article by Ricky Valero

Ricky Valero joined Ready Steady Cut in January 2022 as a Film and TV writer and critic, and since then has published over 700 articles on the website. Ricky, a recognized movie critic, has been writing about films for almost a decade. Since joining the industry, he has covered numerous movie festivals, including Sundance Film Festival, AFI Fest, and SXSW Festival, and is a member of the prestigious Critics Choice Association.

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Marry Me is calculated for maximum warm, fuzzy fluff

Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson star in a fluffy feel-good rom-com with no scary surprises

by Petrana Radulovic

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jennifer lopez and owen wilson slow dancing

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to review Marry Me .

Romantic comedies are like weddings: You usually know what you’re getting into when you RSVP. Two people who you hopefully like and root for will get up and proclaim their love for each other in front of an audience. There will be catchy pop songs. And even if there are hiccups along the way, you know you’re most likely walking out of there after watching two people smile and smooch.

From Girls5Eva director Kat Coiro and writer Harper Dill, adapting a webcomic by Bobby Crosby , Marry Me falls right into the expectations rom-com fans have when they walk through the door. For the most part, that’s a good thing. The movie isn’t the most comedic or innovative addition to the romantic comedy genre, but it is sweet romantic fluff. Occasionally, it falls into the pitfalls of the genre by introducing fabricated tension that the rest of the film doesn’t really justify. But ultimately, it still checks off all the boxes it should.

[ Ed. note: This review contains spoilers for Marry Me , but fewer spoilers than the trailer.]

owen wilson smooches jennifer lopez, who is wearing a beautiful crystal-adorned wedding gown

In Marry Me , superstar Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) is set to marry her pop-star boyfriend Bastian (Colombian singer-songwriter Maluma) live on stage at the last performance of their big tour. But moments before going on, Kat learns that Bastian cheated on her with her personal assistant. On the verge of a panic attack, Kat looks out into the audience and sees regular ol’ grade-school math teacher Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson) holding a sign that says “Marry Me,” and she impulsively pulls him onto the stage for an impromptu wedding. The rest of the movie deals with the fallout of this whirlwind.

Kat doesn’t want to be seen as a laughingstock after her breakdown, so she offers Charlie a deal. If he commits to the relationship for six months as they own up to the impulsive move and tell the press that they’re using this time to get to know each other, she’ll donate money to his school’s math program. Charlie reluctantly agrees, urged by a coworker (Sarah Silverman), but also because he feels sympathy for Kat’s situation. But as rom-coms demand, in spite of the initial businesslike relationship, Kat and Charlie do fall for each other. Most of the movie is dedicated to them navigating this weird relationship they’ve entered, blossoming from complete strangers to unlikely allies to budding friends before they make their final romantic connection.

The actual tension point of Marry Me doesn’t even really occur until the last 20 minutes or so. Most of the movie is pure comfort food. Charlie and Kat go bowling. She shows up at his math-club meeting and helps the kids get over their stage fright by dancing. Eventually, they go to the school dance together, prompting some mushy-gushy moments. He gets her a corsage!

jennifer lopez and owen wilson sit at a press conference

Some romantic comedies lean more on the tension of the leads butting heads, like 10 Things I Hate About You. Others lean more on the non-romantic plot, like Long Shot. Marry Me is neither of those things. Marry Me is about two good-looking people enjoying each other’s company, giggling together, and slowly falling in love. Fans of the actual comedy in romantic comedies probably won’t feel that Marry Me scratches that itch, but if you’re in the mood for some low-stakes comfort, this movie checks all those boxes.

Marry Me definitely focuses less on the “Oh man, we come from two totally different worlds!” aspect of the story than it could. Coir and Dill attempt to make the leads’ relationship even out in terms of what they learn from each other, but while Charlie successfully pushes Kat into letting go of her constant livestreams and dozens of personal assistants (including her manager Collin, played by Game of Thrones ’ John Bradley) and live more in the moment, she never gets Charlie to do anything besides sign up for Instagram and maybe get a little more confident. Their inevitable brief relationship hiccup is particularly jarring here because it comes so suddenly, and with so little reason.

But every good rom-com needs a fallout, so the final love confession can soar. The breakdown in Marry Me is fabricated and not particularly smooth, but the moment that Kat realizes that she is in love with Charlie and wants to be with him hits all the right notes, even when the audience can see it coming from a mile away. Was all of this spoiled in the trailers? Yeah, absolutely. Is it still a heart-racing moment when Kat has her epiphany and races to confess her love to Charlie? Also yes! Will that final love confession make rom-com fans coo on cue? You betcha. Marry Me does everything it promises and for that, we should love and cherish it from this day forward.

Marry Me releases in theaters and on Peacock on Feb. 11.

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‘Marry Me’ Review: Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson Bring Charm to a Rom-Com That’s Mildly Preposterous and Knows It

She's a global pop superstar, he's a rumpled math teacher. What could possibly keep them apart?

By Owen Gleiberman

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The romantic comedy as we know it has been through four phases. It was born with “It Happened One Night” (1934), and the glory of the classic romantic-comedy period (Hepburn and Tracy and so on) was the ’30s and ’40s, though it extended into the ’50s with a movie like “Pillow Talk.” The form enjoyed a cultural resurgence starting in 1989 and ’90, with the release of “When Harry Met Sally” and “Pretty Woman.” You could call that the Age of Nora Ephron, since she kind of ruled over it; the fact that that era spawned the term “rom-com” says a lot about how love comedies, in their born-again popularity, were becoming a kind of consumer product. The third phase was the Matthew McConaughey/Kate Hudson era, when the sheer cheesiness of so many studio rom-coms (“Failure to Launch,” “Bride Wars”) became its own reward; the films were turning into guilty pleasures. Then there’s the phase we’re in now: the age of the Netflix rom-com, with movies made for streaming that are so fanciful yet slapdash they can leave you longing for a movie that stars Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson.

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So where does “ Marry Me ” fit in? Somewhere between phases three and four. It’s undeniably cheesy — in fact, its premise is so farfetched that you could say the movie never pretends not to be cheesy. (Let’s call that the “Miss Congeniality” factor.) It’s the rare rom-com based on a graphic novel (by Bobby Crosby), and in many ways it fits snugly into the knowingly dopy throwaway aesthetic of the Netflix era.

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Except that “Marry Me” is opening in theaters (with a simultaneous streaming release on Peacock), it’s being marketed as a movie that could bring back the rom-com, and its two stars, Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson , inject a winning dose of personality wattage into the equation. Watching the movie, there were a number of moments when I rolled my eyes at what was happening, yet at the very same moment I would think, “Damn, Owen Wilson can play a rumpled math teacher with just the right touch of aw-shucks neo-Jimmy Stewart charm,” or “I’m not sure I buy Jennifer Lopez as a famous but lonely pop star who just needs a rumpled math teacher in her life, but she infuses the role with such no-nonsense pizzazz that I’m enjoying not buying it.”

All of which is to say: The bar for rom-coms is not high, and this one, ludicrous as it often is, inches over the bar. But I would no more call it a good movie than I’d pretend fast food is high in nutrients.

You’ve heard of meet cute? In “Marry Me,” the two characters meet so contrived it’s cuckoo bananas. Wilson’s Charlie Gilbert is a divorced dad who teaches at the same earthy Brooklyn private school his 12-year-old daughter, Lou (Chloe Coleman), attends. She’s starting to grow up and apart from him, so when his guidance-counselor pal, Parker (Sarah Silverman, playing a new variation on that old rom-com staple, the gay best friend), suggests that they accompany her to a concert to see the global dance-pop superstar Kat Valdez (Lopez), Charlie agrees. It’s not just any concert. Kat is engaged to marry Bastian, a pop sensation from Puerto Rico (he’s played by the golden-throated Colombian pop singer Maluma), and the two have a hit single together entitled “Marry Me.” They’re planning to cap their love, and their brand, by getting hitched at the concert, in an event broadcast around the world to 20 million fans.

Just as they’re ready to go onstage and tie the knot, a Page Six story breaks: There is video footage of Bastian kissing another woman. Who happens to be Kat’s assistant. Kat, hearing this, practically has a nervous breakdown. And out of the sheer insanity of trying to save face in a situation that’s beyond impossible, she spots Charlie in the crowd, a totally ordinary schlump carrying a sign that says “Marry Me” (the title of their single). And she invites him onstage. And marries him. Right then and there.

If Preston Sturges returned from the dead, minus two-fifths of his brain cells, and made a romantic comedy set in the world of 21st-century media and celebrity, it might look like “Marry Me.” Neither Kat nor Charlie harbors any illusion that their marriage is real, but Kat decides that the best way to let the optics of the situation play out is to pretend that it is. She’s been married several times before (she always picks the wrong guy), and after conferring with her high-maintenance British manager (played by “Game of Thrones'” John Bradley in a likable Ricky-Gervais-wasn’t-available performance), she decides to hang out with Charlie for three months, almost as if they were staging their own reality show, all as a way to feed the tabloid buzzards and, at the same time, keep them at bay.

But the audience, of course, recognizes what’s really going on: that the entire situation is the movie’s knowing contrivance, a way of throwing a pop star and a nobody together. Charlie doesn’t fit into Kat’s world at all. He hates the lights, the buzz, the paparazzi, the filmmaker who tails Kat around — and, most of all, he hates the social media, which creates an insulated padding of unreality around everything. Kat doesn’t fit into Charlie’s world either, but she doesn’t hate it in the same way; she looks cozy in it. He’s just the kind of unglamorous guy who can bring her down to earth, and Wilson, at 53, is the perfect actor to play someone so shaggy-sincere that he’s pre-ironic. (In this culture, it’s practically a medical condition.) His Charlie is like the last old-school grounded, non-performative man in America.

Lopez and Wilson are cut from such different cloths that at first they don’t seem to have much chemistry. But that’s all built into the movie. They’re right for each other precisely because they’re so wrong for each other. Lopez, always a canny actor, poises Kat on a balancing beam between confidence and woe, spitfire and romantic casualty. When Kat shows up in Charlie’s classroom, crashing the math club (called the Pi-Thons) he teaches after school, she’s sweetly responsive to the kids — and when they all start dancing to a song called “I Just Got Paid,” it’s startling what a catchy song it is, and the students are such nerds-dancing-for-joy that you buy their infectious energy, and the way it infects her. “Marry Me,” in its unabashedly goofy Beauty and the Schlub way, starts to turn into a semi-musical. It’s “Pretty Woman” meets “Dorky Man.”

There’s a reason why rom-coms can get away with being cheesy, farfetched, synthetic, ridiculous. Even when they’re as concocted as “Marry Me,” they’re mythologies — about how “the one” we think we’re looking for doesn’t match the one we’re meant to be with. That may be an even timelier message now than it was in the ’40s. In the age of online romance, we try to fall in love by algorithm, and by checking off a shopping list of traits. In “Marry Me,” by contrast, the very absurdity of what happens is a metaphor for the absurdity of love. The cheesiness is romance.

But the movie still has to woo us, through the connection of its stars and the predictable-in-a-not-totally-predictable way their communion plays out. Your average streaming rom-com looks like junk, but Florian Ballhaus’ cinematography lends “Marry Me” a pleasing luster, and once you accept the setup (I fought it for about 20 minutes), it’s easy to roll with the situations in the connect-the-dots script: the way Charlie challenges Kat to live without her army of assistants, the twist presented by the Grammys (Kat gets her first nomination, for best pop vocal — but will she get back together with Bastian during the awards campaign?), the weaving in of Jimmy Fallon monologue jokes. The climax takes place not at the Grammys but at a student Mathalon in Peoria. How appropriate for a rom-com that, like all rom-coms, leaves us with the encouraging message that 1 + 1 = 3.

Reviewed online, Feb. 9, 2022. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 112 MIN.

Production: A Universal Pictures release of a Perfect World Pictures, Kung Fu Monkey Productions, Nuyorican Productions production. Producers: Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Jennifer Lopez, Jophn Rogers. Executive producers: Alex Brown, Benny Medina, Willie Mercer, Pamela Thur.
Crew: Director: Kat Coiro. Screenplay: Harper Dill, John Rogers, Tami Sagher. Camera: Florian Ballhaus. Editor: Michael Berenbaum. Music: John Debney.
With: Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Chloe Coleman, Maluma, Sarah Silverman, Michelle Buteau, Stephen Wallem, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Jimmy Fallon.

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Marry Me Review

11 Feb 2022

The wedding planner meets a wedding crasher; it feels like the big studio romcom never went away. Here’s a film light on drama and heavy on beautiful people going for walks, attractively; one rich in catchy songs but limited in plot. Sometimes, that’s enough — though there are hints that this could have been sharper than it is.

Pop singer Kat ( Jennifer Lopez ) is planning a huge onstage wedding to her equally successful boyfriend Bastian (Maluma). Alas, he’s caught cheating, and in a moment of madness she spots a face in the crowd holding a “Marry me” sign and does just that. The fan turns out to be amiable teacher Charlie ( Owen Wilson ), a divorced father who’s clueless but sympathetic to her plight.

There’s no hiding the impulsiveness of the act, but Kat asks Charlie to spend time with her and act like they’re trying to make the relationship work. Naturally, sparks fly. Kat is funny and thoughtful beneath the glitz, while Charlie is so unfailingly admiring of her and so obviously good that he’s irresistible. All the rest you can predict.

Director Kat Coiro sometimes looks like she’s about to say something sharp about fame, or commerce, or loneliness, but the tale never quite gets there. The film’s been retooled from its comic-book origins (it is based on an ‘online graphic novel’ by Bobby Crosby) to more closely reflect Lopez’s own history and very public relationship history, which adds a nice degree of resonance, but again, there’s no nuance about her character’s work, just capers with cute kids and the simple assurance that there’s substance behind the style.

Still, even with that caveat and a dragging pace in the third act, this is likeable. It’s well shot, well cast and gently amusing in the way of most glossy romcoms. John Bradley is fun as Kat’s devoted manager, and the unconventional setting for the finale is a clever mirror-image of the start. With a catchy soundtrack and those two wildly charismatic leads, even in the film’s weakest moments you can just follow Charlie’s example, and stare slack-jawed at J.Lo as she kills it.

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Every Thought I Had While Watching Marry Me

It’s a tale as old as time: One music superstar gets engaged to another. He cheats on her. So she marries a stranger during the middle of a concert. At least, that’s the premise of Jennifer Lopez’s new romanic comedy, Marry Me . The movie is like a musical version of TLC’s Married at First Sight … plus Jennifer Lopez. J.Lo plays the aforementioned music superstar, Kat Valdez, and Colombian singer Maluma plays Bastian, her cheating fiancé. Also, Owen Wilson is there, playing the stranger Kat marries during one of her concerts. Pop music and odd-couple shenanigans ensue!

Marry Me comes out in theaters on February 11 and will be streaming on Peacock. Is it worth your time, money, and/or risk of COVID exposure? You can decide for yourself after reading all my thoughts on the movie. I recommend going through this list while listening to this song from the soundtrack on repeat. Cue music.

Spoilers ahead, but, I mean, this is a rom-com. You can probably guess the entire plot of this movie.

- Starting off strong with a J.Lo dance number. J.Lo’s character is, of course, not named J.Lo, but I legally cannot call her anything other than J.Lo.

- J.Lo is engaged to fellow singer Bastian (Maluma). She’s being sent engagement gifts from fans, and one person gave her a stove. Should I send Rihanna a microwave to congratulate her on her pregnancy ?

- Owen Wilson has entered the chat, and he is … a divorced math teacher? Believable. And he coaches a mathletes team called the Pi-thons, which is incredible writing. 10/10.

- A fun thing about me: My husband is a middle-school math teacher, and I will be staunchly criticizing any and all of this movie’s references to math, middle school, etc.

- Sarah Silverman also teaches at his school. I bet she’s an English teacher. Oh, just kidding, she’s a guidance counselor. I wonder if she has to be part of the students’ sex talk like my middle-school guidance counselor.

- So a major plot point of this movie is that weddings can be content for social media. Do I hear #weddingbells for Bennifer ?

- Some facts about Maluma: He is very cute and a full 25 years younger than J.Lo. Perfect.

- While I was Googling Maluma’s age, I learned that this movie is based on a graphic novel. Watching this film counts as reading a book.

- J.Lo is preparing her wedding vows for her forthcoming public nuptials to Bastian/Maluma. She wants to quote a Keats poem. Brave! Keats died at age 25, the same number of years as the age gap between Maluma and J.Lo. Easter egg??

- Time for a pop-star wedding in a sold-out arena! J.Lo starts with a song called “Church,” which is a good song in the A Star Is Born ’s “Why Did You Do That?” sense. Her backup dancers are dressed as horny nuns, and J.Lo is in an outfit that can only be described as “gorgeous, naked saint.”

- Meanwhile, Bastian was caught cheating and exposed by “Page Six.” Uh-oh! We are getting closer and closer to a blockbuster movie using DeuxMoi in a major plot point.

- J.Lo has changed into her wedding dress mid-concert and looks like a Christmas Barbie ornament . But then she learns about her fiancé’s infidelity while on stage. She looks sad but still glamorous. Now, she’s giving a speech about love being a lie. If only someone could change her mind …

- Owen Wilson is at the concert with his daughter and Sarah Silverman. He is somehow the only person holding up a sign near the front of the audience. This is also how my husband and I met.

- Okay, J.Lo and Owen Wilson are getting married on stage. It’s all happening so fast! An ordained backup dancer asks if Owen Wilson will take J.Lo as his wife, and Owen Wilson goes, “Okay.” Okay ?!? Regardless, his outfit is exactly what every Chaperone Dad wears to a concert: layered shirts, slacks, and sensible shoes.

- It feels illegal to watch Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson kiss.

- Great news! Owen Wilson is 53. A movie couple with a minimal age gap? Groundbreaking.

- The news of J.Lo marrying a rando is spreading! It’s all over late night! Jimmy Fallon’s fake monologue jokes are perfectly terrible. Also, we’ve learned that Owen Wilson still has a flip phone. Humiliating!

- Owen Wilson (whose character’s name I refuse to learn) does not want to take $5,000 as compensation for this fake marriage. I would make my husband take $5,000 to fake-marry and divorce literally anyone.

- Oh, his character’s name is Charlie.

- The most unrealistic thing about this movie so far is Owen Wilson’s ability to be chill during a press conference despite no media training. Also, is J.Lo’s team going to give him a makeover or what? I am bored with his blazer-button-up combo.

- Now, J.Lo and Owen are going on a date to be photographed by the press. The date is at a bowling alley — the second most unrealistic plot point. Afterwards, the two of them go back to his place and J.Lo’s people are just … letting Owen Wilson be alone with her? This man could be a serial killer!

- How the fuck does Owen Wilson have this big apartment on a teacher’s salary, and why does his apartment have a swing in the living room? Also, he has a bulldog, which leads me to believe that J.Lo is currently covered in dog hair and drool.

- Something I can confirm about middle-school math teachers as portrayed by Owen Wilson: They do go to bed at, like, 8 p.m. I also can confirm that middle-schoolers are extremely excited to talk to a teacher’s spouse regardless of whether they are a world-renowned celebrity or not. Once, I went to my husband’s school to talk to his kids about writing, and the question they asked me most was, “What’s the weirdest thing Mr. Taylor does?”

- Owen Wilson keeps telling his students, “If you sit in the question, the answer finds you.” This is … not math!

- He invited J.Lo to his school’s semi-formal. Isn’t this a middle school? Do middle schools have semi-formals? J.Lo has chosen to wear a pink chiffon gown with an exposed chest plate. She would absolutely get dress-coded in real life.

- Some of these students are in tuxes? How old are these kids? 10? 17? This is not what my middle school dances looked like. All my classmates were in T-shirts and jeans, and I used blush as eye shadow.

- Ooh, a private J.Lo concert at the middle-school dance. One of the teachers is accompanying her on guitar, and everyone is clapping on the ones and the threes. Perhaps this movie is not a comedy but a tragedy.

- Okay, we’re post-dance, and J.Lo is going back to Owen Wilson’s apartment. They’re definitely going to fuck. Owen Wilson is wooing her with stories about watching the musical Camelot with his mom while they listen to “If I Ever Would Leave You.” Are these two going to fuck to Robert Goulet?

- This movie is too long. All movies are too long .

- Well, they fucked (off-screen), and now J.Lo is wearing his shirt and eating a green apple. Very PG-13 horny.

- Aw, they’re going on a poor-person date. (Eating Chinese takeout while sitting on the floor and drinking wine from the bottle.) Also, J.Lo’s character doesn’t know how to use a blender?

- Okay, we’re back in Owen Wilson’s classroom, and his students are excited about him getting famous. Cute! But then one of his kids says he needs to make a “webpage,” and now they’re on Wix.com? Help!

- J.Lo showed up to his school after the kids left, and now things are getting horny. I would literally never get freaky in my husband’s classroom. It smells like pencil shavings and hot lunch.

- I wonder if we’re ever going to meet Owen Wilson’s ex-wife and her new partner, Dave. He sounded cool.

- Uh-oh, Owen Wilson and J.Lo broke up because their lifestyles are — can you believe it — too different. J.Lo is playing the piano sadly :’(

- We’ve reached the “broken up and figuring things out on their own” montage part of the movie. J.Lo can use a blender now!

- So, J.Lo wrote a sad song about Owen Wilson, the song is rising on the charts (music lingo), and now she realizes how much she misses him. She’s going to do the classic movie move where she drops everything to take a flight to see him. Except she has to fly in coach . Barf!

- This movie is pulling a Mean Girls with one of the final climactic scenes taking place at a math competition. Will Owen Wilson break apart a tiara and throw it into the crowd? Fingers crossed.

- Hmm, no tiara, but J.Lo and Owen Wilson got back together. The end!

- Bonus: They’ve interspersed the end credits with a bunch of (real?) couples talking about how they met. Unfortunately, no Ben Affleck cameo. What was even the point of all of this then??

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Marry Me Is a Gently Charming Movie With a Perfectly Outrageous Premise

I have no hard evidence to back up this theory, but I’ve always figured that one of the many reasons the studio romantic comedy slipped from view is that we ran out of patience for contrivances. When you have two winsome characters who clearly like each other, you have to come up with some reason to keep them apart for long enough to sustain a movie, and those reasons felt increasingly labored in the 21st century. You had your journalists sidling up to their eventual objects of affections under false pretenses ( 27 Dresses , How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days ), and your foes forced to work together ( Two Weeks Notice , The Ugly Truth ), and your smorgasbord of stars doing holiday stuff over the course of minimal shooting days ( Valentine’s Day , New Year’s Eve ). Meanwhile, an undercurrent of sexier ( Friends With Benefits ), more self-aware ( (500) Days of Summer ), or more grounded ( The Big Sick ) movies made the old formulas look calcified. More importantly, it made their characters, with their elaborate misunderstandings, look two-dimensional and delusional. It’s harder to surrender to the escapist pleasures of a movie when all you can think about is how easily its conflicts could have been avoided with a straightforward conversation.

Marry Me , the first of two nuptial-centered movies Jennifer Lopez is starring in this year, is a self-conscious resurrection of that faded format, complete with a real doozy of a contrivance. Lopez plays pop star Kat Valdez, who’s set to wed her equally famous fiancé, Bastian (Maluma), at a combination ceremony and livestreamed concert (one of a few times when it’s clear the movie’s budget isn’t on the scale of its fictional heroine’s career). When footage of him cheating hits gossip sites right before they’re set to give their vows onstage, she decides, out of some combination of humiliation and fuck-it-all delirium, to marry a stranger from the audience instead, and the guy she happens to pick, and who happens to go along with it, is a guy named Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson), who’s there with his daughter. It’s one hell of a meet-cute, though the gentle pleasures of Marry Me have everything to do with what comes next. The film, which was directed by Kat Coiro and is based on a webcomic by Bobby Crosby, is really about middle-aged people tentatively trying out a relationship despite the outrageous context in which they met.

Kat and Charlie start out fumbling their way through a publicity stunt, with John Bradley and Michelle Buteau fluttering at the corners as Kat’s manager and assistant, and Sarah Silverman and Chloe Coleman on the other side as Charlie’s friend and daughter. But there’s never any dissembling about the fact that they like each other, and that they like spending time together. When doubts do arise, they don’t have to do with misinterpreted gestures or miscommunications, but with the compatibility of their lifestyles. Charlie, who’s played by Wilson with a subdued aw-shucks charm, is a public-school teacher who coaches the mathletes club and goes to bed at 8 p.m. — to read, he offers in his defense when Kat pokes fun. Kat, meanwhile, works constantly to sustain her career in a world that values youth, and to navigate being a figure of talk-show mockery for being on marriage number four. For a rom-com, there’s very little com in Marry Me , maybe because it’s too intent on asserting the dignity of characters who’ve been battered a bit by past relationships.

But that, too, feels like an act of deliberate revisionism. The genre, especially in its Katherine Heigl days, started acquiring a sadistic edge toward its female leads, as though they needed to be taken down a notch before being allowed to live happily ever after. Marry Me refuses to be hard on Kat, even if it comes at the expense of laughs or dramatic tension. The narrative ultimately pivots on her choices and, though the movie doesn’t go so far as to say this explicitly, on the degree to which she has to monetize her life. Marry Me is straightforward about the mechanics of modern celebrity to the point where Kat explains to Charlie what “a private” is in blunt terms. We see Kat shooting a sponsored Vitamix video, and being followed around by a cameraman who documents her day-to-day for her channel. Her relationship with Bastian, too, is framed as a marriage of brands as much as it was going to be a marriage between two people, with the two of them having recorded a hit duet that goes on to nab Kat her first Grammy nomination. If these movies require a touch of the fairy tale, here it’s Kat who’s the magical one, descending from the stratosphere to spend time with a regular guy, with Lopez in full glam, impeccable even when she’s supposed to be lounging at home.

But what else would we want from Lopez in a production like this? For all that it has been positioned as the comeback of the rom-com queen, Marry Me isn’t really a return to form for the genre. Instead, it aims to have things both ways, to have the glamour and the buoyant fantasy and to also be more textured in its treatment of its characters and their relationship. While this doesn’t always work, it works more often than not, because the film understands one thing perfectly well: When you have two winsome characters who clearly like each other, sometimes that’s enough.

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Review: A global pop star who’s unlucky in love? Jennifer Lopez finds a match in ‘Marry Me’

Owen Wilson , in casual street clothes, and Jennifer Lopez, in a wedding veil and dress, kiss in scene from “Marry Me”

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In the past, rom-coms starring Jennifer Lopez often saddled her with professions that are just too unbelievable. “Maid in Manhattan”? “The Wedding Planner”? Not our Jenny from the Block. So it’s refreshing to see Lopez in a much-heralded return to the romantic comedy fold, playing a character who just makes sense for her: a global pop superstar. But it’s not just a professional life that Lopez shares with her character, Kat Valdez, in “Marry Me,” directed by Kat Coiro , based on a graphic novel by Bobby Crosby, and that’s a good thing.

Lopez brings authenticity to her portrayal of Valdez, a heightened version of Lopez herself. Kat Valdez plays huge concerts at Madison Square Garden wearing spangly unitards. J.Lo plays huge concerts at Madison Square Garden wearing spangly unitards. Kat Valdez has been married three times; J.Lo has been married three times. Kat Valdez has a messy public breakup with a charming cad, Bastian (Colombian Latin pop singer Maluma), who is caught on social media kissing her assistant; J. Lo had a messy public breakup with a charming cad caught on social media messaging a Bravo star. Kat Valdez finds true love with a bland white guy, Charlie ( Owen Wilson ), and J.Lo, well, she’s found true love again with her favorite bland white guy, Ben Affleck.

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This delightfully meta Venn diagram of character and star is placed within a preposterously high-concept scenario for a rom-com. Massive superstar Kat is publicly humiliated at what’s supposed to be her wedding to Bastian — a huge concert at which they will perform their duet “Marry Me” before saying their vows. Right after she performs a number dressed as a (checks notes) golden crucifix, surrounded by sexy latex-clad nuns, she dons a wedding dress but discovers Bastian’s infidelity, an illicit smooch caught on camera. In a moment of desperation, Kat sees a sign in the crowd, held by a milquetoast math teacher and single dad, Charlie (Wilson) reading “Marry Me?” She says yes and the two get married on stage, at first sight, in front of the whole world.

Can these two fall in love while managing their differences across a high-profile PR fiasco? As Kat and Charlie attempt to maintain their dignity after Kat’s impulsive decision, they grapple with the high-visibility expectations and the newfound attention Charlie doesn’t want. Though the situation is far from realistic, the dynamically directed and swiftly paced “Marry Me” remains emotionally grounded, which is crucial to the execution. As written by Harper Dill, John Rogers and Tami Sagher; Kat and Charlie have both loved and lost before, and are nervous about being hurt again.

It might be Kat’s unflagging belief in love that bleeds over the most with the star we’ve come to know as J.Lo, who has publicly loved, lost and loved again, time after time, in front of the world, like a modern-day Elizabeth Taylor. That love can, and will, bloom again, is the beating heart of “Marry Me,” an otherwise frothy and deeply silly rom-com. There’s only one person who could play Kat Valdez, but more importantly, only one person who could sell that true blue belief in love, and that is, of course, Jennifer Lopez.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

Rated: PG-13, for some language and suggestive material Running time: 1hour, 52 minutes Playing: Starts Feb. 11 in general release and streaming on Peacock Friday

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Marry Me review: A forgettable rom-com wisp

It's not the stars that got small; it's the movies they keep putting them in. Still we hold out hope, even when the enduring, impossible luminosity of Jennifer Lopez — does she actually produce her own internal light source? — feels like the only reason to see Marry Me , a wan romantic comedy that leaves most cohesive ideas of character and storytelling at the altar, along with its original groom.

Marry Me (in theaters and streaming on Peacock Feb. 11) concocts the wispy, wistful fantasy of Katalina "Kat" Valdez (Lopez), a singer whose engagement to fellow pop star Bastian (Colombian superstar Maluma ) is a feat of marketing symmetry: It isn't just love, it's great branding. But when Bastian's infidelity becomes public knowledge moments before their planned mid-concert wedding in front of a massive global audience, the shell-shocked bride-to-be plucks an unassuming school teacher and single dad named Charlie ( Owen Wilson , the living embodiment of rumpled corduroy) from the crowd and says "You'll do."

Is this considered legally binding in the state of New York? Probably not, but they do have a few million witnesses, so the newlyweds decide for the sake of PR — or at least the rules of rom-com storytelling — to at least try to make it work. That news is far more thrilling for Charlie's tween daughter (Chloe Coleman) and his excitable coworker ( Sarah Silverman , as herself essentially) than it is for Kat's team of managers and handlers (which includes Game of Thrones' John Bradley and a barely-there Michelle Buteau ). Charlie himself — who vastly prefers math decathalons to red carpets, and doesn't even own a smartphone — objects at first, but no one's really listening to him anyway. So, like the two strangers with completely opposing lifestyles and interests they are, the pair proceed to fall incrementally in love.

The chemistry between Lopez and Wilson, as unlikely as it is, feels cautious but genuine, less like lightning than an electric blanket that two hurt people find enough room to huddle under together. But there's a chintzy small-screen feeling to the execution, as though the whole concept was sketched out in a Voicenote — a male Cinderella, but make it pop! — and then shot as quickly and cheaply as possible (the fact that it originated as a webcomic seems apt). Director Kat Coiro is actually mostly known for TV ( Girls5Eva , Dead to Me ), though the sharper elbows of those shows is hard to find in Marry Me 's sanded-down sweetness. It doesn't help that the story pauses as often as it does for full musical numbers — not because the songs don't have hooks, but because they bring an already-slim plot to a dead stop.

The contact high of Lopez's wardrobe choices aside — every time a bell rings, a spangle gets its wings — there's a sense of something stickier and more intriguing underneath. Early on, Kat's manager reminds Charlie how unforgiving the world can be for a famous woman on the far side of 35, a fact that seems extremely relevant both to the story and the people playing it out on screen. Who wouldn't want to explore an honest reckoning of those things, with actors congenitally designed to make it charming? But that's not the tale Marry Me came here to tell. It's all cream puff, a featherweight fairytale too shiny and mild to attempt the better movie about midlife romance and second chances that might have been. Grade: C+

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Marry Me Review: A Fantastic Musical Romance

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Marry Me hits every high note as a fantasy romance and musical that will leave you swooning. Jennifer Lopez shines as an embarrassed and heartbroken superstar singer who marries a random fan at a concert. Owen Wilson plays the surprise spouse with a down-to-earth affability and comically realistic reactions. The film is primarily a showcase for Lopez’s immense talent , but smartly never lets her overshadow Wilson. It succeeds in pairing a seemingly average guy with an impossibly attractive and famous woman.

Diva Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) and hunky Latino singer Bastian (Maluma) are social media’s most celebrity couple. Their hit song “Marry Me” has stormed the charts as the year’s biggest hit. Kat and Bastian decide to get married live on stage after delivering an epic performance of the song in New York City. Meanwhile, Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson), a divorced middle school math teacher, wants a closer relationship with his twelve-year-old daughter Lou (Chloe Coleman). She’s now attending Charlie’s school and wants distance from her doting dad. Charlie’s best friend and fellow teacher, Parker (Sarah Silverman), gets them all tickets for the Marry Me concert.

Kat gives a raucous and cheering audience an incredible dance routine. She changes into her stunning Marry Me wedding dress for the big moment with Bastian. But an eerie quiet overtakes the crowd as everyone looks at their phones. Kat’s manager, Collin (John Bradley), gives her the shocking news before she goes back on stage. Page Six has released a video of Bastian cheating with her assistant. A despondent Kat looks out on her sea of fans... just as Parker hands Charlie her Marry Me poster. She sees him holding the sign, and to everyone’s astonishment, asks Charlie to marry her . A startled Charlie says "yes" and kisses her passionately. Setting social media on fire as everyone tries to comprehend the impossible turn of events.

Based on a graphic novel by Bobby Crosby, Marry Me takes the plot in a clever direction. Kat and Charlie decide to stay married for a few weeks. He’s a kind guy that wants to help her overcome Bastian’s public humiliation. Charlie has a flip phone, isn’t on social media, and couldn’t care less about being famous. He’s thrust into Kat's world of countless sycophants, stalking paparazzi, and hilarious product endorsements. But Kat also becomes a part of Charlie’s life. She’s smitten by his warmth and genuine care for his students. Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson are perfectly cast in these roles . They are entirely believable as lovers found by fate and chance.

Marry Me is loaded with elaborate musical numbers in Spanish and English. Jennifer Lopez fans will certainly get their money’s worth. Colombian singer Maluma, who co-stars as Bastian, also holds his own with several bilingual songs. I am not usually a fan of this musical genre but was not distracted. The soundtrack is an integral part of the story, characters, and overall experience. I must admit to occasionally bobbing my head to the groove.

Director Kat Coiro, known primarily for her episodic TV work, does a great job here. She gives Jennifer Lopez star treatment but humanizes her as a woman who wants to be loved. The flash, glitz, and glamour are fun to see. But the quieter moments with Lopez and Wilson together will warm the coldest and most skeptical hearts this Valentine’s Day.

Marry Me is produced by Perfect World Pictures and Nuyorican Productions. It will have an exclusive theatrical release on February 11th from Universal Pictures.

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'Marry Me' Review: J.Lo and Owen Wilson Elevate an Uneven Rom-Com

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We may not be wholly legion, but there are those of us who are more than thrilled that the rom-com movie is beginning to make a comeback. In the era of streamers like Netflix and Hulu snatching up romantic romps left and right, the genre that arguably had its heyday around 20 years ago is experiencing a notable resurgence — and with it, the return of some of the actors who once dominated the box office by leading movies wholly dedicated to love and the pursuit therein. If you're a rom-com devotee like myself, you remember the period when Jennifer Lopez was everywhere, positioned opposite actors like Matthew McConaughey or Michael Vartan (who also frequently took a dip in the rom-com pool of titles around that same time) and playing the laser-focused career woman who had no time for romance, the woman who had to survive an absolute monster of a mother-in-law, and more. It's why learning that J.Lo had made the leap back to rom-coms with her latest film, Marry Me (directed by Kat Coiro and based on the graphic novel of the same name by Bobby Crosby ), was initially something to be excited about. While the actual story as it plays out on-screen might be more intermittently satisfying, J.Lo's performance is enough to make you remember why she was always worth tuning in for, a dynamo dropped into the middle of an uneven movie.

The premise by itself is a cornucopia of tropey delights, even if the execution of them isn't always successful. J.Lo plays international pop superstar Kat Valdez, someone who might be the closest character yet to her own real-life success and fame. She's been romantically and professionally linked to Bastian ( Maluma ) for a while now, and the two of them have decided to declare their love to the world in front of all of their fans by getting married live in concert after dueting their latest hit single, "Marry Me." However, even the best PR plans often go awry, and seconds before she's about to go on to perform, Kat's alerted to a video that shows Bastian cheating on her with her own assistant — and then the lights come up, and she's standing there in what was meant to be her wedding dress with millions of eyes watching. It's this moment, with J.Lo delivering exactly the right combination of vulnerability and resolve, that serves as a reminder of just how good she is at the more poignant aspects of the rom-com — something emotional that could run the risk of becoming treacly but only lets the painful reality of Kat's circumstances shine through.

When she gazes out into the crowd of adoring fans, eyes brimming with tears, she spots a man holding up a MARRY ME sign — local math teacher Charlie Gilbert ( Owen Wilson ), who's only shown up tonight in an attempt to prove to his daughter Lou ( Chloe Coleman ) that he still has it in him to be a "fun dad." (Whether you're willing to suspend your disbelief that Wilson would ever cease to be fun, even in dadhood, is your own journey.) One whirlwind moment and on-stage wedding ceremony later, Kat and Charlie are married, but then the question becomes: what if they decide to just see where things lead, instead of annulling right away? It's a decision Kat makes in part because she doesn't want to keep being slammed by late-night hosts for being fickle in her relationships (on a related note, this movie somehow manages to make Jimmy Fallon even more insufferable than one would think possible) but also because the glimmers she's seen of Charlie's personality make her want to know more about this total stranger she's just gotten hitched to.

Owen Wilson and Jennifer Lopez in Marry Me

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One of the most important parts of the rom-com, without question, hinges on the chemistry, and because of the nature of the story, it takes Kat and Charlie a little time to warm up to one another, with J.Lo and Wilson both playing the awkwardness of trying to feel out this brand-new and completely unexpected relationship. Once they're given more chances to venture into the comedic aspects of the script, however, that's when the chemistry between them finally starts to ignite. It's also just encouraging to watch a movie like this where the leads are matched appropriately, age-wise, and for all its antics (including a bizarre scene in which Kat somehow doesn't know how to use a blender), the love story feels tailored to the fact that it's between an older set of characters, a divorced single father and a world-renowned superstar who doesn't feel any shame in admitting that she's been married once or twice (or three times) before now.

There are some plot elements that are more out-of-place with the rest of the narrative or are never given the ample weight they deserve next to other scenes that dominate the runtime of the film. For all that Charlie is willing to talk about his previous marriage to Lou's mom, even going as far as to say that the divorce between them was an amicable one, we never see any real instance of them co-parenting apart from a scene that plays out entirely sans dialogue when his ex-wife comes to pick up their daughter from school. That glaring omission aside, Marry Me also feels more like a movie that's actually part rom-com, part concert film, with Kat at its center throughout; there are several long stretches of the story that are solely dedicated to J.Lo's in-character performances, full-length versions rather than briefer excerpts of what's been released on the official soundtrack. Sometimes, the musical numbers do act as an appropriate backdrop to the more emotional sequences, like when Charlie finds himself haunted by Kat's image everywhere he looks in the city, but other times they only succeed in stalling the plot in favor of shoehorning yet another song in.

Sarah Silverman and Chloe Coleman in Marry Me

Supporting-wise, the cast is a chaotic mishmash of successes and confusing additions. John Bradley , who makes 2022 his return year between Marry Me and Moonfall already, seems oddly placed in the role of Kat's publicist Collin, while Michelle Buteau doesn't get nearly enough chances to wield her best comedic chops as Kat's assistant Melissa ( not the one that Bastian slept with, thankfully). Sarah Silverman , cast in the role of the rom-com Best Friend, plays a much milder version of the characters she's more known for, but it works when she has to be the driving force behind getting Wilson's Charlie to do anything outside his comfort zone. Maluma, overall, isn't given much to do other than be a charming Lothario who alternates between arrogantly assuming Kat will forgive him and being oddly mournful when she doesn't run back into his arms. Most importantly, though, there's Charlie and Lou's pet bulldog named Tank who absolutely steals the movie through every scene he's in, though it likely says something about the overall success of Marry Me 's plot that I found myself starting to focus more on Tank Watch™, clamoring for any sightings I could get of that absolute loaf.

With more and more rom-coms premiering all the time, it's easy to spot the ones that have that indescribable magic working in their favor, that winning formula where all the necessary puzzle pieces perfectly slot into place. Marry Me 's success is primarily in thanks to J.Lo and Wilson, who both understand what they need to bring to the table and do so with just the right amount of charm and commitment, even while they have to navigate a script that only intermittently succeeds at letting those strengths shine through. For some, this film could miss the mark; for others, it could be exactly the comfort viewing that's needed, but overall, Marry Me merits more of a "sure, okay" in response rather than a resounding yes.

Marry Me comes to theaters and via streaming on Peacock on February 11.

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Marry me review: j. lo & owen wilson romcom is sweet but could’ve gone deeper.

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Kat Coiro's Marry Me is the first of several romcoms heading to theaters in 2022, and if the rest of the year's offerings are anything like this one, it's going to be a good time for hopeless romantics. For years now, it's looked like streaming is the only place to find a good old-fashioned romantic comedy — and, to be fair, Marry Me will be available to stream on Peacock as well as in theaters. However, this movie also makes the case that traditional studio fare still has something to offer when it comes to the romance genre. Coiro's film, while not necessarily bringing anything revolutionary to the genre's format, has a lot of charm. Marry Me doesn't quite follow through on all of its potential, but leading stars Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson will still make viewers swoon.

Beloved pop star Kat Valdez (Lopez) is in love, and the whole world knows it. Literally, since her wedding to fellow music sensation Bastian (Maluma) will take place during a concert streamed for millions of people. However, just before they're about to say their vows, Kat learns Bastian has cheated on her. Heartbroken and desperate to avoid public ridicule, she spots single father and math teacher Charlie (Wilson) standing in the crowd holding a sign that reads " Marry me " and says yes. A whirlwind wedding later and the unlikely pair is married. Kat's loyal manager Collin (John Bradley) proposes they scrap the sham marriage and move on, but Kat instead decides to stick it out with Charlie, leading to a bond the two never expected.

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On paper, Marry Me 's meet-cute is a bit too contrived to really work in real life, but in the cinematic world of romance, anything goes. Coiro, working off a script by John Rogers, Tami Sagher, and Harper Dill (which is based on a graphic novel by Bobby Crosby), keeps the pace quick and light; viewers barely have enough time to question why Charlie's friend and co-worker Parker (Sarah Silverman) conveniently has three tickets for the Kat Valdez concert before the two adults and Charlie's daughter Lou (Chloe Coleman) are in the crowd. Any gripes one might have about how Charlie and Kat meet fade because Marry Me leaves no doubt about why these two would agree to this shotgun wedding. Kat's afraid of being the punchline, and Charlie wants to ease her pain.

From there, Marry Me progresses with all the hallmarks of a classic romcom, from the getting-to-know-you stage to the obligatory grand gesture that makes up its climax. Coiro gives the proceedings a fizzy, warm touch. Kat and Charlie are characters who are easy to love and their connection is believable. Where Marry Me stalls a bit is with its musical numbers. There are a number of songs in the film, including the titular duet between Kat and Bastian. And while these songs definitely add some realism to Kat's career, they also slow down the love story because Coiro stages them like a concert movie. It almost seems like Marry Me 's decision to occasionally focus more on the music comes at the expense of some development that falls to the wayside. For example, there are two moments early on where Kat watches Jimmy Fallon mock her on television, thus backing her determination not to become a joke. However, she's deprived of the chance to truly take hold of her public image outside of her relationship.

Now, seeing as Marry Me is a romcom, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. More wishful thinking, perhaps. The love story should take precedence in a movie such as this, and as far as love stories go, Charlie's and Kat's is quite sweet. It helps that Wilson and Lopez click in a way that seems unexpected on paper. Lopez perfectly embodies all of Kat's personas, from untouchable pop star (which might not be much of a stretch, admittedly) to a woman tentatively, eagerly falling in love. Wilson, as the more down to Earth of the two, brings his typical wry humor to the role. He also knows when to tug at the heartstrings with a more sensitive touch, particularly when he's with either Lopez or Coleman. Of the supporting players, it's Bradley who is the most pleasant surprise, though Silverman is also a great onscreen presence.

Marry Me might not have what it takes to become an enduring classic for the romcom genre, but it doesn't need it. With movies like these, all one wants is to see love flourish in sweet and silly ways for two hours. Lopez and Wilson are a surprisingly delightful pair and there is more heart to their onscreen meeting than the premise would suggest. Marry Me could've gone deeper with some aspects and laid off the musical numbers a little bit, but it will still be the perfect movie for anyone looking for some romance this Valentine's Day.

More: Watch The Marry Me Trailer

Marry Me releases in theaters and on Peacock Friday, February 11. It is 112 minutes long and rated PG-13 for some language and suggestive material.

Owen Wilson and Jennifer Lopez star in Marry Me. This romantic comedy follows a pop star which announces marriage to a random fan in the audience to get even with her unfaithful significant other. Kat Valdez learns about her fiancee's betrayal during a performance, and when she combs over the crowd, she sees single math teacher Charlie Gilbert holding a sign up for his friend that says "Marry Me." Seeing the sign, Kat impulsively tells the world they're getting married. Now stuck in the spotlight, the two will carry on a fake marriage as they begin to develop real feelings for each other.

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Common Sense Says
Parents Say 12 Reviews
Kids Say 11 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Romcom has so-so story, over-the-top product placement.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 12+?

Extremely obvious product placement, worked into the storyline, including fashio

Language includes "ass," "bulls--t," "s--t," and a couple of exclamations of "Je

Plot revolves around romance. It's implied that a married couple has sex; film c

Adults are seen drinking and/or buying wine, champagne, and beer.

Any Positive Content?

Several positive messages; the most repeated one is "If you sit in the question

Charlie is humble, caring, invested in his daughter and students, not driven by

Two main characters are successful, aspirational Latino pop stars who frequently

Products & Purchases

Extremely obvious product placement, worked into the storyline, including fashion brands (Guess, Coach), jewelry (Pasquale Bruni), iPhone, Vitamix blender, web building service Wix.com (said with the "dot-com" so you don't miss it), and beer (Michelob Ultra). Most egregious is distributor NBCUniversal, which blatantly promotes its networks, shows, and studio. Central character is extremely wealthy, lives in luxury, and loves it; assistants do everything for her, and she gets whatever she needs by paying for it.

Language includes "ass," "bulls--t," "s--t," and a couple of exclamations of "Jesus!"

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Plot revolves around romance. It's implied that a married couple has sex; film cuts away from them kissing passionately to the next morning, with one partially clothed. Innuendo. References to infidelity. Music artist and dancers perform in tight clothes that suggest they're showing a lot of skin, but they really aren't. Reference to a sex tape without any details or images.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Several positive messages; the most repeated one is "If you sit in the question long enough, the answer finds you" (i.e., take your time and look inside yourself). Love is about sacrifice. If you want something different, you've got to do something different. Family is important; communication is key for healthy relationships. Social media is both a blessing and a curse.

Positive Role Models

Charlie is humble, caring, invested in his daughter and students, not driven by fame/money. He's willing to sacrifice so that those he loves will thrive. Kat is a hardworking, successful, kind pop superstar who is reminded of what's really important through her experiences with Charlie. People around Kat aren't always sincere or honest.

Diverse Representations

Two main characters are successful, aspirational Latino pop stars who frequently speak and sing in unsubtitled Spanish. Male lead is White; he has a biracial daughter from a previous relationship. Key supporting character is a lesbian, and a gay couple attends a school dance. Other supporting roles include people of color and someone who uses a wheelchair.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Parents need to know that Marry Me is a music-infused romcom starring Jennifer Lopez (who also produced) as Kat Valdez, a pop star who impulsively marries a random guy ( Owen Wilson ) during a concert. Based on Bobby Crosby's graphic novel about a young, bubbly Britney Spears type, the story is transformed into a multicultural musical experience. Kat is engaged to Latino superstar Bastian (played by Latin music megastar Maluma), and the two often sing and speak Spanish. There are other non-lead characters of color, as well as LGBTQ+ and disability representation in supporting and background roles. Iffy content includes a few curses ("ass," "s--t") and a non-detailed reference to the fact that Kat's previous marriage ended when her husband sold a sex tape. Characters kiss, and after six weeks of marriage, it's implied that a couple consummates their marriage, but nothing happens on camera. What may take viewers aback is the movie's enthusiastic embrace of consumerism; the film often feels like an advertising platform. Kat is a material girl living in a material world, and the product placement is blatant. Brands are everywhere: fashion, beer, iPhones, even a Vitamix blender that practically becomes a character. Producer/distributor NBCUniversal's shows and networks are featured to the point of obnoxiousness. And with Lopez only being shown in a glamorous and flattering light (other than Kat's preposterous decision being roundly mocked), it's clear that viewers are being sold on the star herself. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

Parents say (12)
Kids say (11)

Based on 12 parent reviews

ok not great, one offensive scene for people of faith.

Not worth your time, what's the story.

In MARRY ME, pop superstar lovebirds Kat Valdez ( Jennifer Lopez ) and Bastian (Maluma) are planning their elaborate wedding in front of 20 million concertgoers. But just as the show and ceremony get underway, an online gossip site breaks the story that Bastian is cheating. On stage in full wedding garb, Kat panics -- until she spots a solution: unassuming math teacher Charlie Gilbert ( Owen Wilson ), who just happens to be carrying a sign that reads "marry me."

Is It Any Good?

A lot like when your crush turns out to be just another pretty face, this JLo romcom is cute, but there's nothing on the inside. The premise of Marry Me promises the fulfillment of an over-the-top romantic fantasy: If we could spend time with a fabulous celebrity, of course they'd love us! But the story doesn't play out in a way that lets viewers suspend their disbelief and accept the unlikelihood that middle-school math teacher Charlie and pop star Kat could really make a go of it. For starters, Wilson suppresses his low-key, humble charm enough that Charlie is pretty boring. Worse, he's aloof. In other words, Kat, he's just not that into you. And that's a difficult choice for a protagonist: How can we put ourselves in Charlie's shoes if Charlie doesn't seem to care about or want to be with Kat? Even worse, Kat is unrelatable, despite "down to earth" scenes that seem specifically engineered to make her seem that way. Charlie pleads for her to take the make-up off and let her hair down because he doesn't like all the flash and the fake front she's created for her social media followers. But even in her "morning after" moment, Kat always looks "done" and is always "on."

Lopez probably believes that she's playing Kat with vulnerability, but in the moments that are scripted to depict Kat as a "regular girl" who just happens to be rich and famous, Lopez refuses to step off of the pedestal she's put herself on. Lopez's production company, Nuyorican, is behind Marry Me , and it may be that the filmmakers' view of normalcy surrounding celebrity is so far skewed from everyone else's reality that it interferes with creating a film that audiences will truly connect with and enjoy. The reason romantic comedies work is that they offer viewers the hope that someone wonderful will see you, flaws and all, and love you anyway. But Charlie's flaw appears to be that he isn't on social media, and Kat's is that she doesn't know how to use a blender. (Seriously.) Faced with perfection like that, how can any of us relate? Of course, if viewers walk away thinking that being in a relationship with a glamorous star sounds terrible, well, then maybe this film is a success.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the romantic comedy formula and how Marry Me supports or defies the genre's standard storytelling.

The movie was adapted from a graphic novel in which the pop princess is young, shallow, and White, and the guy in the crowd goes along with the marriage because he thinks if he turns her down, he'll be branded as gay for the rest of his life. How was the story transformed to be more diverse and inclusive? Why is positive representation important?

What product placement did you spot in the film? Why do brands contribute money to media production in exchange for favorable inclusion? Do you think it's OK to market to kids ?

What role does social media play in Kat's life? How does it impact her decisions and the way she chooses to live her life?

After the movie ends, what do you think happens to Charlie and Kat? Where do you see them in 10 years? Why?

Movie Details

In theaters : February 11, 2022
On DVD or streaming : March 29, 2022
Cast : Jennifer Lopez , Owen Wilson , Sarah Silverman , Maluma , Chloe Coleman
Director : Kat Coiro
Inclusion Information : Female directors, Female actors, Latino actors
Studio : Universal Pictures
Genre : Romance
Topics : Music and Sing-Along
Run time : 112 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : some language and suggestive material
Last updated : March 19, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

Notting Hill

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Music and Sing-Along

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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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COMMENTS

Marry Me movie review & film summary (2022)
The quiet moments with Wilson have an endearing tenderness. It is easy to suspend disbelief about actors in their 50s playing characters in their 30s. They look great. J.Lo is ageless and Wilson's shaggy charm hasn't changed since " Wedding Crashers.".
Marry Me (2022)
Benjamin Cheesy love movie. Good vibes/feel good sorta thing. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/21/22 Full Review Jonathan S Wonderful movie. Funny and charming. Great date nigh
'Marry Me' Review: Putting 'I Do' on the To-Do List
He teaches middle-school math, co-parents one of those only-in-a-movie preteens (she's spunky yet unsure of herself) and speaks in Wilson's drawling whine. Jennifer Lopez, left, portrays a pop ...
Marry Me
Full Review | Jul 25, 2023. Gissane Sophia Marvelous Geeks Media. Marry Me focuses on the believable perils of a renowned person's life, and while it's too on the nose at times, it still feels ...
Marry Me (2022)
Marry Me: Directed by Kat Coiro. With Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Maluma, John Bradley. Music superstars Kat Valdez and Bastian are getting married before a global audience of fans. But when Kat learns, seconds before her vows, that Bastian has been unfaithful, she instead decides to marry Charlie, a stranger in the crowd.
Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson in 'Marry Me': Film Review
The Bottom Line A pleasurable throwback. Release date: Friday, Feb. 11. Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Maluma, John Bradley, Chloe Coleman, Sarah Silverman, Michelle Buteau. Director: Kat ...
Marry Me might as well have been called JLo: The Movie
Marry Me, her latest attempt to resuscitate the romcom, makes literal that strange contradiction. It revolves around a pop superstar trapped in a glass cage of fame and fortune, and the vulnerable ...
Marry Me review
4. Summary. The excellent writing, the charisma of Jennifer Lopez, and the charm of Owen Wilson make Marry Me the delightful rom-com that will make your heart smile. This review of the Peacock film Marry Me (2022) does not contain spoilers. It is Valentine's Day weekend and there are so many movies to watch this weekend, but I think Marry Me ...
Marry Me
Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) is half of the sexiest celebrity power couple on Earth with hot new music supernova Bastian (Maluma). 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 (Owen Wilson ...
Marry Me review: JLo gifts us comfort fluff for rom-com fans
For the most part, that's a good thing. The movie isn't the most comedic or innovative addition to the romantic comedy genre, but it is sweet romantic fluff. Occasionally, it falls into the ...
'Marry Me' Review: A Rom-Com That's Mildly Preposterous and Knows It
It's undeniably cheesy — in fact, its premise is so farfetched that you could say the movie never pretends not to be cheesy. (Let's call that the "Miss Congeniality" factor.) It's the ...
Marry Me Review
Release Date: 10 Feb 2022. Original Title: Marry Me. The wedding planner meets a wedding crasher; it feels like the big studio romcom never went away. Here's a film light on drama and heavy on ...
Every Thought I Had While Watching Marry Me
It's a tale as old as time: One music superstar gets engaged to another. He cheats on her. So she marries a stranger during the middle of a concert. At least, that's the premise of Jennifer Lopez's new romanic comedy, Marry Me. The movie is like a musical version of TLC's Married at First Sight … plus Jennifer Lopez.
Movie Review: Marry Me, With Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson
Marry Me, the first of two nuptial-centered movies Jennifer Lopez is starring in this year, is a self-conscious resurrection of that faded format, complete with a real doozy of a contrivance ...
'Marry Me' review: Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson star in a 'meet dumb
01:34 - Source: CNN. CNN —. Designed to showcase Jennifer Lopez playing a character that could hardly be called a reach, "Marry Me" trades in the "meet cute" rom-com formula for "meet ...
'Marry Me' review: Jennifer Lopez finds a rom-com love match
Rated: PG-13, for some language and suggestive material. Running time: 1hour, 52 minutes. Playing: Starts Feb. 11 in general release and streaming on Peacock Friday. Get the Indie Focus newsletter ...
Marry Me review: A forgettable rom-com wisp
Marry Me (in theaters and streaming on Peacock Feb. 11) concocts the wispy, wistful fantasy of Katalina "Kat" Valdez (Lopez), a singer whose engagement to fellow pop star Bastian (Colombian ...
Marry Me Review: A Fantastic Musical Romance
Jennifer Lopez shines as an embarrassed and heartbroken superstar singer who marries a random fan at a concert. Owen Wilson plays the surprise spouse with a down-to-earth affability and comically ...
Marry Me Review: J.Lo, Owen Wilson Elevate an Uneven Rom-Com
Marry Me 's success is primarily in thanks to J.Lo and Wilson, who both understand what they need to bring to the table and do so with just the right amount of charm and commitment, even while ...
Marry Me Review: J. Lo & Owen Wilson Romcom Is Sweet But Could've Gone
On paper, Marry Me's meet-cute is a bit too contrived to really work in real life, but in the cinematic world of romance, anything goes.Coiro, working off a script by John Rogers, Tami Sagher, and Harper Dill (which is based on a graphic novel by Bobby Crosby), keeps the pace quick and light; viewers barely have enough time to question why Charlie's friend and co-worker Parker (Sarah Silverman ...
Marry Me Movie Review
Parents need to know that Marry Me is a music-infused romcom starring Jennifer Lopez (who also produced) as Kat Valdez, a pop star who impulsively marries a random guy (Owen Wilson) during a concert.Based on Bobby Crosby's graphic novel about a young, bubbly Britney Spears type, the story is transformed into a multicultural musical experience. Kat is engaged to Latino superstar Bastian (played ...
Marry Me (2022 film)
Marry Me is a 2022 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Kat Coiro, with a screenplay by John Rogers, Tami Sagher, and Harper Dill.Based on the 2012 graphic novel of the same title by Bobby Crosby, [1] it stars Jennifer Lopez as Kat Valdez, a superstar, who decides to marry Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson), a math teacher holding a "Marry Me" sign, after learning that her on-stage ...
Marry Me (2022) Movie Reviews
Marry Me (2022) Fan Reviews and Ratings Powered by Rotten Tomatoes Rate Movie. Close Popcornmeter The percentage of users who made a verified movie ticket purchase and rated this 3.5 stars or higher. Learn more. Review Submitted. GOT IT. Offers SEE ALL OFFERS. GIFT, GIVE OR RECEIVE A TICKET TO THE FORGE image link ...

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Marry Me Review

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