‘Marry Me’ uses every romantic comedy convention in the book to poor effect, but is partially saved by its leads
★★✰✰✰
Although the 2010s seemed to have killed off the romcom, streaming services desperate for content have resurrected them, resulting in fiascos like The Kissing Booth and its many sequels. Marry Me seems set to join that list, being a by-the-numbers film with improbable storytelling, wooden acting and a cute dog to boot. Although the film is lifted by its central performers, neither they nor the audience can escape the mess at its centre.
Marry Me tells the story of social media sensation and pop superstar Kat (Jennifer Lopez), who is planning to marry her popstar boyfriend Bastian (an utterly leaden Maluma) live on stage. When he cheats on her, she impulsively decides to marry a stranger—wholesome mathematics teacher Charlie (Owen Wilson).
This absolutely insane decision is followed by many more, as inexplicably Charlie decides to commit to his marriage with Kat for publicity purposes, only for the two to inevitably fall in love. There are multiple cutesy moments—such as Kat teaching Charlie’s mathletes to dance—but a palpable lack of stakes sink these into a simple procession of tropes. Indeed, what should be an exhilarating view on unexpected love begins to feel awfully like an arranged marriage.
Marry Me occasionally moves towards exploring these themes in greater depth. The script touches on the soul-sucking nature of social media, the constant demand for content, and the pressures on performers, but these are embedded so deep within a narrative plucked from 2005 that they barely register, at most acting as a gesture towards the modern world. Marry Me is a film that could’ve been made by the same lead actors at any time within the past 20 years, which is indicative of both its quality and its fidelity to its genre.
However, the film’s saving grace is its performances. Wilson and Lopez are both romcom stalwarts and they breeze through this film with the requisite facial expressions. Lopez’s concert scenes are the film’s highlight, as J-Lo demonstrates her unmistakable talents. Contributing most of the soundtrack, the boundaries break down between Jennifer and Kat, providing the most entertaining moments while simultaneously making you wish you were simply watching a J-Lo concert film.
Sarah Silverman as Charlie’s best friend Parker also shines, providing most of the laughs and adding welcome LGBT representation. Although Columbian popstar Maluma couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag, his chemistry with Lopez is palpable. Kudos should be given to this cast for managing to work with the script they were given and come out of it unscathed.
The Verdict
Marry Me is serviceable for what it is: a mid-00s romcom with strong performances and comedic moments. However, it suffers from exactly these things, emerging as a piece of popcorn fluff redeemed only by its stars.
Words by Issy Flower
Marry Me is now showing in cinemas
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.