Marry Me (2022) Review!!

Synopsis – 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 decides to marry Charlie, a stranger in the crowd, instead.

My Take – Marred by a limitless supply of clichés and overdose of over-sentimental Lifetime channel backed releases, the romantic comedy genre has been taken a huge beating in the last decade or so, only with a few occasional surprises thrown in.

However, in a now rare occurrence, the biggest hook of this latest entry is that it is actually headlined by two A-listers, Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. Two actors who have made a killing numerous times in the now dying genre especially at the height of its powers, and how they still continue to be so uncomplicatedly likable in this is almost refreshing.

The considerable charms of its two stars aside, the film too is familiar yet pleasing. Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Bobby Crosby, here, director Kat Coiro (L!fe Happens) and writers John Rogers, Tami Sagher and Harper Dill deliver a decent and cheesy film on the lines of Notting Hill (1999), about two unlikely people jumping headfirst into a relationship.

It is predictable, goofy but sincere and light, and stars two likable leads who you want to see end up together. It’s the kind of formulaic genre film where you can just sit back, relax and let yourself enjoy the rom com antics on screen. The sappy sequences, forced jokes and cute montages all work exactly as intended, and I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t engaged throughout. It isn’t the best rom-com ever, just far more comfortable than its recent counterparts.

The story follows Katalina “Kat” Valdez (Jennifer Lopez), a long known famous pop star, who in her latest publicity stunt is getting married to Bastian (Maluma), her equally prominent fiancé and fellow vocalist, at the climax of a globally televised concert, with 20 million people watching, after singing their mega-popular duet, “Marry Me,” to one another.

But just moments before the heralded event, Kat discovers that Bastian has been cheating on her with her assistant, a feat that also explodes on social media at the same time. Devastated and facing a meltdown on stage in her wedding gown, Kat ends up doing the unthinkable.

Summoning a stranger in the form Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson), a dedicated but obscure New York City math teacher, who is in the audience with his 12-year-old daughter Lou (Chloe Coleman) and friend/colleague Parker Debbs (Sarah Silverman), and holding a sign saying Marry Me to which Kat agrees on, and impulsively exchanges vows with instead.

Rather than be branded unstable, the already thrice married Kat decides, after some reflection, to see if she and Charlie can actually make a go of their spur-of-the-moment splicing. Charlie, himself a divorcee raising his preteen daughter, also proves willing to explore the odd couple’s contrasting lifestyles.

This one is just like every classic romantic comedy that you can think of and it is easy to predict how the story goes. The couple meets, continues seeing each other, date for a while, have a falling out and finally reconvene to cement their love.

With the only difference being that the couple jumps straight into marriage within the first act, leaving the figuring out part for on. It’s as if someone had picked up a screenplay too generic to produce back in 1990s and 2000s and decided to embellish it with modern references about modern problems.

Like some of the concerns Kat voices about her multiple failed marriages and how no one understands the perils of fame, and how Charlie is concerned about the easy availability of their lives online.

However, the subplot about Chloe’s stage fright in a math competition aims to resonate with Kat’s own shaky confidence is the one that resonates among the trite dialogue and the flimsy narrative thread that plays alongside the many clichés. Despite that, it’s still a charming and engaging affair.

Also the songs have chart topping potential, and the mini-music-videos written into the plot let us momentarily escape from the predictability.

Thankfully, the film is backed by performances that are a lot better than what was needed to sell it. Jennifer Lopez is at home in the role. Lopez’s performance as a superstar is definitely influenced by her real life, but that is what makes it seem so authentic. In a role that she could easily make herself the center of every scene, she is able to stand her ground in a way that highlights her scene partners, especially her love interest.

The ever-affable Owen Wilson has no trouble portraying the humble, slightly nerdy nice guy, and shares an unforced, low-key chemistry with Lopez. Maluma in his feature debut is alright. The film wisely doesn’t allow him to do any heavy lifting, instead allowing him to play to his strengths.

In supporting turns, Sarah Silverman, Chloe Coleman, and John Bradley are amusing and likable, while Utkarsh Ambudkar appears in an effective cameo. On the whole, ‘Marry Me’ is a decent, passable and enjoyable throwback to the heyday of rom-coms.