Sun | Jan 25, 2026
Movie Review

‘Marry Me’ wears its heart on its sleeve

Published:Monday | February 14, 2022 | 12:06 AMDamian Levy/Gleaner Writer
Pause
Jennifer Lopez (right) plays Kat Valdez, a pop star who decides to marry a stranger holding a ‘Marry Me’ sign when she realises her on-stage partner, Bastian, played by Maluma, has been having an affair.
AP
Jennifer Lopez (right) plays Kat Valdez, a pop star who decides to marry a stranger holding a ‘Marry Me’ sign when she realises her on-stage partner, Bastian, played by Maluma, has been having an affair.
Owen Wilson, in a scene from ‘Marry Me’, plays the role of Charlie Gilbert.
AP
Owen Wilson, in a scene from ‘Marry Me’, plays the role of Charlie Gilbert.
1
2

The early to mid-2000s was a heyday for romantic comedies. Hapless fools believed in love against all odds, and fought against the overwhelming cynicism of modern-day dating. As online dating rose, the meet-cute slowly went extinct. Suddenly, the rom-com would be too fanciful, even as a fantasy. At long last, enough is finally enough, and rom-com queen Jennifer Lopez has returned to help even the most jaded believe in love again.

AGGRESSIVELY ROMANTIC

Marry Me is aggressively romantic. It wears its heart on its sleeve, its torso, and on all of J Lo’s incredibly tasteful hats. She plays Kat Valdez, a pop star who’s on the cusp of celebrating her wedding day in front of 20 million viewers. She’s meant to say her vows at a live concert that’s caught the attention of just about everyone.

Everyone except Owen Wilson’s Charlie Gilbert, a teacher and a divorced single father who doesn’t know the biggest pop star on the planet, but he does know love is a made-up fairy tale for princess movies and, well, pop songs. Finding himself at her concert holding up a sign that says ‘Marry Me’, Kat takes him up on his offer. The princess marries the pauper instead of her adulterous intended.

The insane premise works in the movie’s favour. The film constantly acknowledges how bizarre the entire arrangement is (after all, Charlie can’t be expected to go on The View when he has to lead the math club). Yet, after a decade of these kinds of films being absent, the ridiculous nature of it feels welcome. The film is supposed to be an incredible story, one that’s not meant to be taken seriously or grounded in realism.

Thankfully, the movie doesn’t spend an overwhelming amount of time apologising for its escapism. There’s just enough there for anyone who will gripe about the characters feeling artificial. Granted, there are moments when the movie feels like it’s going through the rom-com motions, but the story is original enough and the characters so effortlessly charming that it gets a pass. Then again, maybe it’s been so long since those motions were in a motion picture that nostalgia has got the better of me.

(I want to dedicate this review to my wife, who, against all odds, made me believe in love. Happy Valentine’s Day, Brittany.)

Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.