By John Corrado

★★½ (out of 4)

Marry Me has so many contrivances within its first twenty minutes that it feels extreme even by the standards of the romantic comedy genre. It relies on a number of far-fetched coincidences in order to bring its two unlikely love interests together, but the film is good-natured enough to kinda pull it off.

Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) is a famous pop star who plans on marrying her pop star fiancé Bastian (Maluma) at her upcoming concert, following a performance of their new hit single “Marry Me.” Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson) is an introverted math teacher and single father to Lou (Chloe Coleman), who coaches the mathalon team at his daughter’s school.

Charlie’s colleague Parker (Sarah Silverman) has an extra ticket to the concert because her girlfriend just dumped her, and convinces Charlie to come instead. But, just as Kat is about to go on stage to exchange vows, news breaks that Bastian is having an affair. As fate would have it, at that same moment, Parker hands Charlie her “marry me” sign to hold while she takes a video. Kat goes on stage, sees Charlie holding the sign, takes it as a proposal, calls him up on stage, and decides to marry this complete stranger on the spot instead of her cheating boyfriend.

It’s a pretty absurd premise that is never entirely believable and goes exactly where you expect it to, but Marry Me mostly plays out with sincerity, fully embracing its place within the rom-com genre. What follows is a sort of riff on Notting Hill, following Kat and Charlie as they start to develop real feelings for each other, questioning if this relationship between a carefully managed celebrity and an ordinary guy can actually work.

There is a sort of old fashioned, cornball charm to the film’s surprisingly laid back romance, which doesn’t even really get hot and heavy. The most transgressive moment is a performance of a song called “Church” that features Lopez in a flesh-coloured bodysuit surrounded by scantily clad dancers dressed as priests and nuns, and it actually feels a bit out of place in what is otherwise a pretty squeaky-clean film that in many ways harkens back to a more innocent era.

The film basically exists as a mediocre early-2000s rom-com, that seems better now because we have been so starved for a decent one lately. This is the sort of film that has become an anomaly; a theatrically released mid-budget romantic comedy from a major studio that is aimed at adults, and Marry Me can’t help but feel like a bit of a breath of fresh air for these reasons in a sea of franchises and streaming-only releases (it was released simultaneously in theatres and on VOD in February, but that’s beside the point since it was developed for theatres).

It’s not particularly well made, with some uninspired framing and distracting moments of product placement, and the direction by Kat Coiro, who is mostly know for her TV work, in general feels pretty basic. But, if Marry Me works at all, it’s due to the likability of both Lopez and Wilson, and there is something to be said for seeing this sort of movie having been given the theatrical treatment again.

Bonus Features (Blu-ray):

The Blu-ray comes with a number of bonus features, including some deleted scenes and a handful of standard featurettes. A regular DVD and code for a digital copy are also included in the package, which ships with a slipcover.

• Deleted Scenes (Play All – 5 minutes, 27 seconds)

• It’s Coming Together (15 seconds)

• Plotting the Future (52 seconds)

• Is Everyone Happy? (32 seconds)

• Come to the Concert (53 seconds)

• What Am I Doing Here? (1 minute, 5 seconds)

• You’re Married! (1 minute, 3 seconds)

• Having Fun at the Dance (25 seconds)

• Flight Status (24 seconds)

• Gag Reel (1 minute, 45 seconds)

• Jennifer Unveiled (11 minutes, 49 seconds)

• Behind the Camera: The Making of Marry Me (5 minutes, 28 seconds)

• Turn It Up: The Music of Marry Me (5 minutes, 52 seconds)

• Live At Madison Square Garden (4 minutes, 41 seconds)

• Married With Style (5 minutes, 3 seconds)

• “On My Way” Lyric Video (3 minutes, 9 seconds)

• Feature Commentary with Director Kat Coiro and Producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas

Marry Me is a Universal Pictures Home Entertainment release. It’s 112 minutes and rated PG.

Street Date: May 11th, 2022