Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Marry Me’ On Peacock, Where J.Lo & Owen Wilson Revive The Featherlight, Formulaic Rom-Com

Jennifer Lopez reigned as romantic comedy royalty in the early aughts, turning out hits like The Wedding Planner and Maid in Manhattan and charming audiences with her dazzling, natural screen presence. She’s since become one of the biggest stars in the world, and it’s been more than a minute since Lopez won our hearts with a classic by-the-numbers rom-com. That all changes with Marry Me, now in theaters and streaming on Peacock. Lopez makes her triumphant return to the genre alongside Owen Wilson just in time for Valentine’s Day.

MARRY ME: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) is an international superstar. She’s set to take her stardom to the next level when she marries her fiancé, fellow singer Bastian (Maluma) in a staged ceremony that will be streamed by some 20 million people as the two perform their bop of a song “Marry Me”. It’s the big night when she discovers Bastian has cheated on her with one of her assistants, and in a moment of utter confusion and pain, she singles out a man in the audience holding a “Marry Me” sign and asks him to come up and say “I do”. This man is Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson), a math teacher who was dragged to the concert by his friend Parker (Sarah Silverman) and young daughter Lou (Chloe Coleman). Under the bright lights and the gaze of millions, Kat and Charlie are wed. Kat’s manager Collin (Game of Thrones star John Bradley) suggests they pay Charlie off and move on, but Kat, ever the hopeless romantic, wants to give it a shot – even if only for a few months.

Charlie is not used to the luxuries that come with Kat’s world; he watches as she makes sponsored content and does his best to play along at a press conference, and there’s undeniable chemistry between the two. Kat makes an appearance at math club and meets Lou, charming her classmates and Charlie in the process. Charlie asks her to the school dance, and she accepts his offer and the two have a genuinely good time together. They make a deal that involves Kat learning to do things on her own and Charlie diving into the world of social media, and before they know it, they’ve fallen for one another – for real. No cameras or press conferences necessary – until Kat is nominated for a Grammy and pulled back into Bastian’s orbit. Was anything Kat and Charlie had real? Can the two of them find their way back to each other and realize their worlds aren’t so different after all? You’ll have to watch Marry Me and see.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: If only because of the J.Lo factor, Marry Me might bring to mind Maid in Manhattan, but it also might remind you of other romcoms like Notting Hill, The Proposal, Pretty Woman, and The Wedding Date. 

Performance Worth Watching: A lot of the performances in Marry Me stick to its predictable script, but Sarah Silverman makes a lot of it her own, bringing her signature snark and delightful charm to Parker. The rom com best friend is often incredibly by-the-numbers, but Silverman makes hers a little more memorable, even if her performance occasionally feels like it’s in a different movie. Whether she’s ragging on her boyfriend in School of Rock, putting together a ladies’ tennis team in Battle of the Sexes, or bringing together J.Lo and Owen Wilson in Marry Me, Silverman always understands the assignment.

Memorable Dialogue: Marry Me leans into a lot of corny, familiar lines, but Owen Wilson’s delivery of “I don’t want to presume that I’m about to have the best night of my life, but if I am, I don’t want to do it to Robert Goulet,” is genuinely funny.

Sex and Skin: It’s all fade-to-black sexytime in Marry Me, and anything more would feel out of place.

Our Take: Marry Me checks more than a few romcom boxes; we’ve got the fake relationship, lovers from different worlds, a villainous ex, a wise kid, a quirky best friend, and more than a few catchy musical numbers. I probably could have told you exactly how the movie would play out from the first act, but isn’t that part of the fun of it all? The joy of Marry Me is watching a megastar like Jennifer Lopez return to her romantic comedy roots with a twist, playing a version of herself in a world very much like our own. The meta-commentary is a part of what makes Marry Me so fun, because we’re watching a great do what she does best – and we’re even gifted with incredible original music in the process. Marry Me embraces tropes like old friends, and it’s all the better for it, even if it does run a little bit long. It’s sweet! It’s preposterous! It’s wholly earnest, and that feels like something special these days.

Lopez and Wilson are truly endearing together, mismatched yet effective as the unexpected couple who teach each other how to live more fulfilling lives with advice from their respective (very different) worlds. Lopez is the obvious MVP here, but Wilson’s dad-joke charm and on-screen ease make him a worthy partner for the romcom queen. The whole thing with Marry Me is that it feels like an early aughts throwback, demonstrating that we may once again live in a world where studios are willing to throw lots of money at romantic comedies featuring two huge stars, a handful of celebrity cameos, and no shortage of catchy tunes and grand sets. Marry Me is not great, but it’s very good, as comforting as an embrace from an old friend you thought you might not see again. Its affection for the romcoms of yesteryear and unabashed sincerity only make saying “I do” that much easier.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Marry Me, for all its predictability and silliness, is undeniably charming, anchored by a pitch-perfect performance from genre vet Jennifer Lopez.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Stream Marry Me on Peacock