Mary Me Review

Quick Thoughts - Trailers are such an interesting element of the film industry because whether we recognize it or not, they frame a large portion of what our expectations are heading into a film. For some films that’s a really bad thing because actually seeing it lets you down, but in Marry Me’s case, it actually works in its favor. Why do I say that? - from the trailer I thought it was going to be one of the worst things I have ever seen. In reality, Marry Me was all kinds of things (including predictable, cheesy, and long winded) but it certainly wasn’t the worst thing I have ever seen. In fact, it actually has its moments where the script shines and made me smile a few times. Funny how expectations drive so much of our response to a movie.

What went wrong:

• My main problem with the film was that it chose the wrong message as the central theme to the movie. Early in the film there is a really sweet moment between Wilson and his daughter where he tells her about the sacrifice that it takes for love to endure after the honeymoon phase of a relationship is over. They should have stuck with this theme instead using the “do something different to get something different” message they went with. While the message they ultimately chose was okay, it had a much more cheesy feel to it than the sincere and deep message that they teased in the first act. This is what ultimately makes this one “just another romcom” and not one of the great rom coms.

• The plot is just utterly ridiculous, which isn’t a problem by itself, but not enough is done throughout the film to make you feel better about how ridiculous the plot is.

• Lopez performance just wasn’t convincing enough to me.

• I am fine with cheesy lines in rom coms, but it gets boderline cringey at times in Marry Me.

What went right:

• Owen Wilson being in a film is ALWAYS a positive - pretty solid performance from him.

• While Jennifer Lopez’s performance wasn’t entirely convincing, there is no denying that parts of this movie are a lot of fun.

• The music. I am not here to saying that the music is good, but it is most certainly catchy. I have found myself humming now of the songs that Lopez sings multiple times since seeing the film.

• Focusing on the daddy daughter relationship. While the movie is heavily marketed as a love story between Owen Wilson and Jennifer Lopez, there is a really strong and sweet subplot that focuses on Wilson’s relationship with his young daughter.

Rating - 53/100

Best Performance - Owen Wilson as Charlie

Honorable Mention - Sarah Silverman as Parker

Will I watch again - I won’t seek it out, but I wouldn’t look away if I found myself in a room with it on down the road.

Would I recommend - If you love rom coms, then it is definitely worth checking out!

Final Takeaways - This isn’t the rom com that you will return to time and time again as the years go by (if you do, God bless you) but that doesn’t mean its not worth checking out if you particularly enjoy this genre. The really funny thing about Marry Me is that if I had gone into it with crazy high expectations, I would have inevitably been extremely disappointed. Great reminder to not let a great trailer set your expectations too high or to not let a bad trailer keep you from seeing a film.