Marry Me (Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Universal
 Release Date: March 29, 2022
 Rating: PG-13
 Film:  3.5/5
 
 Plot
 A heartbroken pop star (Jennifer Lopez), slated to marry her pop star fiancé (Maluma) on stage, instead marries a stranger from the audience - a high school math teacher (Owen Wilson). Against the odds, their relationship develops into something real...but can their love survive the limelight?
 
Barry’s Thoughts
 There were two factors prodding me to look at this movie that is in the theaters and also streaming on Peacock.
 
 First, I saw the trailer while waiting for Spider-Man No Way Home and thought it was the worst premise to a movie I have seen in a long time.  And I was right.
 
 Second, my plumber was here fixing my leaking toilet this morning and I had to watch something.
 
 The premise of the trailer was that famous celebrity, Jennifer Lopez, discovers on her wedding day that her finance had been cheating on her.  So, at random, she picks a stranger from the crowd (Owen Wilson) who is with his young daughter and she immediately marries him.

 So I knew the plot of the entire movie, instantaneously, from the coming attraction. This is what I knew BEFORE I saw the movie.
 1.  Owen would be a “regular” guy, who does regular, but good things. (I was right, he was a teacher.)
 2.  He would be a widower or an unjust divorced man who has a bit of trouble raising his someone precocious daughter. But at the end of the movie they would be closer than ever. (I was right, he was divorced)
 3.  They instantly married, in front of a large audience, but it was done without a marriage license.  So the wedding went off without a hitch.
 4.  They would fall in love and the couple would get to know each other and Lopez would eventually want HIS way of life.
 5.  Lopez would get close to the daughter.
 6.  The last half hour of the film would present a moral dilemma that appears to separate the two.  But they will come to their senses and come together, with the daughter at the end.
 7.  Sarah Silverman is in it so it will have funny moments.
 
 I was mostly right but there were no funny moments. This movie is so formulistic, you have seen it before.  Lopez, now in her 50s, is still playing roles written for 30-year-olds. I saw and felt no chemistry between the two stars. This movie is as familiar as you can get, there is nothing new or creative here.
 
 I saw it streaming so the image was good and the sound was okay, but not much surround.
 
 I give it 1 out of 4 stars. It’s not the worst movie I have seen. That would be “The Spirit.” If you never have seen a romcom you might give it two stars.  
 
My Thoughts
Wow…Barry really didn’t like this movie at all. He must have been grumpy because his toilet was leaking. Regardless, my wife and I enjoyed the film for what it was—a mindless romantic comedy. Is it formulaic? Yes. Is it farfetched? Yes. Did Barry predict the plot from the trailer? You bet he did. Here’s where I differ from him.
 
First, both my wife and I like Owen Wilson as an actor. Sure, his range is pretty limited since he always plays the same type of character, but he’s so damn likable. Second, the music in the film is quite good. Third, it’s been a while since we had seen a romantic comedy, so it caught us in a very good and receptive mood. Would we have enjoyed it as much if we had a leaky toilet? Maybe not. As for the no laughs, we did laugh on a few occasions and enjoyed it enough to probably watch it again in the future.
 
The presentation on Blu-ray is excellent. The digitally shot video is very sharp and detailed and the concert sequences look outstanding (as does Jennifer Lopez). I really enjoyed the DTS-MA 5.1 track mainly because of the musical sequences. The LFE had a lot of kick to it and the concert sequences made good use of the surround speakers to provide plenty of ambience.

 Video 4.5/5 (AVC)
 Audio 4.5/5 (TS-HD MA 5.1)
 
 Special Features:

• Deleted Scenes
• Gag Reel
• Jennifer Unveiled
• Behind the Camera: The Making of Marry Me
• Turn it Up: The Music of Marry Me
• Live at Madison Square Garden
• Married with Style
• “On My Way” Lyric Video
• Feature Commentary
• Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

 


 Conclusion
 While this film didn’t break any new ground and is wildly predictable, my wife and I enjoyed it a lot more than Barry did, that’s for sure. Will it become a classic? Probably not. It’s mostly forgettable but the soundtrack is quite catchy, and it may develop a following for that reason alone. If you’re on the fence, maybe give it a rental first or watch it on Peacock for free.  
 
 Reference Review System:
 JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
 (Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
 Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
 Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
 ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
 ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
 Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
 System Controller: URC MX-990
 M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
 M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
 Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
 SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
 HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
 SVS SB-3000 Subwoofer
 JL Audio Dominion F110 Subwoofer x 2
 Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
 Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[AVSCraig]

Hard pass. What a lame premise. I think my wife would rather watch " intolerable Cruelty " again! 

[David Vaughn]

Hard pass. What a lame premise. I think my wife would rather watch " intolerable Cruelty " again!

Is your toilet leaking too?

[bmoney]

I’ll watch it!

[Barry]

  It’s time to go Siskel and Ebert:

David, you ignorant slut!
(see )

First, my plumber was here to adjust my heater. That’s not something you have to worry about with all that hot air coming out of your reviews!!!

David and I always disagree on two things. The first being ORIGINALITY.  I don’t want to pay new money to see the same old thing, over and over again. 

David wrote, “Owen Wilson…is pretty limited since he always plays the same type of character.” Well, I want something new.  I have a word for an actor playing the same thing each time: BORING. It movie making by the numbers.

Jennifer Lopez is a fine actress and she can excel as in “An Unfinished Life.” But she keeps playing the same 30-year character (although she is fifty) searching for her first “true love.”  I know how every one of these pictures begins and how everyone ends. 

I like Rom-Coms that show some imagination and believable character depth. “Annie Hall,” “An American President,” “When Harry Met Sally” and the fifteen movies where Tom Hanks meets Meg Ryan for the first time.

David, you should really see the movie, “Queen Bees” where older women have a romance or two.  I didn’t quite know how it would end. (Ellen Burstyn, Jane Curtin, Ann-Margret, James Caan, and Christopher Lloyd among others)

While I consider such formula and repetition boring, David finds it comfortable. It has no surprises, nothing knew, even if the premise a woman, cheated on by her boyfriend goes on a stage and says she will marry the first guy she sees. So David eases his way into the motive and has a leisurely experience.

[David Vaughn]

Touché Barry, but you have to consider the wife factor. When she likes a movie, I can enjoy it even more since she isn't complaining through the entire thing. We both liked the music and Owen Wilson...enough said

[AVSCraig]

Is your toilet leaking too?

I take it you're not a fan of intolerable Cruelty. It's one of my wife's favorite comedies. We like to watch it with friends who are about to get married. We tell them they're going to need a Massey prenup! 

[David Vaughn]

I take it you're not a fan of intolerable Cruelty. It's one of my wife's favorite comedies. We like to watch it with friends who are about to get married. We tell them they're going to need a Massey prenup!

I don't think I've seen it. 

[tripplej]

[Paul Heroy]

Ha, some interesting perspectives on both sides. I don't quite value originality quite to the extent Barry does but there does come a point when... "been there seen that 100x" kicks in. (And it means you're getting to be an old fart!) And my wife is not very savvy on films so she's not usually very interested in arty, cerebral or unusual fare. J Lo is genetically blessed such that she can still somewhat carry off looking like a younger woman. I don't think she's had any or much of the kind of unfortunate work as discussed in Scream for Courtney Cox, who I always thought was very pretty and should have aged nicely.

Intolerable Cruelty is a Coen Bros film so by definition it's one that most movie buffs should have at least checked out by now!

[David Vaughn]

I just looked it up on IMDB and I think I have seen this, but it was nearly 20 years ago (and thousands of movies in between...literally!). I'll try and check it out again...it has Zeta-Jones in her prime

[AVSCraig]

I just looked it up on IMDB and I think I have seen this, but it was nearly 20 years ago (and thousands of movies in between...literally!). I'll try and check it out again...it has Zeta-Jones in her prime

My wife has the movie's most quotable lines memorized by heart!

[bmoney]

There’s a name that has fallen off the map