Fact: We J.love a J.Lo rom-com.
It's been four years since Jennifer Lopez starred in and produced Second Act and she is finally making a return to the genre with Marry Me, which is now playing in theaters and streaming on Peacock. You might say we've been waiting for tonight (oh!) for so long.
Directed by Kat Coiro, the movie tells the story of Kat Valdez, a musical icon who is planning to marry her partner Bastian (Maluma) at a sold-out concert being live streamed all over the globe. Just before she's about to perform, however, she discovers that he's been cheating on her. Enter stage-center: Owen Wilson as high school math teacher Charlie Gilbert, who is holding a hand-crafted sign that reads "marry me." Naturally, a devastated Kat decides to take him up on his offer.
Classic, cute and charming, Marry Me is one of our favorite rom-coms starring Lopez, with the added bonus of a slate of new music from the superstar and Maluma. (Sometimes the movie gods give with two hands!) But is it her best one ever? We decided to see how it stacks up against Maid in Manhattan, Monster-in-Law and, yes, even Gigli, and ranked all of Lopez's romantic comedies over the years.
To help freshen your memory of these films, E! is airing a J.Lo movie marathon this weekend, beginning on Feb. 11 at 1 p.m. ET, featuring her 2001 classic The Wedding Planner, as well as the decidedly less romantic Enough.
So which movie made us swoon the most and topped our list?
Love Interest: Rodrigo Santoro
When it comes to J. Lo's screen time in this 2012 ensemble, our thoughts can be summed up with a song from The Greatest Showman: Never enough, never, never!
Love Interest: Dance!
Interestingly enough, Lopez is not the romantic leading lady in this 2005 film, her relationship with Richard Gere as his dance instructor remaining surprisingly platonic and serving as a catalysis to strengthen his relationship with his wife, played by Susan Sarandon. Nice in concept, but unfortunately lowers its placement in this ranking. Shall we move on?
Love Interest: Ben Affleck
Listen, it would be far too easy to just say this 2003 rom-com starring the world's most famous couple—Bennifer forever!—is one of the genre's worst. It is an essential piece of pop culture history, a relic of a moment in celebrity culture that should be preserved but not revered. (Midnight Run, Scent of a Woman and Meet Joe Black director Martin Brest never helmed a movie again after this and Lopez's already minimal screen time opposite Affleck in Jersey Girl was halved the following year.)
"I lost my sense of self, questioned if I belonged in this business, thought maybe I did suck at everything," Lopez told Vanity Fair in 2017 of the dismal media coverage at that time, that included her split from then-fiancé Affleck. "And my relationship self-destructed in front of the entire world. It was a two-year thing for me until I picked myself up again."
But we argue that the J.Lo of today—and Bennifer 2.0—wouldn't be as strong without the Gigli experience.
Love Interest: Alex O'Loughlin
Sigh, this 2012 outing—about a woman who meets the perfect guy on the same day she's set to undergo artificial insemination, a scrapped line from Alanis Morissette's "Ironic"—is totally fine, quite adorable, actually, but also completely forgettable. Like, does it ever come up in conversation when discussing Lopez's career? Exactly.
Love Interest: Milo Ventimiglia
This 2018 movie, which co-starred Vanessa Hudgens and Lopez's BFF Leah Remini, was, rightfully, overshadowed by the star's electrifying turn in Hustlers. (Shame on you still for that snub, Oscars!) But the focus being on a woman's relationship with herself, her career and her self-worth and not her romantic relationship, which was secondary and complementary, was a welcome change. (But spoiler alert: We guessed the big twist that Hudgens' character was the daughter Lopez's Maya gave up for adoption from the moment we heard the High School Musical star was cast!)
Love Interest: Ralph Fiennes
Who knew Lopez would have such sparks with Lord Voldemort? While the plot of this 2002 movie would likely not fly today, it is irresistible, pretty darn charming and baby Tyler Posey belongs in the pantheon of great rom-com children, along with Sleepless in Seattle's Jeremiah and Sam in Love Actually. Plus: Stuffy Stanley Tucci sighting!
Love Interest(s): Owen Wilson and Maluma
The only way to make a J.Lo-fronted rom-com even more irresistible is to add a soundtrack filled with original songs, including a ballad that has been stuck in our heads since the first trailer dropped. We went in to this pop star-spontaneously-married-an-everyman-concertgoer expecting bops, but we were blown away by the effortless chemistry between Lopez and Wilson, the movie star version of high-low fashion. Add in an adorable grand romantic gesture, a cute kid who is, of course, wise beyond her years and Sarah Silverman as the wacky sidekick and we are ready to put a ring on it.
Love Interest: Michael Vartan
Sure, sure, sure, the Alias star is technically Lopez's romantic partner in this vastly underrated (we said what we said!) 2005 movie. But it is her back-and-forth with Jane Fonda as his overbearing and disapproving mom that really shines. (P.S. Did you know this marked Fonda's first big screen role since Stanley & Iris in 1990?) Come on, no one continues channel surfing once they see Monster-in-Law is on TV. No one!
Love Interest: Matthew McConaughey
Is it wild to think that Lopez could ever be a woman that is always the planner, never the bride? Of course. And is it hilarious that Grey's Anatomy star Justin Chambers spent the entire movie with that Italian accent? Sì! And is it slightly alarming that McConaughey's Dr. Steve Edison preaches that brown M&Ms are okay to eat because "they have less artificial coloring, because chocolate's already brown"? Duh. And yet, there we were (and still are) tossing all of the other morsels of deliciousness away after seeing this 2001 gem. Yes, even the green ones. (Are we canceled now?)
The Wedding Planner is one of the ultimate lazy weekend movies, with undeniable chemistry between its leads and a swoonworthy final scene. Add in an assist from rom-com hall-of-fame BFF Judy Greer, and you have yourself an exquisite and timeless classic.
Marry Me is now playing in theaters and streaming on Peacock.
(E! and Peacock are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)