That said, the set-up feels especially strained, even before you get to the “Notting Hill”-like notion of the special challenges when an ordinary guy becomes involved with a glamorous entertainer. In a movie that hinges on an impulsive decision, it’s hard not to wish somebody had spent at least a little more time agonizing about the script, which is actually based on a graphic novel.
Confronted by the news that Bastian cheated on her, she decides to take what she later describes as “a leap of faith” by proceeding with the wedding ceremony by plucking a divorced math teacher, Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson), out of the crowd.
It is, as she acknowledges, an “insane situation,” one that her loyal manager (“Game of Thrones'” John Bradley) is eager to make go away. But of course, the plot calls for Kat and Charlie to try maintaining the pretense of a connection a few months for face-saving purposes, just long enough for the pop princess and public-school proctor to begin appreciating each other’s qualities, with the threat that she might reconcile with Bastian looming over the nascent relationship.
Yet while the movie is unabashed about its rom-com roots, such fare isn’t exactly rare these days, having simply migrated from theaters to venues like Netflix, which seems to churn them out in bunches. (Notably, the movie will premiere simultaneously on NBC’s streaming service Peacock as well as theaters.)
Admittedly, the mere union of Lopez and this light-hearted premise will be enough to prompt some to say, “I do.” Strictly on its merits, though, “Marry Me” is the kind of generic offer all but the most hopeless romantics can afford to refuse.
“Marry Me” premieres Feb. 11 in US theaters and on Peacock. It’s rated PG-13.
