SummaryThis Is Me…Now: A Love Story is like nothing you’ve ever seen from Jennifer Lopez. Alongside director Dave Meyers, Jennifer has created a narrative-driven cinematic odyssey, steeped in mythological storytelling and personal healing. Dropping in tandem with her first studio album in a decade, this genre-bending Amazon original showcases h...
SummaryThis Is Me…Now: A Love Story is like nothing you’ve ever seen from Jennifer Lopez. Alongside director Dave Meyers, Jennifer has created a narrative-driven cinematic odyssey, steeped in mythological storytelling and personal healing. Dropping in tandem with her first studio album in a decade, this genre-bending Amazon original showcases h...
The result is a genuinely moving, absurdist autobiography of a dynamic persona in flux that’s as campy as it is charming, ridiculous as it is rapturous, preposterous as it is profound.
Dripping in fantasy sequences and popping with vibrantly rendered set pieces, this is a monumental ego trip as well as an admirably candid therapy session, and there’s even some amusing, self-deprecating stuff as well.
Regardless of its technical faults, there is bravery here as Lopez opens up her old wounds for all to see, sharing her biggest mistakes, her deepest scars, and the work she put in to heal herself first, before she could be ready for the love story that she grew up so desperately wishing for.
If anything, This Is Me… Now is a confirmation of the singer/actress’s elite showmanship and her ability to bounce back as a cultural figure and chronic divorcée. It’s exactly the sort of galaxy-brained project one makes when one has nothing to prove and $20 million to spend — and one is high on love.
The sad news is that nothing in “This Is Me … Now” is as fun — or funny — as those commercials. This project doesn’t seem to have brought Lopez any closer to serenity or levity. It’s an occasion for even more toil.
If the plot feels truly chaotic, blending (deep breath here, please) mythology, astrology, autobiography, confessional, modern romantic comedy and Old Hollywood glamour (still with us?), it is so J.Lo — so very, very J.Lo — that it feels logical, too.
It’s not the act of raw honesty it thinks it is and it’s certainly not a successful visual album; Lopez’s new songs all sound hopelessly middle-of-the-road – over-produced and under-written, stuck in the early 2000s, a time when her music did have a genuine, exciting electricity. The visuals are similarly dated.
It's not a movie, it's more like a bunch of music videos with connection and a cute message of loving yourself and what love truly is.
If you are not a fan of musicals, I do not recommend it.
IN A NUTSHELL:
This short feature film is a self-reflective look and musical montage about how Jennifer Lopez tried to find love while on a journey to love herself. It’s absolutely stunning to look at with powerful music and coincides with the release of Jennifer Lopez’s new album of the same now. Wow, talk about a marketing gimmick!
Jennifer Lopez fans will probably get a kick out of this vanity project. It’s not going to resonate with most others. She co-wrote it, stars in it, and paid for the whole enchilada herself.
The film was directed by Dave Meyers, who also contributed to the story.
THINGS I LIKED:
Congratulations to Jennifer for all of her decades of success. She’s beautiful in this and has proven that she can figure out new ways to cash in on her talents and tabloid relationships.
The cast is packed with big names like Jane Fonda, Ben Affleck, Fat Joe, Trevor Noah, Post Malone, Sofia Vergara, Keke Palmer, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Derek Hough, and so many more!
Jennifer Lopez explained in a documentary, “It’s not anything that’s been done before. It’s not quote a long-form music video, and it’s not quite a movie. It’s somewhere in between.” The album was created first and then she wanted to present the music visually in this film. The album is kind of the twin of her older album “This is me…then.”
The choreography by Luther Brown is absolutely fantastic and hits hard. Even better are the dancers who bring it to life in dynamic ways.
There’s a lot of humor that made me laugh at loud. Some of the lines are funny by themselves, but it’s often the person who speaks the line that makes it funnier.
The set designs are unbelievably gorgeous, dripping with money. The budget for this film was an enormous, self-financed $20 million!
Impressive CGI and visual effects by a very large team. The introduction lets you instantly know that great attention to detail has been designed in the film.
The luscious costume design was by Mariel Haenn, Kelly Johnson, and Rob Zangardi.
I’ve been to Puerto Rico, but I had never heard of the hummingbird/flower love story about Alida and Taroo. Have you?
I wonder how long they had to wait for it to rain to film the street scene. It didn’t look like a set but, instead, a real street in a city.
Technically, the movie ends at only 53 minutes, but keep watching during the rolling credits to see some more funny clips. Most of them are during the first part of the rolling credits, but there is one more at the very, very end.
If you enjoy this, you’ll be happy to know that there is a documentary about how this film was made with behind-the-scenes clips, a look at her past events, and honest commentary with Jennifer, herself. It’s called The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:
It felt like a bunch of music videos very loosely tied together with a self-indulgent story.
The story and dialogue are very weak.
TIPS FOR PARENTS:
Some profanity, including F-bombs
We see a lot of skimpy outfits
This is Me… Now: A Love
is a romantic musical that accompanies Jennifer Lopez's album, This is Me… Now.
Is it a biopic? A musical? A visual album? Ultimately, this film doesn't firmly establish its identity, and it's possible the filmmaker isn't certain either. However, what it unmistakably offers is a chaotic exploration of Jennifer Lopez's romantic experiences.
Only someone with immense audacity could conceive of a film like this, and Jennifer Lopez epitomizes audacity. It's an amalgamation of numerous ideas, not all flawlessly executed, yet each capable of standing alone to make this an enjoyable watch.
Jennifer Lopez is a romantic and that's fully on display here. We're transported into the careless chaotic mind of J Lo with visuals that are nothing short of breathtaking. Many big-budget productions would find it challenging to match the visual splendor of this film. Each landscape we encounter is both stunning and distinct. The zodiac signs embodied by superstars are a welcome highlight in this movie, and after the novelty of their presence wears off, the bouncy dialogues they have helped sustain the film's energy.
Jennifer Lopez is a performer and she keys into that with the choreography. Musical numbers are accompanied by well-thought-out choreos.
The biggest letdown about this movie is the music. Jennifer Lopez has never been a capable vocalist but she's always been able to create groovy songs. But that's absent here. Most of the songs aren't interesting; from the phrasing to the melodies to the sonics, all that's present is music that isn't imaginative, and even when she tries to switch up with a rap flow, it all ends up being jaded. The lyrics aren't that profound and sometimes don't necessarily sync with the visuals or storyline. Now, even though the music isn't sonically imaginative, the cohesion found is solid. There's nothing jarring or incongruent to upset the flow of the songs.
Jennifer Lopez's performance here is applaudable. She's a romantic lead aficionado so the territories here are very familiar, but there's also a freshness to the performance she delivers.
This is Me… Now: A Love Story would have been a splendid musical movie/visual album if not for the accompanying music. However, despite this drawback, the movie still stands as a grand and bold ride.
6.5/10
This is a musical. Some acting, then singing and dancing. I hate musicals. I would appreciate this "movie" more if it wasn't a representation of her love life. I knew what I was getting into clicking to watch. Unfortunately I'm not a fan so I don't like the movie. She's not portraying anything new so it's silly to keep playing a bride in love. Shocking.
Jennifer Lopez is old news and a mediocre actress and all the plastic surgery in the world is not going to change that. This film is boring with cliche moments and nothing new to the genre. Do yourself a favor and watch something else.