Marry Me is a return to form for Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. Both stars haven’t appeared in a romantic comedy since 2012’s What to Expect When You’re Expecting for Lopez and 2015’s She’s Funny That Way for Wilson. Despite their rom-com pedigree, moviegoers didn’t see JLO and Wilson’s team-up coming. While the onscreen pairing seemed like a mismatch for some viewers, the film’s director doesn’t believe so. Marry Me director Kat Coiro explained how perfect Lopez and Wilson are in the upcoming rom-com.
Seeing the Hustlers star share a kiss with the Bliss actor may have thrown some viewers off. But that was part of the plan, according to Coiro. The onscreen team-up had more to do with the Marry Me co-stars’ real personas intersecting with their characters’ lives. The Marry Me director broke down to Entertainment Weekly why the odd pairing works.
She has to bring a bigness to his world, but he also has to bring a smallness to her world. It’s so much about meeting in the middle and finding someone who’s your polar opposite and growing for them.
Visually, the pairing threw audiences for a loop, but on paper, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Lopez made complete sense.Lopez’s flair for spectacle provided the necessary attraction to Wilson’s funny everyman. But being total opposites may require some compromise given their varying backgrounds. In the same interview, Kat Coiro mentioned how that dynamic will play out in the upcoming film.
I wanted to make sure that it was a story about a mutual love and they were mutually beneficial to each other, because they’re mature grown-ups.
It appeared the leads in Marry Me will be challenging some rom-com conventions regarding a more experienced couple. Learning to grow and mature is rarely ever seen in couples over 40 in traditional romantic comedies. Given the maturity and career longevity of both stars, Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson might be the right actors for this sea change.
Of course, Marry Me doesn’t start that way. J. Lo’s pop superstar Kat Valdez decides to marry schoolteacher Charlie Gilbert (played by Wilson) after being jilted by her on- and off-stage partner. So, two strangers from diverse backgrounds must learn to love each other after an unconventional start to their relationship. While Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson headline the film, the likes of Sarah Silverman, Jameela Jamil and singer Maluma serve as supporting characters.
Maybe seeing Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson’s chemistry and dynamic will make the comedy-drama a future classic. Of course, the Lopez-Wilson pairing isn’t the oddest duo to star in a rom-com. Audiences won’t have to wait much longer as Marry Me will arrive in theaters and on Peacock on Feb. 11, 2022.