After all of her years entertaining us, actress Jennifer Lopez is still marvelous onscreen. Fresh off of her tantalizing role in the exotic dancer drama ‘Hustlers,’ and a run to the alter on the rom-com ‘Marry Me,’ starring Owen Wilson, the professional dancer and ambitious multi-hyphen star hardly takes a break.
Her new film, ‘Shotgun Wedding,’ shows us just how dedicated J. Lo is to her craft as she literally runs to the alter with a new man, actor Josh Duhamel. Written by Mark Hammer, “Shotgun Wedding’ follows the couple as they attempt to carry out a destination wedding, only for the entire place to be hijacked by stone-faced tyrants.
Jennifer Coolidge, a fan-favorite and low-key seductive actress, comically plays the mother of the groom, which is odd considering how youthful and vibrant she appears (she could easily be a sister.) The ‘Legally Blonde’ actress adds that flair of unforgettable personality, while viewers will be privileged to some pretty exciting cameos.
Cheech Marin, a beloved actor who is known for his hilarity, is part of the cast, along with the undeniably charismatic Lenny Kravitz, who plays J. Lo’s ex — she sure knows how to pick them! Sonia Braga, D’Arcy Carden, and Callie Hernandez also star in the genre-blending adventure.
‘Pitch Perfect’ director, Jason Moore, adds his signature touch with the film surrounding the lovey dovey Edwin McCain song, “I’ll Be.” You know, that song that goes, “I’ll be your cryin’ shoulder / I’ll be love’s s**cide / And I’ll be better when I’m older / I’ll be the greatest fan of your life.”
Indeed, Lopez has a knack for romantic comedies, and ironically they’re mainly about getting to the alter. One of her first was the 2001 feature, ‘The Wedding Planner,’ opposite Matthew McConaughey, where she plays a wedding planner that falls in love with the groom of a wedding she’s planning. Well, that was self-explanatory. The film made a worldwide box office gross of $94.7M.
She followed up with a tractor belt of films staying in the same lane, such as ‘Maid In Manhattan’ ($154.9M), ‘Monster-In-Law’ ($155.5M), and ‘Marry Me’ ($50.4M), to name a few. Sidebar, her worst performing romantic film that bombed at the box office was the Ben Affleck assisted ‘Gigli,’ which only made $7.3M worldwide.
Despite that little hurdle, Lopez has made more than a billion dollars at the box office. With that kind of success, who wouldn’t continue to invest in a genre that fans clearly enjoy?
‘Shotgun Wedding’ hits theaters and Amazon Prime on Jan. 27, 2023.
