2024 Movie
Dir. Dave Meyers · United States of America · English
JLo’s musical film is an ambitious labor of love, but it lacks the technical flair to realize its full vision
This is Me…Now is more than just a glorified music video. It’s a personal confessional for one, and a surprisingly effective comedy for another. In parts, Jennifer Lopez speaks to her therapist (Fat Joe) about the dreams she’s been having, which then give way to surreal sequences of Lopez singing songs off her latest album, all about love and personal growth. You’d have to be a fan of Lopez’s pop style to appreciate the music, but the choreography is mesmerizing and, dare I say, Lopez’s true strength. When she’s not regaling us with her thoughts on love, we have the Council of Zodiac Signs, played by a stacked cast that includes Jane Fonda, Sofia Vergara, and Trevor Noah, to humor us with their genuinely funny observations. Lopez obviously has a vision, and it’s admirably big and earnest, but the technical side of the film fails her.
Except for the ornate storybook opener, most of the dream sequences are gray and sludgy, and they rarely reflect Lopez’s rose-tinted view of life. I wish the film had more light, but instead, we get melty, inferior CGI work that is just painful to look at. Some people might be able to forgive this, but because film is largely a visual medium, I find that it ultimately detracts from the experience.
An intimate, fantastical and narrative-driven reflection of Jennifer Lopez's journey of self-healing and self-love in an immersive world where music and visuals intertwine, revealing the challenges faced and the triumphs achieved.
"Both a therapeutic confessional and a grand, romantic fantasy."
— Marya E. Gates
"Lopez showcases above all else how tough it is to express oneself personally after more than 30 years in the public eye, resulting in a just-shy-of-feature-length film that offers much to admire even if it’s not fully successful."
— Todd Gilchrist
In this personal confessional, Jennifer Lopez chronicles her life through dreamlike sequences played against songs off her latest album.
I want to say the choreography ("Broken Like Me” is my favorite) but I can’t stop thinking about how strong of an actor Lopez is. She’s giving comedy, romance, drama, and art all in one sitting, and she deserves high praise for that.
If I had a dream blunt rotation, it would be Jennifer Lopez’s Zodiac Council.
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
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