Jennifer Lopez’s New Film Seems To Be Breaking the Laws of Cinema … And the Universe
Amazon Prime has dropped the first official trailer for Jennifer Lopez’s This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, and it’s really something. The trailer for this “cinematic odyssey” intrigued viewers but also left them a little perplexed about what exactly they were watching.
As you might be able to tell from the title, the movie is meant to serve as a companion film to Lopez’s upcoming studio album This Is Me… Now. The album is a sequel to her 2002 album This Is Me… Then. In 2002, Lopez was in her first high-profile relationship with Ben Affleck; the album was dedicated to and inspired by Affleck, with several songs, including “Dear Ben,” giving insight into their relationship. The album also contained one of Lopez’s biggest hits to date, “Jenny from the Block.” In many ways, the album shows listeners who Lopez was then, as she sings about being a hopeless romantic and remembering her roots despite her stardom.
On the 20th anniversary of This Is Me… Then, Lopez announced that she was going to give listeners insight into who she has become over the past two decades with This Is Me… Now. Similar to the 2002 album, this one will touch on her rekindled romance with Affleck and even feature the sequel song “Dear Ben Pt. II.” Lopez is going all out for her new album, including releasing a related movie on Amazon Prime called This Is Me… Now: A Love Story. Few details were released about the film other than that, similar to the album, it captures Lopez’s journey to finding love. Now that the trailer has been released, viewers still have questions about this companion film.
Amazon drops the first chaotic trailer for This Is Me… Now: A Love Story
When Lopez announced her film in November of 2023, there weren’t many details about what it would entail. It was unclear if this was even an actual movie or a documentary, given that it is meant to encompass Lopez’s journey. At the time, Lopez announced that the film would be released on the same date as the album: February 16, 2024. As its release date approached, Amazon dropped the first trailer. However, it may not have provided viewers with the answers they wanted.
The problem is that it’s difficult to tell what the movie is about from the trailer, and the idea that it’s a reflection of Lopez’s life might genuinely concern some viewers. In the clip, Lopez is heard narrating about being a hopeless romantic, denying that the label makes her “weak.” Then, we see her get married three times, attend therapy, get labeled a “sex addict,” and fly off a motorcycle in a wild action scene. Things get pretty weird after that. A voice tells her to “Respect the ebb and flow of the universe” before we get taken into hyperspace and see what appears to be a hole in the fabric of space. Needless to say, viewers have questions.
At the same time, viewers may finally start to understand what the marketing materials mean when they label the movie “genre-bending.” The official synopsis reads:
This 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 her journey to love through her own eyes. With fantastical costumes, breathtaking choreography, and star-studded cameos, this panorama is an introspective retrospective of Jennifer’s resilient heart.
Ultimately, it seems that This Is Me… Now: A Love Story can’t be defined by a single genre, and may not even have one cohesive plot. Still, the trailer does vaguely reflect Lopez’s life as she seems to be poking fun at her first three marriages before Affleck and how the media has labeled her over the years. Plus, there will be many musical numbers to promote her new tracks. Still, we’re not entirely sure how the action and sci-fi elements will figure into the movie.
Who stars in This Is Me… Now: A Love Story?
In addition to being in the running for the wildest trailer in movie history, This Is Me… Now: A Love Story has quite the cast. So far it’s unclear which celebrities are playing themselves. On IMDb, young actress Bella Gagliano is the only one with a confirmed character role as Young Jenny, so it does appear that Lopez will be starring as herself in the film, with Gagliano playing her younger self. Lopez’s husband, Affleck, will also appear in the film. In addition to the couple, the cast of This Is Me… Now: A Love Story includes Fat Joe, Trevor Noah, Kim Petras, Post Malone, Keke Palmer, Sofia Vergara, Jenifer Lewis, and Derek Hough.
Given her stardom, it’s not surprising that Lopez nabbed so many top actors and singers to appear in her film. She even included Jay Shetty, the author, life coach, and self-help guru who officiated her wedding. However, the list of names that pop up in the trailer gets more shocking as it goes on, starting when we get to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. While you’re still trying to recover from how or why this film got the famed astrophysicist to appear, you’re hit with the name Sadhguru, the founder of the spiritual organization known as the Isha Foundation. Apparently, he is making his Hollywood debut in This Is Me… Now: A Love Story.
It remains to be seen how This Is Me… Now: A Love Story will pull off its “genre-bending” premise and a mismatched cast of actors, singers, self-help gurus, spiritualists, and astrophysicists. But I’m eager to find out.
(featured image: Prime Video)
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