DALLAS — Looking to get in the Valentine's Day spirit? Or maybe you're looking for a new movie adventure. Here are reviews of the latest releases.
MARRY ME
A meet-cute couldn't get any cuter or bigger than this. In "Marry Me," Jennifer Lopez plays an international singing star named Kat Valdez, dating another one, played by Maluma. (They both have just a little bit of real-life experience in this!)
Their plan is to get married in front of a live audience with millions more streaming. Well, just before Kat goes on stage, she finds out on social media that he's cheated on her! So, she takes a leap of faith and decides to marry a guy in the audience who's holding up a "marry me" sign. Dallas' Owen Wilson plays him. He's a single dad, and third wheel at the concert trying to impress his daughter.
But what the heck, it's Kat Valdez! So, they do it! She's a superstar, he's a middle school math teacher with a flip phone who doesn't know a flip about the world he's entered. Could it possibly work out?
JLo says she grew up on Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts rom-coms, and, if you remember, did some herself in the 90s. She was eager to return to the genre. This is also the first soundtrack she's ever done. The music is catchy. She is more vulnerable than I've ever seen her in film, and it pays off.
Maluma is a natural in a limited role in his first feature ever. Wilson is perfect as the shaggy nerd who grounds the whole thing. Sarah Silverman as Wilson's bestie, always a delight.
This is a nice movie - better than I thought it would be - and perfectly timed for Valentine's weekend.
(Universal Pictures. Rated PG-13. Running Time 1 hr. 52 mins. In theaters and streaming on Peacock)
I WANT YOU BACK
There's another Jenny on the rom-com block, Jenny Slate! Her movie opens with the love of her life, Scott Eastwood, dumping her. At the same time, Charlie Day's ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") girlfriend, played by Gina Rodriguez, decides they're in a rut, and she's leaving him, too!
Misery loves company, and we have "I Want You Back." Jenny and Charlie, a.k.a. Emma and Peter, hatch a plan to break up their fresh exes. She'll move in on his ex's new flame (a middle school drama teacher). He'll try to convince her ex that she's a keeper, even if it means training with him at his club. Abs are overrated, right?
This is an ensemble cast, but Jenny and Charlie shine, They're absolute magic as they drown each others' sorrows and forge a friendship of their own. It helps that they happen to work in the same building, and it all leads to one of the cutest endings to a rom-com in a while.
I would love to see a movie with just them in the leads. By the way, SNL's Pete Davidson and "1883" star Isabel May have cameos. You'll want to check out "I Want You Back."
(Amazon Prime. Rated R. Running Time 1 hr. 51 mins. Streaming only on Amazon Prime)
DEATH ON THE NILE
The mysteries of Agatha Christie don't grow old, and they adapt well to film. So, we have another one, and it's surprisingly good.
Actually, no one should be surprised. Oscar winner (with a slew of nominations this season, too) Kenneth Branaugh directs as he did another Christie mystery in 2017, "Murder on the Orient Express." He also plays the incredibly observant detective Hercule Poirot, who's charged with figuring out the who-dunnit.
In this case, what's done is a murder aboard a honeymoon cruise on the Nile. The newlyweds are played by "Wonder Woman" herself, Gal Gadot, and Armie Hammer, whose headline-making scandal in real life is hard to set aside. Great-looking couple, though!
They're joined by a cast of supporting players that includes Russell Brand and Annette Bening.
So how did they all travel to Egypt and shoot this during the pandemic? Well, they didn't. It was done in London with the help of some sand and sun-soaked visual effects of the desert.
As is Poirot's trademark, he puts it all together in the end. At the beginning, we find out what's behind his distinctive mustache. What's in the middle is quite enjoyable.
(20th Century Studios. Rated PG-13. Running Time 2 hrs. 7 mins. In theaters only)
BLACKLIGHT
"Blacklight" stars Liam Neeson, so you can almost guess what the film is about. He plays a weary government worker who pulls agents out of trouble when they get in too deep.
His old war buddy (a white-haired Aiden Quinn) runs the FBI, and Neeson's Travis Block follows his commands, which seem to be getting more questionable. Government big wigs can have things up their sleeves, too. It all comes to light when Travis is assigned to extract a young agent, who's trying to out the boss before he gets snuffed out himself. Can he get his story to the press in time?
Meantime, all Travis wants is to spend more time with his daughter and granddaughter. Yes, this man with a particular set of skills is a doting grandfather in this film!
Look, Neeson is so much better than this, I don't know why he accepts some of these roles. Paging Steven Spielberg. Remember he played Schindler in your classic "Shindler's List"? Give this man a movie deserving of his talents.
(Briarcliff Entertainment. Rated PG-13. Running Time 1 hr. 48 mins. In theaters only)
