Jennifer Lopez’s Most Popular Movie Is Newly On Netflix
A defining Jennifer Lopez movie just hit Netflix.
This article is more than 2 years old
Ever since Jennifer Lopez acted in the 2019 blockbuster Hustlers, it’s the first name people think about when talking about her best films. But what we are forgetting is that the singer/actress/producer/well, the all-rounder has a hefty resume filled with roles in romantic comedies (and at least one creature feature)! And the amazing news is that the best one of them i.e., 2001’s The Wedding Planner, which is counted amongst the most memorable of all rom-coms ever, is now easily available to watch on Netflix.
Directed by Adam Shankman, The Wedding Planner introduces us to Mary Fiore (Jennifer Lopez), who is a famous San Francisco wedding planner who has big ambitions and a broken heart that just doesn’t believe in love. But everything takes a backseat when she is saved from a fatal collision by a handsome pediatrician named Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey). She starts falling for him only to discover that the big wedding she is handling, of Internet tycoon Fran Donelly (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras), Steve is the groom, something he didn’t tell her.
Then there is Jennifer Lopez’s father, who is desperate to get her married to end the loneliness in her life but Mary is drawn to Steve even though he is marrying someone else. After resolving their conflicts, they soon become friends but the electricity remains. But while Steve has his existing commitments, Mary is conflicted because of her prior relationship experience and the fact, that them getting together would be wrong to Fran. So, soon they decide to part ways to do what they think is right. Whether they realize their genuine feelings of love for one another and decide to be with one another is for you to find out now that the film is free to watch and easily available on Netflix!
While The Wedding Planner remains a favourite of movie lovers even 20 years after the film was released, it wasn’t that well-received by the critics. It received generally negative reviews and a “Rotten” rating of 17% from critics. The film was criticized for being “heavy-handed and contrived in its execution” and was also labeled as being “unoriginal.” The Jennifer Lopez starrer was compared to other romantic comedies while both her and McConaughey’s performances were panned. Lopez was even nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actress.
But no matter what the critics say, The Wedding Planner did well commercially and to date, remains one of the best romantic comedies starring Jennifer Lopez. It is a treat to watch Lopez as the charming Mary who is unsure of love but yearning for it at the same time. The way the story unfolds (credit goes to Adam Shankman’s stellar direction), the twists, the characters and their storylines are still memorable to its many, many fans.
The Wedding Planner served as one of the first leading roles for Jennifer Lopez after only starring as a supporting actor in films for years, and if you ask us or the countless fans of The Wedding Planner, the film proved that as much is Lopez capable of capturing the attention of the audience during her live shows, she is equally able to induce the same magic in front of a camera and be a box office success. The film was a box-office smash when it released and grossed nearly $95 million worldwide on a budget of $35 million. In its first week, it opened at number one at the U.S. box office, that too on a Super Bowl weekend.
So, as we know, love for Jennifer Lopez is enough to trump any Tomatometer out there. We agree that The Wedding Planner did what all rom-coms still do: feature two contrasting characters, of which one is about to get married while the other is a non-believer when it comes to love. Their paths cross, destiny is at work, etc., and they feel an instant spark that soon transforms into love which they can’t initially express because one’s pending marriage and the other’s unresolved relationship trauma stops them. But they are bound to come together because that’s how strong love is!
The Wedding Planner does follow this cliched track but hey! There is a reason some rom-com films tank while others become box-office hits. And for The Wedding Planner, the credit undoubtedly goes to Jennifer Lopez who gave made an average rom-com great with her amazing attention-grabbing, memorable performance and gave us a swoon-worthy character that the viewers still root for when they see her navigating the curvy and twisted lanes of love.
