Every Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy, ranked from worst to best

It should come as no surprise that "Gigli" ranks last on this list. Jennifer Lopez may have met Ben Affleck while working on this film, but fate really should've picked a different catalyst.

Nothing about it is romantic, funny, or even remotely entertaining at all.

The official description of the film describes Affleck's Larry as a "small-time street hood" and Lopez's Ricki as a "tough gal gangster" who are forced to work together on a job that goes "wildly out of control."

It's conveniently unspecific because if viewers knew they were going to have to watch a developmentally delayed man get kidnapped, another get callously murdered midsentence, and same-sex attraction treated as a joke all in the same film, no one would have watched it long enough to even bother nominating it for Razzies.

Films with star-studded casts and interwoven plotlines are trendy but tricky to execute. Unfortunately, Lopez's foray into this niche genre, 2012's "What To Expect When You're Expecting," fails.

Lopez plays Holly, a freelance photographer who adopts a child by the end of the film. Adoption stories should be on-screen more, but with Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, and so much more star power in the cast, there's simply not enough time to focus on any one plot. The result is a film that's messy and hard to care about.

On paper, "The Wedding Planner" is the perfect romantic comedy.

Lopez stars as type-A wedding planner Mary, who is so focused on work she has very little time to look for love in her personal life. Until she falls for one of her grooms despite her best efforts not to, of course.

Unfortunately, the actual execution of the movie is far less than perfect.

The groom in question, Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey), literally saves Mary from disaster at least four times, which is excessive, unnecessary, and unempowering. Perhaps more egregiously, Lopez and McConaughey only have mediocre chemistry — not enough to cover up the film's cringiest flaws.

Mary is Italian instead of Puerto Rican like Lopez, and "Grey's Anatomy" alum Justin Chambers does a horrible Italian accent as Massimo, an old family friend who Mary's father wants her to marry instead in a ridiculous B-plot.

"Shall We Dance?" is classified as a romance and a comedy on Rotten Tomatoes, but the film, which is about a man who decides to take dance lessons during a mid-life crisis, leans heavily on the drama.

Lopez plays Paulina, the sad dance instructor who catches the eye of John Clark (Richard Gere) from the train and inspires him to walk into her dance studio. But Paulina is not the center of the film and has a pretty flat journey overall. She's mostly used as bait to make us believe John is going to leave his wife, Beverley (Susan Sarandon).

"Shall We Dance?" is predominantly a love story between humans and dance. Lisa Ann Walter makes it shine as Bobbie, a student at the dance studio who is determined to win a novice competition, so it's not at the bottom of this list.

The premise of 2010's "The Back-Up Plan" is unique without a doubt. Lopez's character, Zoe, wants to be a mom more than she wants to find love. She's happily pregnant when she meets cheese maker Stan (Alex O'Loughlin), who decides to stick around and take on the responsibility of being a father.

The couple faces bumps in the road, as would any new couple who is learning about each other while preparing to be parents. But the ending of the film is satisfying and even a little bit surprising.

O'Loughlin and Lopez have just enough chemistry to carry the film, so nothing much actually makes "The Back-Up Plan" stand out in the highly competitive rom-com genre, landing this movie firmly in the middle of our list.

Lopez definitely doesn't have a starring role in 2004's "Jersey Girl," her second film with Affleck.

In fact, the couple had split in real life by the time of the film's March 2004 release. But their characters Gertrude and Ollie (Lopez and Affleck, respectively) have an epic love story before Gertrude dies in childbirth, leaving Ollie to raise their daughter, Gertie, as a single dad.

Ollie's romance with Liv Tyler's character Maya does not add anything to the film and it's meant to be the draw, but in my (perhaps unpopular opinion) "Jersey Girl" was too harshly criticized when it was released.

The main romance doesn't sparkle, but the family dynamic between Ollie, Gertie (a young Raquel Castro), and Ollie's father Bart (the late George Carlin) is severely underrated. Don't blame "Jersey Girl" because "Gigli" exists.

"Monster-In-Law" is a pretty classic example of the "mother-in-law hates her future daughter-in-law and tries to ruin things" trope. If not for the fact that this storyline needs an impending wedding to exist, Michael Vartan would have no purpose as Charlie's fiancé Dr. Kevin Fields.

But Charlie is one of Lopez's most lovable characters, and Jane Fonda's commitment as "monster" Viola Fields is commendable. Paired with Wanda Sykes's precise comedic timing as Viola's assistant, Ruby, this power trio of ladies is unstoppable.

Lopez's newest offering to the rom-com genre is "Marry Me," in which Lopez plays international pop star Kat Valdez.

Kat is minutes away from marrying her fiancé, fellow singer Bastian (Maluma), when she learns he's been cheating on her with her assistant. Instead of calling off the event, Kat picks a random stranger out of the crowd who just happened to be holding up a sign asking her to marry him.

Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson) is actually a teacher who has very little interest in Kat's fame, but hijinks ensue as this "average" guy learns the truth about fame and begins to fall for the superstar for real.

"Marry Me" has the perfect premise for 2022, when reality shows like "Married at First Sight" are looming large and calling out toxic masculinity is expected. Lopez shines bright as ever in her musical performances as Kat and this rom-com is good for the soul. Its magic fizzles by the end instead of gaining strength, but it's still an enjoyable watch.

In "Second Act," Lopez plays Maya, a grocery-store employee who loses her chance at a promotion and decides to take a leap of faith and find a second career.

When she gets an amazing opportunity because of a lie on her resumé, Maya is forced to reconcile with her past and really examine what her future looks like.

"Second Act" is barely a romance, but Milo Ventimiglia has chemistry with nearly everyone he looks at on-screen, so he makes his scenes with Lopez count. Plus, of the 10 Lopez films that can be classified as rom-coms, this one has the most dynamic plot.

Shout-out to Lopez's real-life bestie, Leah Remini, who is laugh-out-loud funny as her on-screen bestie, Joan.

As a Latinx woman, I'd be remiss not to point out that having a Hispanic female character be the "poor service worker and single parent who needs to be saved" is a tired trope that needs to disappear.

That said, I love Lopez's Marissa in this movie and getting to meet everyone in her world. Lopez and Ralph Fiennes are admittedly an odd pairing, but slightly eclectic energy is better than no energy or chemistry at all.

"Maid and Manhattan" respects the elements of a classic rom-com, giving us a clear villain, a big event moment, a "hero's downfall" moment, and a happily ever after. Plus, young Tyler Posey is adorable as Marisa's son, Ty.

It's not flawless, but it's Lopez's best rom-com.