Jennifer Lopez in the trailer for "This Is Me...Now: A Love Story."Jennifer Lopez/YouTube
- Jennifer Lopez and Prime Video released the trailer for her new movie "This Is Me...Now: A Love Story."
- The movie is tied to Lopez's upcoming album, and is very personal — but the trailer makes no sense.
On Wednesday, Prime Video dropped a trailer for Jennifer Lopez's new film "This is Me…Now: A Love Story."
"This is Me…Now: A Love Story" is purportedly deeply personal: the trailer states that it comes from the "heart," "soul," and "dreams" of Lopez, and features shots of a subway station in her home neighborhood of Castle Hill, The Bronx, New York City.
The trailer itself is such a disorienting amalgamation of science-fiction visuals, melancholy romance tropes, and proclamations about Lopez's character (herself?) maybe being a sex addict that no one can figure out what it's about. And the cast is pretty stacked, but in a very eclectic way: Lopez and husband Ben Affleck aside, it features the likes of Trevor Noah, Kim Petras, Post Malone, Keke Palmer, Sofia Vergara, Derek Hough, and… Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
With the limited information available, we decided to make our best guesses as to what the film is actually about.
An actor who finds love on-screen but never real life
Musical... factory... dance sequence in "This Is Me...Now: A Love Story." Courtesy of Prime
Here is what I think after watching this trailer only once, and not reading anything else about this movie: Jennifer Lopez's character is an actor (maybe novelist, but this seems like it's trying to be very personal) whose dreams of romance manifest in her works, which span from spy dramas to science-fiction epics.
It's a "27 Dresses" thing, except she's always the lover or heroine in her stories (they are placing a lot of emphasis on the "story" concept in this trailer) and never romantically successful in her real life. Her relationships keep falling apart because she's unable to balance her work with her unattainable romantic aspirations, constantly asking too much — help with work, sex — of the men she marries. Maybe at the end she gets her sweeping love story with Ben Affleck, or finds the love she craves within herself. — Palmer Haasch, entertainment reporter
'Jupiter Ascending' for divorcees
"This Is Me...Now: A Love Story." Courtesy of Prime
It feels like Jennifer Lopez accidentally made "Jupiter Ascending" for divorcees. She plays the role of an "ordinary woman" called to a higher purpose. But instead of an intergalactic heiress fighting aliens, she's a hopeless romantic fighting haters and skeptics.
I'm not sure who told Lopez that we're all rooting for her fourth marriage to fail (we're not!), but the stylistic choices in this trailer certainly make the case for Ben Affleck — a man with a massive phoenix tattoo — as her perfect match. — Callie Ahlgrim, senior music reporter
A retelling of Lopez's life through therapy
Lopez in therapy in "This Is Me...Now: A Love Story." Jennifer Lopez/YouTube
The trailer has three types of therapy scenes, which leads me to believe that J.Lo will use therapy sessions as a storytelling device for retelling her life story. Here's a breakdown of the major scenes.
We begin with Lopez's reflection on her failed relationship, which is of course done through a wedding musical montage. After being unable to find "The One" three times, she has a passionate fling with the man. Thus, we get the iconic scene of Lopez's friends asking if she is a sex addict. She goes to group therapy, reflects on her childhood, and has a great dance-break moment that we will all adore.
Lopez then meets Ben Affleck (the first time). Fans will remember that they were a popular couple in the 2000s before a rough split, which is what I think the motorcycle crash scene is meant to represent.
Then we get to the steampunk factory section, which I believe is meant to be a portrayal of J.Lo's inner world. In these scenes, Lopez is trying to be able to feel love again by fixing her heart.
Her journey to fixing herself eventually leads her back to the Bronx (the Castle Hill train scene), where she rediscovers her identity and rekindles her love for her home and herself. I think then we have the firepit scene with J.Lo getting rid of past trinkets because she doesn't need them anymore. But she stumbles on the motorbike and thinks about Affleck again. We have a cinematic reunion and the credits roll.
How do the alien planet scenes factor in? I have no idea and I am content to be surprised on February 16 when this is out. — Ayomikun Adekaiyero, entertainment reporter
A conceptual biopic about J.Lo, starring J.Lo
Okay, this one is definitely giving romantic heroine. Jennifer Lopez/YouTube
OK, to be clear, I think this is a biopic in the loosest possible sense. No, I don't think J.Lo ever worked in a steampunk factory or danced in space.
But the logline for the film and the very vague quotes Lopez has given about it emphasize how personal the project is ("From the soul of Jennifer Lopez" and all that). Lopez, a triple threat, also seems like the type of person who would want as much control as possible over a retelling of her life. How much more control could you get than writing it and starring in it?
The out-there genre sequences are where the "conceptual" part of conceptual biopic comes into play. I think the elaborate musical and dance sequences are either imagined or dreamed by J.Lo-playing-J.Lo as she recounts her life story (probably to her longtime collaborator Fat Joe, who's in this apparently playing her therapist).
And of course there's new music because she's got her upcoming album of the same name to promote. — Caralynn Matassa, senior entertainment editor