A new year, a new movie in which Jennifer Lopez wants to get married. And as the meme from Phineas and Ferb (2007 – 2024) goes: “If I had a nickel for every time we get a Jennifer Lopez movie about her wanting to get married released back to back, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.” Yep, after Marry Me (2022), released in February 2022, Shotgun Wedding was released at the end of 2022. Look I am not saying she was dropping hints for Ben Affleck to finally tie the knot. All I am saying is they did it in the middle of last year, so… 😉 Regardless, I still haven’t watched Marry Me, but this film looked more intriguing for one of those evenings when you and your significant other just want to cuddle on the sofa. And to my surprise, I had more fun with this film than I expected.

I think what differentiates Shotgun Wedding from Marry Me is the stacked cast. Besides Jennifer, we have Josh Duhamel, Lenny Kravitz, and Jennifer Coolidge, all of which I like. The film surprised me, as I didn’t expect the surprising chemistry between Josh and Jennifer. Not only did you believe that his character could get someone like Jennifer, but his comedic chops also matched hers, and they were in sync for the entire film.

I also must admit the film officially won me over towards the very end, in the last 30 minutes or so. Before that, you laugh a bit, chuckle at some scenes, and admire Jennifer Lopez and how she looks out of this world. But there was always something holding me back from “letting go” and giving in fully to the silliness of this movie. That was until the film decided to utilize Jennifer Coolidge to her full extent and (possibly a tiny spoiler ahead, but nothing that massive) gave her a machine gun. When she started firing back at the pirates, shouting: “Nobody fucks with my family!” that is when the movie finally won me over, and I was totally on board with it.

Again, I need to be honest; it is a paint-by-numbers romantic comedy in which, for most of its runtime, you can tell where we are going. It will not win any awards or be remembered in five to ten years’ time. But sometimes movies like Shotgun Wedding can be a good watch for when you are tired, your brain can’t focus on complex dramas, and you simply want to enjoy a relaxing evening with rich people in this beautiful resort. In a way, you can say Jennifer (who has produced this film too) took the Adam Sandler approach and gathered some of her friends, booked an exotic holiday for herself and the crew and in the middle of it, made this film. And you know what they say if ain’t broke…

I never thought I would write this, but based on his performance here, I would love to see more of Josh Duhamel in comedic roles, possibly even with Jennifer. Because I can’t overestimate how much this film relied on those two working together. Yes, the location was stunning, and the supporting cast was also fun, but if those two didn’t have that spark, this film would have been your average romcom that I wouldn’t even bother to review. But for me, those two worked surprisingly well together.

Overall, Shotgun Wedding is a movie that lucked out massively by casting the right male lead alongside Jennifer Lopez. You need somebody who can go toe-to-toe with her comedically but who you believe could make her fall in love with him, and Josh was charismatic in this film. As mentioned above, most of the film is a slightly above-the-average comedy that fully had me in its grasp for the last 30 minutes. Would I recommend it? I would cautiously say yes. If you watch it and don’t expect anything from it than to have a good time with some rich people battling pirates, you may be in for a treat. Also, Jennifer looked absolutely stunning in this film, so there is that too. This film was definitely a surprise for me.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke