If you like heaping portions of J. Lo, 2024 is your year. And even if you don’t, you can’t help but appreciate what Jennifer Lopez is attempting to do with her ambitious three-part multimedia project that explores the singer-actor’s life as a creator, dreamer, hopeless romantic, and bona fide believer in serendipitous “signs” from the universe.
For starters, Lopez has doled out $20 million from her own cache to produce her upcoming, deeply personal documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told. The other creative arm of her endeavors is currently sitting atop Prime Video’s best new streaming releases, This Is Me… Now: A Love Story. It’s a daring, visually sumptuous short movie featuring music, dance, folklore, and spirituality, all existing in a larger story about love, hope, and self-esteem. The fact that the endeavor is named after Lopez’s upcoming album and summer tour should generate sales all around, but there’s something sweetly moving about what most may toss aside as a self-indulgent romp.
Directed by Dave Meyers, This Is Me… Now tracks an “Artist” (Lopez) through interconnected music videos as she moves through several relationships, leans off her posse of friends, and relies on signs from above to lead the way as she attempts to come to terms with her life. Jane Fonda, Trevor Noah, Post Malone, Jenifer Lewis, Sofia Vergara, and Neil deGrasse Tyson pop in as part of the Artist’s Zodiacal Council, and Indian guru and Isha Foundation founder, the beloved Sadhguru, is also on board. Without Lopez, the entire outing might feel like a dreamy escape with psycho-spiritual musings. With Lopez, it’s all that, but with star power and verve. But there is a misstep here in between all the good intentions. Read on.
High Music Production Outshines Depth
3.5/5
Release Date February 16, 2024
Director Dave Meyers
Runtime 65 Minutes
Distributor(s) Amazon Prime Video
Pros
- The music, choreography, production value, and execution are top-notch.
- The supporting cast provides bits of joy through their appearances alone.
Cons
- Audiences never fully understand why Artist, the lead character, is so unhappy or what causes the “ache” she feels.
To be sure, This Is Me…Now is crafted to mirror Lopez’s life in the spotlight—from career romantic to paparazzi darling. We all know about the Ben Affleck marriage that didn’t take in the wake of the duo’s Gigli fallout. We’ve tracked Lopez’s relationships with Marc Anthony, Cris Judd, and, previously, Ojani Noa. It’s a bold move, however, to finance your own project, especially one of this scope, which involves two films and an album. But we’re dealing with somebody who has amassed $1 billion at the box office with rom-coms (Marry Me, Monster-In-Law, Maid in Manhattan) and nabbed another Golden Globes nom for her work in Hustlers back in 2020. What more can Lopez tell us about her than what we already see on Instagram, TikTok, and millions of her other followers?
According to Lopez, a lot. Written by Lopez, Matt Walton, and Dave Meyers, grief and trauma are factors in this vivid affair, and as we track Artist through her highs and lows, the flash tends to outweigh the depth. The “artist” we follow says, “I just want to be happy,” but we never truly get down to the meat of why she isn’t. Sure, she plows through three marriages, but we never get to what really causes the “ache” for more. And for generations who have been Oprah-tized, Deepak’d, and Dr. Phil’d, that may raise an eyebrow. Is it that alarming to make you press stop? Not at all. This is J. Lo, folks. She’s here. You’ll cheer.
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It’s easy to forgive for not exploring deeper waters. With this quasi-playing-it-safe psychological approach in terms of story, what we do get is a kind of Goldilocks “just right” feeling. In terms of the music, the dancing, the production value, and execution, This Is Me… Now is a stunning achievement and reconfirms Lopez as a powerful and impactful creator and creative force.
Jennifer Lopez at Her Finest in This Is Me… Now
The musical productions in This Is Me… Now are quite breathtaking. Hearts and Flowers takes place in a factory, where female workers attempt to keep a big metallic heart chamber from exploding. That kind of metaphor continues throughout. The ensemble choreography is tight and dynamic. Lopez, always a remarkable dancer, has never been better.
Other numbers include Rebound, in which Artist faces domestic plight and must escape an abusive relationship. It’s a riveting number and, artistically, yummy eye candy with its glass house/glass of mirrors theme. Can’t Get Enough tracks Artist’s three marriages. Who doesn’t love a lavish wedding scene with fabulous fashion components? It’s one of the most luscious production numbers. Sharing vulnerabilities with her therapy comrades—led by veteran character actor Paul Raci—in Broken Like Me offers a sweeping spectacle filled with chair choreography.
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Most touching is the title song, This is Me… Now, in which Artist’s younger self emerges to tell her she abandoned her. The scenes take place in New York, indicating Lopez’s upbringing back in the Bronx. We’re never given deeper clues as to why that “abandonment” happened, but what is clear is that our protagonist turned to others to find the love she, herself, needed to provide. What’s the saying? “It’s an inside job.” The outing ends on a positive note, however if you’re looking for more depth, tune into The Greatest Love Story Never Told, which hits Prime Video in late February. It’s a fitting, behind-the-scenes companion piece to this.
Meanwhile, there is levity sprinkled throughout This is Me… Now. What a great joy it is to see the likes of Jane Fonda, Broadway legend Jenifer Lewis, Trevor Noah, Post Malone, and others as our dear lady’s Zodiacal Council, often camping it up and commenting on what they’re seeing down below. “Why does she always need to be with somebody,” muses Fonda, playing Sagittarius. We’re sending her all the signs.” Those arrive in the form of hummingbirds. And like that mysterious creature, This Is Me… Now will enchant you—bottom line: A stunning spectacle by one of today’s most powerful women.
This Is Me… Now is streaming on Prime Video. Watch the trailer below.
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