Marry Me  ★★★

JENNIFER Lopez and Owen Wilson are not the likely, on-screen romantic pairing.

Latino bombshell and nerdy hipster shouldn’t work, but the new romantic comedy Marry Me manages to mostly pull it off.

This is largely due to the screenplay keeps it simple, relying mainly on a juxtaposition of roles and the stars to do the entertaining rather than relying on to many over-worked cliches and over-blown histrionics.

Of course, there is the obligatory final realisation of true love played out in public, but the journey up to the third act is largely a low-key affair full of quieter humour and interaction.

Perhaps one of the keys to the film’s attraction is that both lead actors seem to be playing at least a variation of themselves.

Lopez is a successful, chart-topping diva whose life is dictated by her performance schedule and maintaining a constant presence on social media. When we meet she is planning the event of the year – an exchange of wedding vows with her fiancé during a live telecast concert.

Wilson is a divorced dad with an average job and little future motivation other than ensuring the best for the young daughter he shares custody of.

A work colleague’s relationship ends and she convinces Wilson to bring his daughter to the concert in place of her ex-partner.

At the concert things crumble for Lopez who discovers footage of her fiancé cheating on her just as she is ascending the stage. In a moment of despair she lashes out at the notions of love and marriage and decides to pick a random person from the crowd to wed.

You guessed it – Wilson’s character has been handed a sign saying ‘marry me’ and before you know it he is involved in a publicity whirlwind that eventually has real repercussions for the pair.

The best aspect of the film is the reversal of gender roles with Wilson playing a variation of the typical female character and vice-versa.

There’s nothing startling or exemplary about Marry Me, but it’s all achieved pretty well. One of the better Valentine’s Day targeted rom-coms I’ve seen in a while.