Jennifer Lopez Rom-Coms Ranked

The premise of Marry Me is somehow simultaneously ridiculous and completely believable. Kat Valdez (J-Lo), a world-famous pop star, decides to marry Charlie (Owen Wilson), a math teacher holding a "Marry Me" sign at her concert, after learning that her fiance has been having an affair. In our modern world, the lines between internet celebrities and “regular” people have become increasingly blurred. As absurd as it is for a pop singer to marry a random fan from the audience, I could definitely see it happening.

Marry Me depicts a wonderfully entertaining union of two people from very different worlds. With a lot of modern rom-coms falling flat, it was refreshing to watch one that felt like a throwback to the 90s and early 2000s. Marry Me is an endearing romance story with stellar performances all around and a sort of subtle humor that I can really appreciate.

I thought J-Lo and Owen Wilson had great chemistry, but audiences seem to be quite mixed on whether or not Wilson was the right fit for the role.

Likewiser reviews:

Besides Owen Wilson & J-Lo being great at what they do, as a couple of opposites in this movie, they meshed well & were able to bring ALL the good feels to the screen. It had me smiling & feeling good. -@sonia_barajas

I was very confused when I saw the trailer and was even more confused after I saw it. I mean you’d think a pairing as random as these two could work but bro there’s no chemistry. -@bella_nicole_7663

J-Lo stars as a type-A wedding planner that is incredibly successful and so focused on work that she doesn’t have time to find love. Until the fiancé of one of her clients saves her life. Despite her best efforts, Mary falls in love with Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey), a charming paediatrician.

A word that is thrown around all over the internet when discussing this movie is “cringe.” Yes, there are some scenes and one-liners that could qualify as cringey. But it’s a 2001 romantic comedy! What do you expect? The cringe is part of the charm. For example, take a look at my favorite line in the movie:

You saved me shoe… I mean, my life.

Likewiser review:

One of my favorite rom-coms! It’s a movie that I have watched over and over! -@heather_stevens

Maid in Manhattan is a classic case of the mistaken identity trope. Jennifer Lopez plays Marissa, a young woman who is struggling to take care of her son and works as a maid in a high-class hotel, but when she meets a hotel guest who ends up mistaking her for an upper-class socialite, her world turns upside down and she’s taken on a romantic adventure.

Ralph Fiennes as Christopher is an unexpected choice for J-Lo’s romantic partner, but it works surprisingly well. Maid in Manhattan succeeds because it respects all of the core elements of a classic rom-com: a clear villain, a big inciting incident, a downfall moment where the hero is tested, and a happily ever after.

Likewiser review:

Frothy feel good fluff with a message. Holds up mostly surprisingly well. A must watch for romcom fans. -@sher_free

Monster-in-Law is a prime example of the "mother-in-law hates her future daughter-in-law and tries to ruin everything" trope. Jennifer Lopez plays Charlie, an office temp who falls in love with the gorgeous surgeon Dr. Kevin Fields (Michael Vartan). Charlie is one of J-Lo’s most loveable characters of all time. And despite Kevin’s mother, Viola, playing the “monster” in this story, you surprisingly don’t hate her!

Wanda Sykes stole the show for me, capturing my attention every time she was on screen. Her comedic timing is top notch and she was a great counterpart to Viola’s mean presence.

Likewiser review:

This is a movie I will watch over and over. Jennifer Lopez and Ms. Jane Fonda were hilariously funny and add Wanda Sykes and you have sides splitting! -@darlene_stelly

Although Shall We Dance? is listed under the romance, comedy, and drama genres, it’s much more a drama movie than a traditional rom-com. With that being said, there are still some quality laughs!

Jennifer Lopez plays Paulina, a defeated dance instructor who's been burned by past relationships. Unlike her other rom-coms on this list, J-Lo is not the focus of the love story. Instead, Paulina helps John, a man who seems to have it all but is bored and unfulfilled, rekindle his passionless marriage.

Likewiser review:

Loved the dancing, music and story - and of course Richard Gere. -@betsy_yarcho

In Second Act, Lopez plays Maya, a 40-year-old woman struggling with frustrations from unfulfilled dreams. Until that is, she gets the chance to prove to Madison Avenue that street smarts are as valuable as book smarts.

This is one of J-Lo’s most recent rom-coms and it surprisingly flew under the radar. Similar to Shall We Dance?, this is a romantic comedy but the romance is not the primary focus of the story—her overall life is the focus. This is a mature and powerful story about how love and family can influence a career change.

Fun fact: Lopez's real-life best friend, Leah Remini, play’s her on-screen best friend, Joan. And guess what? She’s hilarious!

Likewiser review:

Finally watched this last night, and it was really good! Was not expecting JLo & Vanessa's characters to be linked the way they were. -@brittney_nicole_7005

What to Expect When You’re Expecting follows the lives of five couples navigating pregnancy and preparing for their lives to be turned upside down by parenthood. It touches on all the not-so-glamerous realities of pregnancy, making it relatable for nearly every parents. Although the target audience is women that have gone through pregnancy and their spouses, there are still quite a few laughs for everybody to enjoy.

Anna Kendrick, Chase Crawford, and Chris Rock were great as usual. Unfortunately the movie is help back by the way it tries to follow five different storylines. Whenever a movie attempts to balance multiple stories, there’s inevitably one or two storylines that are less interesting than the rest.

Likewiser review:

Its so funny it will make your sides hurt from laughing. -@elizabeth_flynn_7315

Although The Back-Up Plan has one of the more unique premises on this list, it fails in execution. J-Lo stars as Zoe, a pet store owner who is tired of looking for love and decides to have a baby on her own. On the day she's artificially inseminated, she meets Stan, who seems to be just who she's been searching for all her life.

Alex O'Loughlin and Jennifer Lopez have decent chemistry but not enough to stand out in competitive world of rom-coms.

Likewiser review:

Just watched this movie for free on YouTube, it was great!!! Loved it! -@elissa_marie_8124

Gigli is unanimously agreed to be by far the worst rom-com J-Lo has ever been in. While it is cute knowing that J-Lo and Ben Affleck met while working on this movie, everything about it is downright bad and offensive. The plot makes no sense, the characters are repellant, and the dialogue is atrocious and unnatural. This movie is the worst of Bennifer!

Although the movie is rated 6% on Rotten Tomatoes, our team here at Likewise tends to trust audience opinions more than critics. So what do audiences think?

Audience reviews:

It was a disaster! Poor dialogue, extremely poor direction! It was a mafia movie taking place entirely in a house. How much worse can it get? Much! It was politically wrong about many issues. It was a macho, extremely stereotypical movie about men and their fantasies. It was utterly offensive. The ending felt ridiculous though it could have been predicted by the very first frame. A real disaster of a film.

It's as terrible as people describe. I can't find anything to like about this movie.

An ungodly train wreck of a film that must be seen to be believed. It has exactly one, ONE, watchable scene, and that's because of Christopher Walken (who's clearly out of his mind in the scene).

If you still doubt the severity of just how bad this movie is, it won “Worst Picture” at the 2004 Razzies and was nominated for “Worst Picture of the Decade” at the 2010 Razzies.

There are plenty of boring movies, but it’s rare to watch a movie that genuinely upsets you for being such a clear waste of time. While J-Lo acknowledges that the movie isn’t great, when she was on Late Night with Seth Meyers, she half-jokingly said “There are worse movies than Gigli out there, okay?”