First off, to save time, I'm going to do a pull quote from Entertainment Weekly's review, because they summed up the "plot much better than I could of this epic one hour plus, 20M J.Lo financed special. And oh boy, it is "special".
From EW review:
The plot, such as it is, can be summed up thusly: Once upon a time, a luminous maiden named — God help us — “Artist” (Lopez) suffers a devastating heartbreak when her true love dies in a motorcycle accident. Emotionally shattered by the tragedy, she embarks on a tumultuous healing journey filled with toxic rebound relationships, a trio of failed marriages, and a little long-distance guidance from a celestial, celebrity-filled Zodiac council.
Yea, that's a lot! Did i mention this special is also tied in to her new upcoming album by the same name?
So My Take: First off, the movie (i'm going with that term!), looks fantastic, from the industrial look, to the fairytale animation that opens the film, and the "glass houses" sequence. (I'll get more into that later) and a sequence near the end that, to me, was a direct homage to Gene Kelly's "Singin in the Rain" (I was really hoping she would sing that, that how good the sequence looked). The choreography dancing is off the hook! (DUH! It's J.Lo!). The therapy sessions with therapist (Fat Joe) were oddly insightful on J.Lo's take on life, and particular love, whether lost or found, bad romances or tragic love stories. The plot/pacing was a bit schizophrenic, like riding a roller coaster for me, but it held on to its rails.
The most fun part of the movie was the aforementioned "Zodiac Council, with some very famous actors (i'm not going to spoil who!) playing the different Zodiac symbols and commenting on why this woman keeps making the choices she does. Think of it as a bit of an astrological Greek chorus- It seems J.Lo really is into the zodiac symbolism (she, like me , is a Leo!), and astrology does pop up frequently in the film.
Since "This Is Me...Now" moves at such a breakneck pace, I don't have much to offer on thoughts about the acting (except for the Zodiac Council- hilarious!), with J.Lo, I felt I was was watching her doing a documentary style performance, and that's not a bad thing, considering how the film is constructed.
The music: I mentioned the glass houses set, and that sequence is used for J.Lo's song, "Rebound". The choreography has her and another actor tied to each other, and the lyrics tell us why: She is in a rebound relationship with this dude who is definitely not good for her.
Not only are the lyrics outstanding on the subject, but this was my favorite bop of the film!
"Hearts and Flowers, with it's post industrial Mad Max set-up, is really good, and the multiple wedding themed, "Can't Get Enough" will get folks hitting the dance floor.
Overall, I went into this special (airing on Amazon Prime) not knowing what to expect, and came away an even bigger Jennifer Lopez fan for taking us viewing on this bizarre odyssey of her life. (Side note: Hummingbirds are my spirit animal as well!) So much so that I am going to make a proclamation!
The "Alien" movie franchise should seriously consider passing the torch from Sigourney Weaver to J.Lo! Yep I said it! I wrote it! I think (especially after seeing her in "The Mother" airing on Netflix), that J.Lo has both the physical and acting chops to take on that role!
For me, it would be a huge delight seeing Jenny from the Block kicking some alien ass off her rock (or ship!).
Here is the official Amazon Prime trailer for "This Is Me...Now".
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