Marry Me, directed by Kat Coiro, takes us to the familiar and stereotypical rom-com setting. Though the film opts to be cutesy most of the time, it still consists of moments that have their own charm. The character of Kat Valdez has an uncanny resemblance to Jennifer Lopez herself. Kat is a pop queen, and she owns the stage whenever she is on it. The spotlight is always on Kat, be it onstage or offstage. Charlie, played by the charming Owen Wilson, lives a monotonous life, which his daughter often terms as being too dull for her liking. He has a very different set of ideals and he sees life with a very different tint as compared to what a celebrity in this millennial age would.
“Marry Me” is based on a graphic novel by Bobby Crosby and was adapted for the screen by John Rogers, Tami Sagher, and Harper Dil.
Plot Summary
Kat Valdez was planning to pull a publicity stunt and marry her boyfriend, the Spanish singing sensation, Bastian, in front of millions of people. Kat was to perform “Marry Me,” a song she wrote to propose to Bastian, and the two of them planned to create a sensation that the world would remember for a long time. In between the concert, Kat sees a leaked clip on her manager’s phone where Bastian was found to be cheating on her with one of her employees only.
Played by Jon Bradley, Kat’s guardian angel, who not only manages her schedule but also looks after her and cares for her. Kat goes on stage, heartbroken and still trying to process what she saw. She has no words as she is shocked beyond measure. The situation couldn’t have been more ironic. The day she was proposing to her boyfriend for marriage in front of the whole world was the day she realized that he was cheating on her. Her crew is more concerned about what impact it will have on her image and how the fans are going to take it, whether it is going to affect her TRP and how they will recover from this debacle.
Kat had two options: either to go on with the show and pretend as if she saw nothing, or face the reality and put it out there in the public domain. She decides to go with the latter. Impulsively, she makes a decision that shuns everybody present at the scene. She saw a guy standing with a placard that read, “Marry Me.” Something snaps inside her, and she calls him on stage and asks him to marry her.
Charlie, a school teacher, came to the concert only because his friend and colleague, Parker, and his daughter, Lou, desperately wanted to attend the show. He didn’t even realize that he was handed over the placard by someone else. Destiny plays its role, and he finds himself standing on the stage and being proposed for marriage by the most famous pop star of his time. Charlie hesitates for a moment but then says yes. This spontaneous act becomes a hot topic of discussion for which neither Charlie nor Kat were ready.
‘Marry Me’ Ending Explained – Can Kat And Charlie Ever Be Together In Real Life?
You can’t help but muse on the implausible climax of the film, “Marry Me.” Kat realizes that a guy like Charlie was all she needed. Kat was an independent and successful woman. She had everything any human being would aspire to. But in spite of all the material wealth, her life was devoid of that one special individual who understood her, who saw the vulnerable person hidden behind all the glitter and sparkle. Charlie asks Kat how it makes her feel to be in the public eye 24/7.
How does she cope with the scrutiny that she is under for the smallest of actions? He asks her if she feels weird that so many people know her. Kat tells him that the problem is that everybody thinks they know her, but nobody actually does. Charlie feels that he does not fit into her life. He is just a math teacher, living an ordinary life away from the public eye. His inspirations, perspectives, and even social status were very different from Kat’s. He did not fit into her world. He was feeling insecure seeing her and Bastain reunite for the concert, even when he knew that nothing was happening between them. But Kat was not ready to give up on Charlie just because he thought he didn’t fit in. She was ready to make an effort. Charlie had told her once that if you sit on a problem long enough, be it in mathematics or life, the problem does get solved, and she was doing just that.
In real life, if we talk logically, such situations seem highly improbable. There are ten things that come into the picture. First and foremost, it’s the social and financial status that causes an issue. Kat is shown to be really sensible and understands everything, but truth be told, Charlie cannot afford a lifestyle like Kat’s. When a person is in such a relationship, a lot of times the ego gets hurt and it causes complications in the relationship. Apart from all these things, there was a stark difference in the sensibilities of both individuals. A lot of the things that Kat did, Charlie found them to be unnecessary.
No matter how improbable the narrative might sound, you root for it because it is magical, and as it is said, magic begins where logic ceases to exist.
Does ‘Marry Me’ Have Something New To Offer?
It’s a fairytale setting where the princess leaves her Tinseltown and falls for someone who does not belong in her world.
Kat impulsively gets married to Charlie, and he too says yes on the spur of the moment. But when the storm settles, they realize what they have signed up for. They start spending time together and make an effort to get to know each other. Kat gets allured by Charlie’s simplicity. His ideologies and way of life fascinate her. Charlie also gets to meet the real Kat, hiding behind the star image. They grow fond of each other, but soon the inevitable happens. Charlie realizes that it is not possible for two people to have such contrasting lifestyles and be together. In the meantime, Kat gets nominated for the Grammys, and Bastian once again comes back into her life. They reunite for a concert where they sing “Marry Me” together. Rumors of Kat and Bastian getting back together make the rounds in the media, and Charlie feels sidelined. He makes the decision to walk away from Kat’s life. But how could the princess lose out on her Prince Charming? Kat gets an epiphany of sorts while being on the Jimmy Fallon show. She rushes back to Peoria, and this time she holds the placard and asks him to marry her again.
The part where Kat and Charlie try to understand each other gives us some genuinely authentic and charming moments. The writers fail to capitalize on that and take the same tried and tested monotonous route. The film is predictable, and from the beginning, you know how things are going to pan out. The only respite from the bland scheme of things is the performance by Owen Wilson and Jennifer Lopez, who reunite almost 25 years after their last venture together. They spark genuine chemistry and are able to take you to this fantasy land, which you want to be a part of. You want to be with someone as sincere and honest as Charlie. You want to be with somebody as sensible as Kat, who roots for your values and the kind of person you are from the inside. It gives you that superficial hope and warmth that has become a characteristic of the genre over the years.
“Marry Me” is a lighthearted entertainer, uncritical in its approach and often flimsy, but then it never pretends to be something else too.
