Jennifer Lopezhas come a long way. But her acting career has taken a new step as she takes on a new type of role in 2023’sThe Mother.
But how did she get here, and what does this mean for her going forward? Has Lopez found a genre that she can transition to and dominate?
So Many Wedding Dresses
If there is one thing we know Jennifer Lopez for, it is mostdefinitely romantic comedies. She has been in so many that it would be safe to say she spends more time in white than any other color. These movies includeMaid In Manhattan(2002),The Backup Plan(2010), andMarry Me(2022). These are all perfectly serviceable films that bring joy to a very specific cross-section of the population. However, it does feel like she has been a bit typecast.
Related:The Best Leading Men in a Jennifer Lopez Rom-Com, Ranked
Regardless, Lopez seems quite happy playing the hapless female role. In fact, she’s pretty good at it. If an actress needs to look insecure while being the most attractive person on screen, she’s the woman you want in your movie. She’s funny, can somehow play the oddball, and when she’s paired with a decent male lead, has pretty good comic timing.
But her last rom-com was a little different. It was funny. It involved a wedding. But it had way more guns.
Shotgun Wedding: Bridge to Action
WhenShotgun Weddingwas released in early 2023, it was seen by some as another Jennifer Lopez movie. But as people began watching it, they saw a tone similar to another actress and movie: Sandra Bullock inThe Lost City(2022).
Bullock has been a major forcein film, creating a likable, if not lovable, appeal that has allowed her to play characters in nearly every genre available. However, she is also one of those actors people do not refer to as their character names but as their own names. For example, nobody says: “Have you seenSpeed? I loved Annie Porter!” They say, “Sandra Bullock was great inSpeed.” Some actors are known for their characters, others for just being great in films.
Jennifer Lopez seems to be striving for this type of career. She wants to spread her wings and try new projects. The fact is that she already has. Unfortunately, many of the films are entirely unmemorable. She has had the chance to star in action, comedy, and horror.
However, most people would have trouble naming her non-romcom films. This is not to say she cannot act. Lopez has proven herself to be consistently capable when given the right material. But in recent years, she has been pursuing a more action-oriented, Sandra Bullock-type role. She wants to be a quippy badass and not just a girl in a wedding dress.
Shotgun Weddingwas the first stepinto this new career. She agrees to put on the wedding dress, but by the end of the movie, it’s torn and dirty. It’s as if she made the conscious decision to show people that the bride is ready to fight. She wields guns, has time to be sexy, and is the take-charge character in the film.
While everyone else is either a hostage or a bumbling moron, she’s on top of the situation. Yet she still allows herself to be funny and vulnerable in a few choice moments. Her co-star, Josh Duhamel, is the goofy sidekick in the film. He’s more of an appendage than a partner, relegated to a second banana while Lopez kicks ass and takes names.
The Mother of All Movies
FollowingShotgun Wedding, Lopez has pulled out all the stops for her latest film,The Mother. In this film, she is giving her all to this new persona and doing it rather convincingly. The stilted dialogue from her early work is gone, she’s incorporating Spanish into a film that she knows will be seen by more than just English speakers, and she’s doing her best attempt at being a John Wick being pulled back in or evenTaken’s Bryan Mills who brings a “particular set of skills” to the table.
Gone is the goofball bride.
The Motherfollows a character with no name. She’s an assassin who became pregnant and gave up the child as it would not have been safe with her. Years later, she comes out of hiding to save her daughter from men who have her held hostage.
Related:The Mother Achieves Netflix’s Largest Film Opening Weekend in 2023
It’s a grim role for Lopez. One in which her entire demeanor is different from in any previous film. It bodes well for this new step in her career. Despite critical reviews,The Motherwas the top film in over 80 countries during its opening weekend. If Lopez is looking for a reason to stick with action for a while, that number may be the key.
She’s also worked with her director and producers to create a character thatisn’t the typical action herothat we’re used to. She’s a bit older but still has the drive audiences want to see in their action-thriller heroes. She may not rank among the Bonds, but she’s cutting, focused, and scoring big points for women in action films.
The question is whether she will continue to cherry-pick these types of exciting films or if she will continue to fall back on the pile of wedding dresses that got her here in the first place.
