J-Lo is in the past, thank God! But this weekend, Jennifer Lopez attempts what has been billed as her second comeback in the last 5 years. But a comeback! Really? The thing is that Hollywood may need Lopez more than Lopez needs Hollywood.
Having first burst onto the scene in Steven Soderbergh’s intense and entertaining Elmore Leonard adaptation OUT OF SIGHT in 1998, Jennifer Lopez shot to superstardom as an actress and singer by the close of the 1990s. But as her project choices demonstrated, she always wanted to be taken seriously as an actress first and a curvaceous beauty second.
After a several box office and critical bombs, with the low point being 2003’s GIGLI, Lopez, now entering her 40s, attempts to jump back into the romantic comedy arena with THE BACK-UP PLAN. Her first big film since 2005’s MONSTER-IN-LAW, PLAN has Lopez playing Zoe, a single woman who conceives twins through artificial insemination only to fall for the man of her dreams on the same day. The love interest in the film is played by Aussie heartthrob and one-time James Bond contender Alex O’Loughlin, who is almost 7 years Lopez’ junior. Given the casting and directing choices here, the budget of the film has to be modest and expectations equally modest. Therefore, BACK-UP PLAN might end up being a good test balloon for this new phase of Lopez’ career.
But why should Jennifer Lopez try to get back into the light romantic comedy genre?
A good model for the Lopez comeback could be the success of now Oscar winner Sandra Bullock. Even the dismal ALL ABOUT STEVE made money (some $33 million plus) in the wake of the success of THE PROPOSAL, which helped set up the monster showing of THE BLIND SIDE. Of course, the important distinction was not just the common denominator of Bullock, but the genre that BLIND SIDE celebrated that of the inspirational sports movie. This leads me to the conclusion that Lopez should go in that direction but focus even more tightly on her ethic identity. Lopez could become the Latin Sandra Bullock.
With reports that Lopez is taking up the remake of OVERBOARD, that 1987, Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russell film, hopefully time will be made to include a smaller inspirational movie on the Lopez agenda. Worthy stories are being considered by filmmakers all over the country some even made by religious organizations that would benefit greatly from the talent and name recognition of the one-time Latin super A-lister. But will Lopez go in that direction?
The next phase of Lopez’ career will depend greatly on the performance of BACK-UP PLAN. If studios in Hollywood see a market in putting Lopez back in the romantic comedy mold, it may be hard for her to resist the money and the exposure that such projects would include. But with younger actresses like Amanda Seyfried already moving into the romance slot, it might not be a good move for Lopez to try to compete in that arena. And after taking almost 3 years off, having not been seen at local metroplexes since EL CANTANTE that was hardly released in 2007, perhaps Lopez has taken time to decide how she will be defined. The girl that was once J-Lo is now the woman, wife, and mother of two that is Jennifer Lopez. And a Latin infused inspirational film might be a smart next step.
