Review Of Jennifer Lopez's Short Film—This is Me ... Now (2024)

The short film, a romantic fantasy set in an apocalyptic steampunk realm, begins with a voiceover by J-Lo narrating a Puerto Rican myth about lovers who aren't allowed by the gods to be together. The lady is turned into a rose flower and the man into a hummingbird and for all eternity, they keep searching for themselves, for true love.

This is a touching start to the film and we immediately know what to expect. We take a dive into J-Lo's love experiences, past and present, and whether she has found her ‘true love'. She's unafraid to reveal the relationship decisions she has made. Through the therapy sessions, friends’ intervention and even a ‘zodiacal council' located in the skies who nudge her into romances, this star examines her feelings and desire to love. She exposes the risks that come with falling hard and fast, the consequences of rebounds and finally, if they were all worth it.

I love how she intertwines every scene in this film with songs from her new album and impressive dance steps and choreography. I think some of the songs poked fun at her past relationships. The single Can't Get Enough is about her three failed marriages and why she keeps trying again. Rebound pokes fun at her relationship with a certain, much younger fellow.

My favourite among the songs is Broken Like Me which she sang beautifully. The lyrics are powerful, touching and capture in two stanzas her struggle to make her relationships work. I believe some people can resonate with the message in this song. I enjoy the addition of rap verses to some of the singles without needing to bring on an independent rapper to feature in any of the songs.

Her vocals sound a little tired, maybe because of age. I remember her voice being sharp, melodious and confident in some of the songs sang in her twenties. Now, there's a difference. You can hear there's a little edge to her voice which I think autotune tries to enhance. But overall, she did great with this film and album. I especially love the dance moves. They are energetic and show this iconic star isn't slowing down any time soon.

The CGI, visuals and editing are good on average but could be better. It's great to see this film feature J-Lo's friend, Fat Joe as the therapist and Hollywood stars like Jane Fonda, Keke Palmer, Trevor Noah, Sofia Vergara, Post Malone, Jennifer Lewis, Kim Petras, Jay Shetty, and Neil deGrasse Tyson who make up the comical zodiacal council. Their scenes are hilarious.

After seeing this one-hour film, I'll say this is excellent work. J-Lo did great sharing her scars and mistakes for her fans to see so they'll know she's just like everyone else. If you are into her music and films, and enjoy the apocalyptic steampunk world, you'll love this short musical film.

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^{All images are screenshots from the film}