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Jennifer Lopez is not afraid to make fun of herself. In her new movie, This Is Me … Now: A Love Story, out now on Amazon Prime, she pokes fun at her passion for astrology and well-documented obsession with falling in love. At the film’s premiere at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on February 13, a.k.a. Galentine’s Day, she earnestly leaned into the star sign of it all, wearing a celestial sheer dress in black and matching her husband and muse, Ben Affleck. While Lopez addressed the audience, which included attendees Xochitl Gomez, Becky G, and America Ferrera, she teared up “thinking about the 20-year journey” that inspired the film and album. Someone in the crowd yelled, “It’s okay!” as Lopez pulled herself together. “It is so okay!” she responded. “That’s what’s making me tear up.” Spoken like someone who has been through years of therapy, or knows that this week is Weep Week.
She went on to compare the heartbreaking and revelatory journey of making the movie to feeling success at the gym (“I’m really doing it!”), a comparison that was lost on some of the crowd. “I hope that this movie and this album give you a little bit of what it gave me, which is hope, joy, and happiness and inspiration,” she said. She teared up again — she’s a Scorpio moon, after all — when she thanked Affleck for their reunion that inspired the film. “I know that he hates that I’m [thanking him] right now,” she joked.
While talking about director Dave Meyers and his willingness to embrace the project, she compared the whole thing to a “mini Marvel movie,” and to be fair, it kind of was. There were animated sequences, a bloody fight scene, and a ton of celebrity cameos (try to spot Affleck). And the audience devoured every minute of it. I couldn’t help but clap when J.Lo made fun of Libra men. The cinematic journey — and journey is truly the best word for it — felt like a full-feature film despite being one hour, especially with people cheering after every song. As the credits rolled, J.Lo received a standing ovation for her debut movie in the Jennifer Lopez Cinematic Universe (JLCU). She danced, sang, and nuzzled her head into Affleck’s shoulder. It looked like a scene straight out of one of her dreams.