Jennifer Lopez in the movie “The Greatest Love Story Never Told”
Jennifer Lopez has never liked quiet exits, and her returning to pop stardom was an assault on the senses. All the feelings. Even feelings you didn't even know you had.
Her new album This Is Me Now and its accompanying «narrative cinematic odyssey» of the same name celebrate the rekindling of her romance with Ben Affleck after a 20-year hiatus. As with the original romance novel, these endeavors are a great folly. In particular, the film is obsessed with bells, and features interpretive dance, steampunk CGI, and a scene in which rapper Post Malone, dressed as a star sign, chats with Jane Fonda (also dressed as a star sign). .
How this was done, many viewers are wondering. Lopez is ready to give the answer in the form of the documentary «The Greatest Love Story Never Told.» It ranges from raw and emotional to absurd. Lopez speaks honestly about the difficulties in her life and struggles with self-esteem, and one can only empathize with her pain.
But focusing on her emotional needs to the exclusion of everything else ends up becoming exhausting—for us, and also perhaps for Ben Affleck, who looks exhausted throughout. Lopez is a real person who has experienced real trauma, but seems unaware of the enormity of her privilege and the possibility that other people may have problems of their own. This dichotomy leads to the documentary's real slog. Here are 10 conclusions.
1. Ben Affleck would prefer to keep his personal life secret
JLo's husband is confused by the name of her new project. “This is the greatest love story that has never been told… and you're making a record about it. It’s like a story,” he says, looking awkward while discussing his relationship with Lopez on camera. He is even more horrified when he discovers that Lopez's co-writers have been going through the couple's old letters and emails for inspiration. “Personal is something I've always found sacred and special, partly because it's personal,” Affleck says. “For me it was an adjustment.”
2. Nobody wanted to film “This is Me Now” — at first
Just before the cameras start rolling, an unnamed backer drops out of This Is Me Now. Panicked, Lopez and her team sell the idea for a narrative film inspired by her album to various studios and streamers. Although Prime Video later acquires the finished film, it first receives a chorus of «no thanks.»
“Every streamer says that music films don’t sell. Beyonce didn’t sell, Rihanna didn’t sell,” says her manager. «There was no interest in a musical film based on the album, whatever the plot.» She vows to finance it herself, despite her husband's skepticism. “Making a movie with your own money is the most notorious cardinal sin in Hollywood,” grumbles Affleck.
3. Taylor Swift refused to film
This Is Me Now is filled with celebrity cameos, including Jane Fonda, Post Malone, comedian Trevor Noah and pop star Kim Petras. But no less significant are the stars who refused to participate. Ariana Grande was unavailable, as was Jason Momoa. Taylor Swift's camp, meanwhile, didn't even bother pretending that she was too busy and, according to Lopez, answered with a straight «no.» Ugh, knock it off, J.Lo.
Jennifer Lopez in the movie “This Is Me Now 4.” Lopez has been in troubled relationships in the past
The film and This Is Me Now are about Lopez learning to love herself and no longer trying to please the men in her life (she's been married four times). She opens up about her romantic ups and downs and reveals that she's been to some dark places. “Thank God I’ve never been in a relationship where I was beaten,” she says. “I was definitely beaten and hit – and a few other bad things.”
5. Jane Fonda tells it like it is
Fonda and Lopez met on the set of Monster in Law in 2005 and remain close friends. So close, Fonda doesn't mince words when discussing rekindling his romance with Bennifer. “I feel like I'm interested in you and Ben,” she says. “I really want it to work — it feels like you're trying to prove something instead of living it. Every other photo is of you two kissing, of you two hugging.” At the end of the line, Lopez smiles, but does not know what to answer.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in February 2024. Photo : Getty 6. Believe it or not, Lopez has self-esteem problems
Growing up in the Bronx, Lopez felt ignored by her parents. Her father, a computer technician for an insurance company, worked nights and slept all day. Her mother was a «narcissist» who had to be the life of the party, leaving her daughter, the middle of three girls, with the feeling that the spotlight was constantly being taken away from her. “I was always looking for someone who would make me feel loved,” Lopez. “I started doing athletics and winning medals. I hoped that someone would love me.”
7. Few of those who worked on This Is Me Now had any idea what the project was about.
«It was a little weird when the zodiac came to life,» says astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who plays one of the zodiac gods — along with Post Malone and Kim Petras (but not Taylor Swift). “People really think the universe doesn’t care.” about them? Okay…” Post Malone is equally puzzled. “I think I got it,” he says, but he clearly doesn’t.
8. Lopez loves to snoop around her. house in a tracksuit
When the cameras aren't rolling, Lopez and Affleck enjoy their idleness like any other middle-aged couple who barely has the energy to get off the couch. «The Greatest Love Story Never Told» is at its most charming when it's just the two of them in the frame, unshaven and without makeup. «You're used to seeing me at home as a little old lady,» J-Lo says, although Affleck feels like she's getting a little tired of the «I'm just like everyone else» line. «We're not going to say 'I'm ugly' and all that bullshit___,» he says.
9. Lopez's portrayal of «Jenny from the Block» is just a performance.
Lopez is vulnerable throughout the film and cries when Affleck is out of town, and she struggles with loneliness — and the pressure she still feels today por. unfinished film. “You always feel like you're not good enough,” she sobs. “You're not good enough in the movie, you're not good enough as a partner, as a mother.”
Lopez and Affleck on the set of the movie “Jenny” from the block» in 2002. Photo: Bauer-Griffin 10. Gigli, Part Two
For a man whose career often hints at a lack of self-awareness, Lopez seems both down-to-earth and humorous. When a crew member buttons her and Affleck, asking if they're going to make another movie together, they look traumatized. “The last one was Gigli,” says a well-wisher, referring to their 2003 disaster. «That's why we haven't done anything like this since,» Lopez says, as Affleck cringes.
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