No one ever really took J Lo
seriously as an actress but she had some good moments in this movie. Some of the male characters seemed forced, but I thought the females pulled it off.
I really like some of her movies. Out of Sight and Selena are the best but this movie I watch a lot (also Sleeping with the Enemy) Monster-in-Law is a crack up, not sure why Jennifer Lopez has so many critics.
shareShe actually made a good Selena, I agree.
I think once you get a bad rap for a movie it sticks with you forever.
Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a critic refer to Lopez as a "bad actress". But she has been in some bad movies. IMO Enough is pretty good.
shareI agree with you. Her films have been trashed but not her acting. I think she sealed it her first time out with Selena. But all actors and they're agents make poor calls.
shareI think its because Jennifer Lopez is a hit-or-miss actress.
Her very best film was Angel Eyes. She really shined there.
She did quite well in Selena & respectably in Enough.
But she was terrible in Maid in Manhattan and also in Shall We Dance.
I think she tries too hard, she over-enunciates her words. Another example of an actress that does this, big time, is Candace Cameron-Bure.
"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."
I thought she was very good in both Maid in Manhattan and Shall We Dance, both of which are good films, in my opinion. The latter doesn't match the original but there's some great moments here, and sincere performances. Maid in Manhattan is a gem, and much smarter and better written than it gets credit for. But I don't think Lopez is a "hit-or-miss" actress -- she's generally good and has been lauded for what she brings to a film by many of her directors. She's missed the mark on occasion, but every actor, actress and director does. But she's also taken chances and brought films to the screen she clearly believed in, which didn't entirely work or failed commercially, e.g. Bordertown and El Cantante. Angel Eyes and An Unfinished Life certainly deserved to find wider audiences and greater praise, yet The Cell was a deserved successful that remains a fascinating, challenging and visually striking film. And whilst it's easy to find poor reviews of Lopez's films, tabloid critics are ten-a-penny in any regard, when the more intelligent, articulate and cinema-literate critics, like Roger Ebert, have heaped praise upon her. I do think more challenging roles in recent years would have served her well, especially when one considers that J.Lo has only been seen on the big screen three times in the past eight years -- and not in memorable films, despite being far better than the material in Parker. But she does more than acting, and that's to be appreciated. Still, I think Lopez may be entering into a most interesting phase of her career IF she chooses the right roles and seeks challenges -- something that's surely present in The Boy Next Door and Lila & Eve, despite the familiar nature of the former. Whilst the likes of Selena and Out of Sight remain among the best films of their kind from the past 25 years, or so.
NOW TARZAN MAKE WAR!