Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

Content Caution

HeavyKids
MediumTeens
LightAdults
Marry Me movie

Credits

In Theaters

Cast

Home Release Date

Director

Distributor

Reviewer

Kennedy Unthank

Movie Review

Celebrity singers Kat Valdez and Bastian are deeply in love, and they want the world with them at their wedding.

In true celebrity fashion, their nuptial event needs to be big: a New York City concert filled with 20 million adoring fans. They’ll sing their collaborative song “Marry Me,” exchange vows and leave for a private island. To Kat, it all sounds so wonderful.

But that was before she saw the social media post of Bastian cheating on her with her own assistant! And now she’s onstage, and the lights are pulsing, the music is playing, and the fans are cheering. But all of it is a dull echo compared to the sound of her breaking heart.

“We get so caught up in what we want our life to be that we forget what our love actually is—a lie,” she tells the audience. “A fairy tale that you sold yourself so long ago that you forgot that wasn’t real—but deep down, you knew.”

And in her grief, she looks across the audience for an answer or sign to alleviate her pain. And immediately, she gets the sign she was looking for. Literally. Charlie, a single father who’s only attending the concert to make his daughter think he’s fun, is holding it. “Marry Me!” the sign says.

“Why not,” Kat says. “Sure. I’ll marry you.”

And just like that, he’s whisked onstage, and they’re married. But it’s not like it’s for real, right? Charlie was just “trying to help someone who seemed like they were in the middle of a nervous breakdown.” But then Kat’s manager, Collin, comes to Charlie, and he tells him that Kat wants to continue the marriage—at least for a few months until the media storm blows over. After all, it’s crazy to marry a total stranger, but it’d make her look even crazier if she dumped him the next day. So, begrudgingly, Charlie agrees.

After all, it’s not like the relationship is going to work out; Their lives are too different. She’s a celebrity singer who travels the world. He’s a math teacher who doesn’t even have a social media presence, let alone an iPhone. So, why not go along with it to help smooth things out for Kat? This thing isn’t going anywhere.

Right?

Positive Elements

Charlie’s trying as hard as he can to be the best father he can be to his daughter, Lou. He strives to help boost her self-confidence, but it’s difficult to get through to her sometimes: She’s in that stage where she thinks his affection as a father is embarrassing, and she’s too cool for him. But Charlie doesn’t get frustrated even though it breaks his heart. Instead, he consistently supports her and helps her work through the complicated feelings she has—even if it may mean going outside his comfort zone to do so.

Kat becomes the catalyst to help Charlie deepen his relationship with Lou. Kat’s famous, and in the eyes of many children, fame equals authority. So Lou wants to talk with Kat, and Kat helps both Lou and Charlie understand each other better.

But it isn’t just Charlie and Kat who grow in the film—their relationship shapes both of them as well. Through daring one another, Charlie and Kat adopt elements of each other’s lives into their own. Kat, who is used to constant celebrity pampering, learns how to be more self-sufficient and independent. Charlie, whose quiet life as a middle school math teacher has left him behind in the world, learns how to navigate technology and become more in tune with his daughter.

Spiritual Elements

Kat’s stage design for a concert depicts a church. A dancer on the stage has a cross painted on his back, and the ensemble incorporates the sign of the cross into their routine.

When asked by Kat what you’re supposed to do when your car starts skidding out of control, manager Collin jokes, “Close your eyes and pray.” Kat references meditation in an advertisement, and she uses the Hindu phrase namaste after completing a yoga workout.

Kat and Bastian’s song “Marry Me” references church bells and singing angels. Kat’s “On My Way” references Heaven.

Sexual Content

One of Kat’s songs suggestively appropriates Christian words and theology in a comparison to sexual themes that many will likely find quite offensive. We hear lyrics such as: “You showed me the way; I’m baptized in you,” and, “You’ve opened my gates, and showed me the truth.” There’s more. We also hear, “Screaming out your name, got me feeling saved,” “You tested my faith,” and, “You make me sing out hallelujah.”

During the performance, women dance in sensual and revealing nun outfits while Kat wears a tight see-through outfit, and her intimate areas are only covered by a cross made of jewels. However, her backside is fully defined. Male dancers are shirtless.

Kat frequently wears outfits that reveal her cleavage. She is also seen in a towel on a massage table, in a bubble bath and in an oversized shirt without pants on. In all cases, however, nothing is revealed. A cardboard cutout shows Kat in a sports bra.

At various points, we see male and female dancers in tight outfits. Women often wear shirts that show their midriffs or sports bras, and men are often seen with no shirts on or in cut-off shirts. Women swarm Bastian as he sings. Kat and Bastian share a kiss. Bastian is caught in a video kissing Kat’s assistant, causing Kat to address the audience while on the edge of tears.

Kat and Charlie get married on stage, and we see them kiss at multiple points throughout the movie. Charlie comments that marriage has “historically” been transactional, and he says, “Statistically, 48% of marriages end in divorce.” Paparazzi ask Charlie how it feels to marry someone hotter than him.

Kat explains that she divorced a previous husband after he sold their sex tape. A student asks Kat if she kissed Katy Perry, and Kat replies, “Actually, she kissed me.” Charlie references sex a couple of times; he and Kat have sex, though nothing is heard or shown. Charlie describes the musical Camelot as “Game of Thrones but less nudity and murder.”

Charlie’s best friend, Parker, kisses a teacher. Parker is a lesbian, and she references a previous relationship.

A gay couple takes a photo together at a school dance. An end-credits scene shows a lesbian couple explaining how they met. Another scene during the credits includes a woman talking about having sex at the Burning Man festival.

Violent Content

At one point, Bastian looks to be on the verge of hurting Charlie or even Kat. He lunges at Charlie, but various handlers hold him back. Someone sprays paparazzi with a fire extinguisher. Kat shatters a window of her house with a rock.

Crude or Profane Language

The s-word is used five times. The acronym “WTF” is seen typed twice. “H—” is used five times, and “a–” is used once. God’s name is inappropriately used almost 20 times, and Jesus’ name is misused six times.

The negative phrases “screw you” and “suck it” are used. Someone calls another person a “tool.” Bastian insults Charlie by calling him “albino.” Parker jokingly says that she can only use the restroom if people are watching her.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Kat and Bastian toast a crowd with alcohol. People in the crowd also have glasses of alcohol. Kat offers to buy everyone on a plane champagne and caviar.

Other Negative Elements

On the television, Jimmy Fallon makes fun of Kat for her decision to marry Charlie.

Conclusion

Marry Me once again employs the classic romcom trope in which absurd situations lead to eventual love. The plot requires we suspend our disbelief in two ways. We must first accept the notion that a celebrity would marry a complete stranger out of the crowd just because of his sign. Then we must accept that any stranger who would accept the proposal also just happens to be a non-creepy, single and rational guy.

But once you get past a premise that has nothing to do with reality whatsoever, the chemistry between these two as their worlds collide and comingle is often sweet. As a middle school math teacher, Charlie’s super into math: He leads the Pi-thons, the school’s math club. He loves his scheduled routine, and he’s not really running at the same pace as the rest of the world, preferring the simplicity of life without the need of social media or a smartphone.

And this contrasts greatly with Kat’s life. She sings and dances around the world. Her life is also scheduled, but it’s scheduled by others and defined by which companies want her to advertise for them or which people want her to sing for them.

Perhaps surprisingly, they do share some common ground between them: They both have experience in relationships that didn’t work out. Kat has been married multiple times, and she’s just recently had her heart broken by her fiancé cheating on her. Charlie’s last relationship left him divorced and splitting time with Lou with his ex-wife.

Both Kat and Charlie are looking for love that’s authentic and selfless, and they discover that they might find it in each other. But because their lives are so different, it’ll require both of them to make sacrifices. And that’s sweet. Love is beautiful when things are working out, but true love really displays itself when two people are willing to sacrifice for one another and support each other through the bad times.

Still, we can’t minimize the sexual content in the movie. Though we have been graciously offered a romcom with no sex scenes, we are nevertheless subjected dialogue that involves many sexual references and allusions. We hear about multiple characters’ same-sex relationships. And many of the musicians’ outfits—especially the ones Jennifer Lopez’s character wears—highlight and reveal as much as possible.

In addition, Jennifer Lopez’s “Church” performance is offensive and unnecessary, taking Christian truths and perverting them into a song about a sexual experience, complete with sexualized nun outfits and shirtless men. And writing “hallelujah” (which translates to “Praise the Lord!”) in a song with sexual themes and sensual dancing is never a good move.

That scene alone may well be the tipping point for many considering a movie that undermines its inherent sweetness with content that’s gratuitously salacious.

The Plugged In Show logo
Elevate family time with our parent-friendly entertainment reviews! The Plugged In Podcast has in-depth conversations on the latest movies, video games, social media and more.
kennedy-unthank
Kennedy Unthank

Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He doesn’t think the ending of Lost was “that bad.”