To celebrate the release of Marry Me, we’re rounding up and ranking the best movies from Lopez, a great actress who—despite having one of the most famous faces in the world—can fully disappear into a role, as she’s done time and again. In ascending order, these are the 17 best Jennifer Lopez movies, ranked.
Best Jennifer Lopez movies
17. Monster-in-Law (2005)
Worth watching solely for the titanic pairing of Lopez and Jane Fonda, and some zingers delivered by Wanda Sykes, this meet-the-parent rom-com should have been much sharper with a cast of this caliber. Less-than-glowing reviews didn’t stop the film from being a financial success, though, as it grossed more than three times its budget.
16. The Wedding Planner (2001)
The setup of The Wedding Planner (a woman who looks like J. Lo has trouble finding a date?!) is just impossible to buy, and the picture is slavish to rom-com formula, but Lopez has breezy chemistry with co-star Matthew McConaughey, and The Wedding Planner undeniably delivers comfort-food pleasures for the target audience. One of J.Lo’s great strengths as an actor is how easily she can do loose and goofy (remember the iconic Mango vs. J.Lo diva feud on SNL?). The Wedding Planner benefits greatly from this. The Wedding Planner debuted atop the U.S. box office the same week Lopez’s album J.Lo was number one, making her the first woman ever to hold the simultaneous honors.
15. Maid in Manhattan (2002)
Like The Wedding Planner, this rom-com sticks to formula, but it mostly works thanks to the charms and commitment of its cast. Lopez plays a New York maid who falls in love with a politician (Ralph Fiennes). John Hughes wrote the story.
14. Enough (2002)
Lopez plays an abused wife who fights back in this thriller based on the bestselling novel Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen. Director Michael Apted had made great films before (the Up documentary series, Coal Miner’s Daughter), but Enough is merely a pulpy B-movie—with some tension and fun. The best part is, of course, watching J.Lo kick butt.
13. Parker (2013)
The pairing of Lopez and Jason Statham under the direction of Oscar nominee Taylor Hackford should have been more of an event, but this action thriller centered on a jewel heist still has its pleasures. The two stars are easily the best part; Lopez ditches much of her signature glamor and shows off her substantial comedic chops.
12. Second Act (2018)
Plot contrivances are mostly outshined by Lopez’s commanding, charming performance in this rom-com about a woman in her 40s who pursues a corporate career despite not having the kind of credentials that get your foot in the door.
11. Shall We Dance? (2004)
Based on a 1996 Japanese film of the same name, this crowd-pleasing romantic comedy stars Richard Gere as a lawyer who takes ballroom dancing lessons to bring spark back between him and his wife (Susan Sarandon). Lopez plays his dance instructor. Shall We Dance co-stars Bobby Cannavale, Lisa Ann Walter and Stanley Tucci.
10. An Unfinished Life (2005)
Based on Mark Spragg’s novel, Lasse Hallström’s Western melodrama tells of a recovering alcoholic rancher (Robert Redford) working to mend a bond with his estranged daughter-in-law (Lopez). An Unfinished Life co-stars Morgan Freeman, Josh Lucas and Damian Lewis.
9. U Turn (1997)
Unfocused, but often hypnotizing, crime thriller U Turn marked a departure from politically charged fare for director and co-writer Oliver Stone. The cast includes Sean Penn, Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Voigt, Nick Nolte, Powers Boothe, Jaoquin Phoenix and Claire Danes.
8. Anaconda (1997)
Some critics trashed Anaconda when it came out. Roger Ebert gave it a glowing review, praising it on the grounds we’ve just described. This ain’t Merchant Ivory; it is a good time.
7. Blood and Wine (1997)
Lopez plays the Cuban mistress of Jack Nicholson’s Alex, a seedy wine merchant, in this well-reviewed neo-noir that also stars Stephen Dorff, Judy Davis and Michael Caine.
6. Antz (1998)
Lopez lent her voice talents to this bug-centric CGI comedy, alongside an all-star cast including Woody Allen, Christopher Walken, Sharon Stone, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Danny Glover and Gene Hackman. Many critics preferred the more adult-friendly Antz over the same year’s rival Pixar production A Bug’s Life.
5. Marry Me (2022)
What a cheery, escapist Valentine’s surprise this is. Kat Coiro’s Marry Me fully delivers on its confidently contrived ambitions. The splashy rom-com is a little too long at nearly two hours, and Sarah Silverman deserved sharper material in a supporting role—but Marry Me is mostly a grin-inducing win. Above all, the outlandish movie works because the performances are so damn good: Lopez is perfect, and Wilson is in full command of the boyish allure that’s made him a star for decades. The chemistry between the veteran actors (mature enough that a bewitching, knowing melancholy seeps through) is understated and even better than expected. Sure, it all feels very 2006—but in a way that’s not so much dated as refreshingly retro.
4. Selena (1997)
Gregory Nava’s musical biopic, about the rise to fame and tragic early death of Tejano music star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, was Lopez’s big-screen breakthrough. Selena is fairly conventional, sometimes feeling like a soap opera—but Lopez is the uncanny embodiment of the subject, who was fresh in the mind of audiences as she was murdered two years before the film’s release.
3. The Cell (2000)
The Silence of the Lambs meets Salvador Dali in Tarsem Singh’s grotesquely violent, strange sci-fi horror picture, which polarized critics when it was released. Watching it today, it’s clearly an ambitious psychological thriller that satisfies on many levels. Lopez plays a scientist who enters the mind of a serial killer (VincentD’Onofrio) to save a kidnapped victim. She’s chameleonic and brilliant here, playing multiple entities as the film gets trippier. Some reviewers have said the surrealist, sometimes S&M-heavy imagery distracts from the story, and that simply isn’t true: it enhances the story. This movie is awesome. Roger Ebert hailed The Cell as one of the best films of 2000, singling out Lopez’s performance, saying she “does a great job of staying calm at the center of the maelstrom.”
2. Out of Sight (1998)
In Steven Soderbergh’s acclaimed comedy thriller, Lopez plays Elmore Leonard’s “tough babe” Karen Sisco, a U.S. marshal who becomes involved with handsome bank robber Jack Foley (George Clooney). Crackling direction, an Academy Award-nominated script by Scott Frank, and unmatchable star power make Out of Sight one of the best crime movies of the 1990s.
1. Hustlers (2019)
Lorene Scafaria’s exciting, funny and humanistic crime picture pulled from real-life headlines was one of the best and most entertaining films of 2019. Lopez’s Ramona Vega, a mother hen with a career criminal edge, is a screen presence we’re all going to remember for a long time. This was a lamentable Oscar snub, one of the most scandalous of recent years. Hustlers is a terrific film; Lopez’s career will continue to thrive. One day she’ll likely have Oscar redemption. What’s your favorite Jennifer Lopez movie? Let us know in the comments. https://parade.com/909110/samuelmurrian/best-queen-latifah-movies-ranked/
