If you're having trouble understanding Jennifer Lopez's latest movie musical/music video project, “This Is Me . . . Now: A Love Story,” her documentary “The Greatest Love Story Never Told” answers some questions Maybe they can answer it for you. In the doc, Lopez shares the inspiration behind both “This Is Me…Now: A Love Story” and her ninth studio album of the same name (both released February 16th) But she said she ended up setting the record straight. her love life.
“I've been married four times. I'm sure people on the outside looking in thought, 'What's wrong with this woman?'” There was some kind of compulsive behavior. ” Lopez says in the documentary's introduction. “What I painted to the world was, 'Oh, this didn't work out, but it's okay, I'm okay, they're okay too.' And it was all kind of shitty.”
The documentary goes behind the scenes of the making of both the film and the album, with Lopez taking viewers on a journey through her personal life over the past 20 years. She admits that all these back-to-back marriages and relationships were because she wasn't good enough herself.
“I didn't think much of myself, so the world didn't think much of me, and it all came together,” she says through tears.
She also credits part of the inspiration for the self-funded multimedia project with the love of her life and her husband, Ben Affleck, who has appeared in both musicals (as a secret character) and documentaries, to give back. He also revealed that it was. Lopez said she was completely devastated after their 2004 breakup, feeling like she had lost not only the love of her life, but also the best friend she ever had. The intense public scrutiny that followed only made matters worse.
Similar to the musical film, the documentary explores Lopez's love life over the past 20 years, why she continued to seek love, and her love story with Ben Affleck. But more importantly, the film focuses on her journey of self-love and explores why it took her so long to develop a better relationship with herself.
“'This Is Me . “That's the thing,” she says.
In the documentary, Lopez talks about how being the middle child always made her feel the need to prove to her parents and family that she was worthy. She felt ignored by her father, who was always at her job, and her mother, who was always the center of attention. She felt that she was being emotionally neglected, which forced her to become diligent and discipline her, and somewhere along the way, in her growing up, she felt that she was not being received by men. She says that she began to seek her love.
At first, it was hard to believe that Lopez wasn't the same person he was 20 years ago. At least when it comes to her love life and the need to always maintain romantic relationships. Since when has she seen her single? Shortly after she split from baseball star Alex Rodriguez in 2021, she had already been spotted in public with Affleck. Can anyone really overcome their fear of being alone and their desire to be in constant companionship without taking a significant break from dating? I would argue no. However, Lopez admits in her documents that there was a time when she finally accepted her singleness.
There's a scene in the musical in which Fat Joe, who plays her fictional therapist, asks her if she's ever thought about being alone for a while. Her insufferable personality begins to break down in tears. Lopez admitted in the documentary that her scenes with Fat Joe were similar to real-life conversations she had with her therapist.
“I used to be afraid of being alone,” Lopez says. “I didn't know what I was going to do on my own. Who was going to take care of me? Who was going to protect me? One of my therapists said to me, 'I don't know what I'm going to do when I'm alone.' Can I do it?' And I thought, 'I can do it, I can be alone, I can be alone, I can be alone until Christmas.'
Lopez's therapist suggested erasing all potential temptations from her phone. According to Lopez, she listens, gets alone, and does whatever she needs to heal, much like she feels emotionally abandoned as a child. He said he took his time and worked on it carefully.
It's easy for some fans to dismiss Lopez's recent projects (movies, albums, docs) as silly or unnecessary. But after getting more insight into her journey and her struggles with love and relationships, I couldn't help but sympathize with her. I now believe Lopez when she says she has taken time to be alone and heal.
After all, it's clear that she invested $20 million in this project not for her fans or viewers, but for herself. Documenting her own journey was more of a therapeutic act of self-love for her than anything else. Lopez probably didn't announce these projects to get an award nomination or to believe they would be blockbusters. She put it out because it was the last process in her healing journey.
If these projects have any effect, I hope they inspire viewers struggling with self-esteem to take the time to reflect, heal, and give themselves the self-love they deserve. Because after all, the only love we can guarantee in this life is the love we can give to ourselves.