J-Lo is back. Well, to be fair, the multitalented entertainer – real name Jennifer Affleck (née Lopez) after marrying Ben Affleck in July 2022 – didn't actually go anywhere. It's just that her latest movie – The Mother – is now available to stream on Netflix.
What better way to celebrate one of 2023's new Netflix movies making its mark on the platform than by rounding up the actor-musician's best filmmaking hits, too? Especially as we don't expect The Mother to join our best Netflix movies list. By all accounts, it looks pretty generic – which is par for the course for many films Lopez has starred in.
Every actor has their fair share of pretty great films, however, including Lopez. So, to save you the misfortune of sitting through her less-than-stellar offerings, we've rounded up the six best Jennifer Lopez movies to enjoy once you've caught The Mother (or as an alternative to it, we're not judging you) on the world's best streaming service.
Here, then, are the best Jennifer Lopez-starring movies of all time.
Antz
Where to stream it: Peacock (US), Prime Video (UK), and Binge (Australia)
Those of us who were alive in 1998 will remember the theatrical showdown between two heavy-hitting animated films. In one corner was Pixar's A Bug's Life: in the other, DreamWorks' Antz. The latter was a by-product of a massive feud that erupted between the studios. But that's a long story full of legal ramifications for another day.
Antz stars Woody Allen as Z, an idealistic but anxious worker who rises up to save his colony when the arrogant General Mandible (Gene Hackman) threatens the safety of everyone in the settlement.
Okay, so what's Lopez got to do with Antz? Surprisingly, she voiced one of the characters – Azteca – in this CGI movie, a friend of Z and the future girlfriend of Corporal Weaver (voiced by Sylvester Stallone. Yes, the '90s were that surreal).
An animated film that delighted kids and adults alike, Antz was hailed for its dark narrative beats (that termites vs ants battle is brutal for a children's flick), underrated humor, and dazzling visuals. It did okay at the box office, too, and would've performed even better if A Bug's Life hadn't stolen its thunder one month later. Still, it's absolutely worth streaming in 2023, as long as you can stomach the slightly outdated, polygonal-style aesthetic.
Blood and Wine
Where to stream it: Available to rent/buy on Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, and the Microsoft Store in the US (unavailable in the UK and Australia)
J-Lo became an entertainment phenomenon after her musical career took off in 1999. Years before hits like 'If You Had My Love' and 'Jenny From the Block' catapulted her into the limelight, though, Lopez was more known for her acting roles – and her role in Blood and Wine was one of her earliest.
A neo-noir crime thriller, Blood and Wine stars Jack Nicholson as Alex Gates, a wine merchant who plans to steal a valuable diamond necklace to pay off his spiraling debts. Michael Caine and Lopez, the latter who plays Gates' Cuban mistress, Gabriela, are among its starry cast.
Despite its 61% approval rating on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, Blood and Wine is one of Lopez's better films, allowing her evident talents to shine. An underrated *ahem* gem in the Jennifer Lopez movie collection.
Hustlers
Where to stream it: Fubo (US) and Binge, Stan, and Foxtel (Australia). Available to rent/buy on Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft Store, Sky Store, and YouTube in the UK
Arguably Lopez's finest hour on the big screen, Hustlers is a gripping and humorous crime drama that's based on New York magazine's 2015 article titled 'The Hustlers at Scores'.
Lopez leads an all-star female line-up, including Constance Wu, Keke Palmer, Cardi B, and Lizzo, in a flick that sees a group of strippers steal millions of dollars from unsuspecting traders and CEOs. The group does so by drugging their victims at the strip club where they work. Unsurprisingly, it isn't long before things spiral out of control, and once-tight friendships within the group fray at the seams.
Hustlers made a $47 million profit upon its September 2019 release, wowing both critics and moviegoers along the way. The movie's empowering heist drama, intelligent screenplay, and striking visuals helped it stand out from the crowd and many praised Lopez's performance as group leader Ramona Vega. There's a reason Hustlers made it onto many critics 'best films of 2019' round-ups at the end of that year, and Lopez was a large part of it.
Marry Me
Where to stream it: Prime Video, Binge, and Foxtel (Australia), Sky/Now TV (UK), and Peacock (US)
Lopez has starred in a lot of rom-coms over the years, including the recently released Shotgun Wedding on Prime Video (it's not great, hence why it's not on our list). Marry Me, the 2022 rom-com drama from She-Hulk director Kat Coiro, which co-stars Owen Wilson (Loki), is one of the better ones, with a 61% just-about-positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Lopez plays Kat Valdez, a superstar performer with two failed marriages. Valdez embarks on a new tour when one of her songs – the titular 'Marry Me' – becomes the world's latest megahit. Moments before going onstage at a venue, Valdez learns her third fiancé Bastian (Maluma) has been having an affair, leading her to make the most unlikely of decisions. She impulsively chooses to marry divorced maths teacher Charlie (Wilson) – who has been guilt-tripped into attending the concert with a friend and his daughter – after spotting him holding a 'Marry Me' sign.
It's all a bit schlocky and contrived, but Lopez and Wilson make this eventually heart-warming film worth checking out.
Out of Sight
Where to stream it: Binge (Australia). Also available to rent/buy on Amazon, Apple TV Google Play, Microsoft Store, and YouTube in the US and UK
Lopez's finest work (if you rely solely on Rotten Tomatoes for your movie recommendations), Out of Sight is a gloriously smart and well-crafted adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name.
George Clooney stars as bank robber Jack Foley, whose world collides with US Marshal Karen Sisco (Lopez) when the latter discovers Foley and his fellow inmates trying to escape the Glades Correctional Institution in Miami.
To say much more would be to spoil the movie's biggest twists and turns. Rest assured, though, Out of Sight is a clever, surprising, dramatic, and occasionally sexy flick that continued Clooney's rapid rise as a leading Hollywood actor. Lopez, too, gives a career-best display, with acclaimed director Steve Soderbergh (Ocean's Eleven, Erin Brokovich) playing a key role in the pair's stunning performances.
Selena
Where to stream it: Hulu (US). Also available to rent/buy on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft Store, and YouTube in Australia and the UK
Lopez had only been appearing in films (four, to be exact) for two years before being handed her first lead role in Selena. The 1997 biographical musical drama tells the true story of Selena Quintanilla-Perez and her rise to fame as a Tex-Mex music star before being brutally murdered by Yolanda Saldivar at just 23.
Selected for preservation on the National Film Registry by the US Library of Congress in 2021 for its "cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance", Selena is a whirlwind of a movie that occasionally struggles to capture the emotional resonance of the story it tries to tell. But, with a commanding, breakout performance from Lopez, many of Selena's flaws are relegated to the background. One of Lopez's finest acting displays and certainly her best moviemaking work until Hustlers.
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