
This week Paul, June, and Jason break down the 2024 Jennifer Lopez movie, This Is Me…Now: A Love Story. In an HDTGM first, June did some extra research and calls out the Capricorn and Aquarius erasure from this movie, while Paul and Jason question Fat Joe’s therapy style and much more.
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Paul Scheer
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Paul Scheer
Why my poop green? We saw this is me now. So you know what that means. Now it's time for.
Jason Mantzoukas
Cause you know, you wonder how did this remain?
June Diane Raphael
Let's wallow in the mediocrity of subpar art. Perhaps we'll find the answer to the.
Jason Mantzoukas
Question, how did this get made?
Paul Scheer
Hello everybody and welcome to how did this get Made? Today we are Talking about the 2024 J. Lo music video film, self produced $20 million Story of Love.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, whoa.
Paul Scheer
Yes.
Jason Mantzoukas
What? This. This cost more than Superbad.
Paul Scheer
Well, it cost more than a lot. A lot of movies. A lot of movies. But to give us a little taste of it, take a listen to this.
June Diane Raphael
So when I was a little girl, whenever someone asked me what I wanted to be when I.
Paul Scheer
My answer was always in love.
June Diane Raphael
I want to be in love. But I learned the hard way not all love stories have a happy ending.
Paul Scheer
And then the motorcycle crashes and the movie begins. But to discuss this all, please welcome my co host, Jason Mantzoukas and June Diane Rayfield. How are you both?
Jason Mantzoukas
Ugh. Well, I mean, we just got back from the meeting of the Zodiacal Council.
June Diane Raphael
And by the way, by the way. Let's start there because I. I really. My only. My only critique of this movie is that Capricorns were not represented.
Paul Scheer
Neither were Aquariuses.
June Diane Raphael
Not at all.
Jason Mantzoukas
I figured they. Because they were all named after star signs. There would.
June Diane Raphael
Jason. They.
Paul Scheer
They didn't have everyone made me mad.
June Diane Raphael
Representation matters.
Jason Mantzoukas
Say this, but my sign was represented by the unequivocal best person at this thing. The pantheon level. God. Jane Fonda playing Sagittarius.
June Diane Raphael
By the way, Jane Fonda is also a Sagittarius.
Jason Mantzoukas
Sag, baby.
June Diane Raphael
So I'm. I'm really happy for you, Jason. But the Capricorn erasure was really hurtful.
Paul Scheer
June. I was furious that there was no Aquarius in this. And I. And I said, well, maybe I missed it. You know, I don't know. I went back as well and I looked the whole thing. I will let you know. The zodiac. Sorry.
Jason Mantzoukas
I believe they called it the Zodiacal Council.
Paul Scheer
Yes, the Zodiacal Council is made up of a lot of interesting people. Like we said, Jane Fonda. We also have Post Malone.
June Diane Raphael
We have Keke Palmer doing it One best moment of the movie. Oh, her Maya Angelou impression.
Jason Mantzoukas
So good. Trevor Noah, Jay Shetty. We have Kim Petras. We have Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Sophia Vargara.
Paul Scheer
I mean, this. It is. You're so.
June Diane Raphael
Who's.
Paul Scheer
You're like, wait, what, what, what? I mean, here, take a little listen. We are the Zodiacal Council, but the stars hold all the power.
June Diane Raphael
The stars can speak their minds, but what is in the deepest recesses of.
Jason Mantzoukas
Your heart is ultimately what will manifest itself. Sometimes I chew my hair same. You know what? You would look hot in bangs.
June Diane Raphael
Leo. Always shooting your shirt.
Paul Scheer
Let her get out there and explore.
June Diane Raphael
The nuptial bells are ringing. What is with this woman and wedding.
Jason Mantzoukas
But.
June Diane Raphael
But by the way, according to the documentary about the making of this movie.
Jason Mantzoukas
Wait, what?
Paul Scheer
You watched that? I did not watch that.
June Diane Raphael
I just. I just. I finished this on a flight and then I got to the hotel room and just been unpacking. I thought, let me put on the making of Wait.
Jason Mantzoukas
Maybe. I think this might be the first time in history that I wanted more.
June Diane Raphael
I sought out more that June has.
Jason Mantzoukas
Done extra homework over the past.
June Diane Raphael
I was actually going to say, can we push a half an hour? Because I think I have to finish this.
Jason Mantzoukas
I would have watched it.
Paul Scheer
I want to watch it too.
June Diane Raphael
What was fascinating is who passed on being a part of the Zodiacal Council. And one of those people who just couldn't find her way into the role was Khloe Kardashian.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, wow.
Paul Scheer
Oh, there's a lot of, A lot of no's in this movie. Like to a point where you're like, she asked so, so many people.
June Diane Raphael
I'm surprised we didn't get a phone.
Paul Scheer
Call at this point.
June Diane Raphael
I will say from Benny Medina.
Jason Mantzoukas
I'm upset. I was cut. I did do this, but I was cut.
June Diane Raphael
I could have been one of the friends. I could have been one. I could have been at the, the Lovers Anonymous, you know, lovesick Anonymous meeting.
Paul Scheer
Look, one thing I'm gonna say just right out of the gate, I have a lot of opinions about what we just watched here, but I will say this. JLO is pretty great.
June Diane Raphael
Oh, she's just amazing.
Paul Scheer
Like, whatever, whatever's happening, I'm on board with, like, she does some, some stuff in this movie that I was just like, I, yeah, I'm okay with this. Like.
June Diane Raphael
And I'm gonna say something. I have supported her for. So I've supported her when no one has. I've supported her when people didn't want her at the actors roundtable with other, you know, Oscar nominated actors and this and that. And I have stood beside her and I enjoyed the hell out of her in this. And watching the docu series, really getting to understand.
Paul Scheer
Wait, it's a series.
June Diane Raphael
Why she did this. Sorry, movie.
Paul Scheer
Okay. I just want to make sure.
June Diane Raphael
I wish it was a series. You really. I've been rooting for her love story. And that's what this is. I've been rooting for her all these years to find love. And that's what this is about.
Paul Scheer
Well, let me just say, just to put a cap on where we started, the celebrities who did not want to be in the council. Taylor Swift, Jason Momoa, Jennifer Coolidge, Lizzo.
June Diane Raphael
Hold on, Paul. I. So we don't know that they didn't want to be in the council because according to the documentary, they were unavailable. And JLO does say, are they really unavailable or do they not want to do it? Because that's what I say when I don't want to do it.
Paul Scheer
And I will say this, they were all shot on green screen. So it did seem like the availability was flexible. It wasn't like they all had to be there on the same day. I'm just in the grand scheme of.
June Diane Raphael
Things, there was in a week of time. I mean, it was again, she's financing this whole thing.
Jason Mantzoukas
I also find JLO incredibly compelling.
Paul Scheer
Sure.
Jason Mantzoukas
You know, like, especially, I will say especially on screen. You know, I am a, at best, very Casual fan.
June Diane Raphael
Yes.
Jason Mantzoukas
I couldn't tell you a JLO song. But that being said, I think she's incredible on screen and is incredible in inside of this, but it is ill conceived as a piece. I felt like, to your point, June, I would have loved it if this was truly a deep dive into the ups and downs of the JLo's romantic life told through song and image. But I think it dead ends trying, but not really, because at a certain point, I think you have to understand that if you're having repeated problems manifesting, engaging, and following through on a successful relationship and it's not working, the problem might be that Fat Joe is your therapist.
Paul Scheer
I was just gonna say, I think it all stems from Fat Joe being a terrible therapist. And that is he is in a cardigan in this and he is like.
Jason Mantzoukas
Doing a multiple act for another therapist. Maybe it's not Fat Joe. I'm just saying I love Fat Joe as a performer, as a rapper. I think he's. He's incredible. Maybe he's not a licensed therapist.
June Diane Raphael
I believe that love never dies and that forever is real.
Jason Mantzoukas
And that as long as I keep. Time's up. Let's pick this back up next week.
Paul Scheer
Wifey's calling once. Hey, what's up, mama?
June Diane Raphael
Let's.
Paul Scheer
Let's check off some reasons why Fat Joe might not be a good therapist. A. He sets an alarm to go off very loudly in the middle of sessions to say, time's up. That's jarring.
June Diane Raphael
And usually most good therapists, they just have. They have a clock nearby, actually, that's just facing them and not the patient.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah.
June Diane Raphael
And just sort of casually glance.
Jason Mantzoukas
He also, the minute their session is over, takes a call from his wife, who is audibly yelling at him about continuing to see JLo and demanding that he stop seeing her while he casually hands JLo, JLo, still in the room, a piece of paper that's like a. Almost like prescription for her to go to Sex and Love. Anonymous. Addicts Anonymous, right? Yeah, something like that. And, and his wife is still like, this is bad form all over the place for a therapist.
June Diane Raphael
And he also, I, I, maybe I missed some backstory with him, but he does seem to. At one point, she is, she's describing a dream she has where she's walking through the Bronx. And, and it's, you know, by the.
Paul Scheer
Way, that was my subway stop. I was very excited about that, Castle. I was like, wow, I could have bu into her. We were from the same block.
Jason Mantzoukas
Poly from the block. Is that why you keep trying to call yourself Polly from the block.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, I was really trying to be. Like, when I was working at my dad's pharmacy, I was also Polly from the block. I would run around, oh, how great.
Jason Mantzoukas
Would it have been if she walked by like a storefront and it was just your dad's pharmacy.
Paul Scheer
Oh, my God, my dad's pharmacy. Z. Stop drugs. Just walking by. Zstop.
June Diane Raphael
Well, her therapist, Fat Joe does. Does remember the store that she references standing in front of. I can't remember what it was called because she says, oh, yeah, she's gone.
Paul Scheer
Deep with Fat Joe.
June Diane Raphael
I remember that. So is he saying, I remember that from your dreams or I remember that because I also am from the block?
Jason Mantzoukas
I think he's saying I'm also from that neighborhood. And she calls him Joe.
June Diane Raphael
He's Fat Joe from the block.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yes, yes. She also calls him Joe, which led me to. Because I also had problems inside of the story being like, am I meant to believe this is a jlo? This is JLO in some sort of personal analysis of her life, or is this a JLO esque character she's settling into?
June Diane Raphael
Well, you want to know the answer?
Jason Mantzoukas
I do.
Paul Scheer
Oh, can I take a guess before you tell us? Yeah, I think it's a fictionalized J. Lo, so it has a lot of similarities, but it's also different. One might even say a doppelganger J. Lo.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, hang on. Now this. Now, hang on.
June Diane Raphael
This is.
Jason Mantzoukas
Now this is interesting.
June Diane Raphael
So again, I didn't get through the whole thing because I have to record this fucking podcast. But from what I saw, she keeps on describing it to people who have many questions. And those people still have those questions.
Jason Mantzoukas
Now after the movie's done.
June Diane Raphael
And she says, well, here's what I actually want to say this on a very positive note. She. When we find her in the documentary a streaming a studio, I don't know who it was Amazon that she had to deal with. It was, I believe it was, yeah, I don't know she had to deal with to finance this movie. Slash, music video. Signed deal, they pull out. Okay. So then she's forced to finance it herself, which Ben Affleck has a lot of feelings about and makes them known. Now she keeps on saying it's. She's so inspired by what's happened to her and her story, which is the Greatest Love Story Never Told, which is a book that Ben Affleck gave her. And in that book, which he titled the Greatest Love Story Never Told, he had compiled all of their emails, all of their texts to Each other, all of their letters to each other over the course of. Not just this current relationship they had, but the 20 year span that went on between the two of them. So when we find Jennifer Lopez in the documentary, she keeps on talking about how the chances of. Of finding this love later on and realizing she had never fallen out of love with him. They had just been on pause.
Paul Scheer
And this is the saddest part of this, is knowing they're no longer together.
Jason Mantzoukas
Wait, what?
Paul Scheer
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Jason Mantzoukas
They've No. I know, I know, I know, I know. I'm an actor, so.
June Diane Raphael
So you are. That was great. So. But the funniest part of the documentary is that she takes that book, that very private book that he's born.
Paul Scheer
Yeah.
June Diane Raphael
This is so tough. You know this part.
Paul Scheer
I know this part.
June Diane Raphael
You know this part.
Jason Mantzoukas
I don't.
June Diane Raphael
Oh, God. It's really tough. So, again, this book is a giant binder.
Jason Mantzoukas
She keeps it a secret for herself, and she only looks at it and shows it to herself to remind herself what love is.
June Diane Raphael
Jason. She takes it to the recording studio.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, boy.
June Diane Raphael
And it's laid out on a coffee table and people are invited to flip through it. And they cut to, like, music supervisors or whoever. And they're like, yeah, I just felt like I was supposed to be reading some of this.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, my God.
June Diane Raphael
And then they have an interview with Ben and he's like, yeah, I mean, I thought that was sacred and private, but it is her process and I. Yeah, he's so deeply uncomfortable.
Jason Mantzoukas
Of course.
Paul Scheer
Well, this. A lot of people point to this movie and Doc and that moment as potentially one of the reasons that frayed their relationship because it is so intensely personal. I think he doesn't want to live that kind of life. I think he wants to live a little bit behind the scenes. And, you know, the first opening scene that we see, you know, or there's a moment in there where J. Lo is burning a love letter that was an actual real letter given to her by Ben Affleck. So she does actually burn it for the movie.
Jason Mantzoukas
You mean in the scene where she's in the LA mansion and it's thunder and lightning out like it always does in la. She's inside at the fireplace, drenched, inexplicably drenched in a gown, and she is burning all the memories that are inside of a Louis Vuitton, like, train case, like a trolley case, a big box.
June Diane Raphael
That's later.
Paul Scheer
That's later. This is in the beginning when she was, I think, out in the desert, because the letter reads life's tough, but you're sweet.
June Diane Raphael
Oh God.
Paul Scheer
Thanks for the gift. Hope you like the flowers. You told me you could never have enough.
Jason Mantzoukas
I believe you and it said I got her number. How do you like those apples?
Paul Scheer
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June Diane Raphael
I mean, it's not a fully. It's not fully a movie.
Paul Scheer
What is it?
June Diane Raphael
Well, that's what the. That's what's so hard is people don't have people watch this without understanding the author's intent. And what does she.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah. Does she elaborate?
June Diane Raphael
Yeah, it's not a. It's not a music video. And it's. It's Purple rain.
Paul Scheer
Well, purple rain's a movie.
Jason Mantzoukas
Purple rain. Well, purple rain has like a narrative thrust that this kind of doesn't have.
June Diane Raphael
I think it does.
Jason Mantzoukas
This feels more to me like something between purple rain and lemonade.
Paul Scheer
As Cody, as Cody said, Cody thinks it's a love letter to her love of dance.
June Diane Raphael
Oh, interesting. Well, I think it was. I think there was a clear narrative. She couldn't find love. She was blaming it on all of these men. It was never working out. She was too quick to commit and to, you know, fall in love with this idea of love. And then, of course, she had to realize, like, she hasn't loved herself.
Paul Scheer
Well, but that, that scene.
June Diane Raphael
Wow.
Jason Mantzoukas
I love that. I love that. I love that idea. And I want to be clear. I love this as a.
Paul Scheer
A thing I'm in.
Jason Mantzoukas
You know what I mean? Like, I like this. You know what it is? It's not in any of the things we just said. It's just a longer thriller.
Paul Scheer
I agree with you.
Jason Mantzoukas
You know what I mean? Like, it has. It has a loose narrative, but is actually really just about dance sequences and songs, which I believe is what's going on.
Paul Scheer
The dance and songs. I'm going to just give an a plus. I don't need to dissect them at all. But I will say, wait, you're giving.
Jason Mantzoukas
The songs just a blanket.
Paul Scheer
A plus across. Like I was. I was enraptured in. Like. I was like, oh, this is fun.
Jason Mantzoukas
By the songs.
June Diane Raphael
He gives both songs an A plus.
Paul Scheer
Well, I don't even know if I'm paying attention to the lyrics at a certain point. I'm watching the dancing. I was all in. I was like, maybe it was. Maybe it was a respite from the. From the heaviness of the plot. But all I'm saying is in like Thriller, it's like there's a moment. Michael Jackson's like, hey, you want to walk down this block? And then they walk down the block and then the Thriller video starts. Like, this goes into like full scene work. I mean, this is. We're seeing scenes. And I'm going to say this. She goes to therapy with Fat Joe. Fat Joe, you know, does what all therapists do. Offer to give her a ride home. I think that probably you shouldn't do.
Jason Mantzoukas
It's raining outside.
Paul Scheer
But now she's got a nice rain jacket. But that's when I knew the movie wasn't about JLo. J. Lo's not walking home or endor taking the bus.
Jason Mantzoukas
She said she's gonna take the bus. That was what blew my mind. And then proceeds to do an homage to Singing in the Rain. Singing in the Rain. The Gene Kelly A Rain A. It's good. It's good. I will say.
June Diane Raphael
I see. That's the only dance sequence I didn't like.
Paul Scheer
Yeah. I didn't like that one either actually too.
Jason Mantzoukas
You just gave it an A. I don't understand what's going on.
Paul Scheer
I know. But I had to ride it. I had to ride it.
Jason Mantzoukas
I don't want.
June Diane Raphael
Because my problem with that sequence was there's no world in which JLO should ever be doing really. It's upsets me even talk about. But there's no. The fact that she was wearing flats for that whole sequence really took me out of the entire piece.
Paul Scheer
Wow. That took you out.
June Diane Raphael
Yeah. And. And it just was so surprising that J. Lo would be in flats and do. I was like, put her in a little bootleg. Put her in a. She was way. And I don't know if it was a safety issue. I don't know what. But it really took me out of things. And I don't think she. But she.
Paul Scheer
It was part of her rain outfit. I would have liked her in rain boots.
June Diane Raphael
Yeah. Better.
Paul Scheer
I mean. But was she. At the end when she did that song and dance, the singing, the rain dance, was that supposed to be in the Bronx or la? Because I believe that, okay, so she is walking home from LA because the.
Jason Mantzoukas
Therapist is in la, sometimes he's in the Bronx. That's what's like, it's all over the place. And that's why, you know, that's why this to me is unsuccessful is because I'm neither clear on what the exact storyline that she's interested in interrogating is beyond the idea that she's gotten to be, you know, middle aged and has three divorces and doesn't know how to do love. Right. That again, is something boy would be wonderful to interrogate. But I don't, I. The songs didn't help me get at that. Like, they weren't helping me. They weren't in service of helping me understand how she was reconciling her difficult feelings or her failures into turning them into successes and so forth I would have liked more.
Paul Scheer
Whereas Thriller, okay, it's like, hey, we're walking home and there's some zombies out there. You know, so like that, like at least lines up like this. This is what I'm saying. It's like we're going, we're really taking like some 180 degree turns. And I think if we're going to discuss it, we should also just start where the movie starts because it does start in the Heart Factory in outer space.
Jason Mantzoukas
No, I think that's in the. I think that's in her body. I think that's meant to be her heart that she has to restart.
Paul Scheer
I thought the correct. I thought that Zodiacal council was like at one point the camera.
Jason Mantzoukas
I don't think the Zodiacal council, I don't know is where the Matrix Revolution style, Rhythm Nation, Janet Jackson, Rhythm Nation style heart, Metal Heart scene takes place.
Paul Scheer
So the heart factory, I believe, is.
Jason Mantzoukas
Inside her chest, within her.
June Diane Raphael
That's what I thought because it's.
Paul Scheer
Okay, so the Heart Factory runs on.
Jason Mantzoukas
Rose colors because it's in. Remember, she's in the motorcycle accident first. And I believe they're saying her heart is stopping because of the injuries in.
June Diane Raphael
The motorcycle accident that ends. She's.
Paul Scheer
Oh, I thought she's.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, I'm sorry.
Paul Scheer
Yes, the motorcycle, the motorcycle accident is a metaphor for heartbreak. Right? She's living the best life. And that guy on the motorcycle, that's Ben Affleck. Right, that's. And Ben Affleck does make a couple of appearances in this, but that I don't, I don't know if that's truly him, or it's a representation of him. Like he is the guy. Because he looks. He has the same Armageddon Ben Affleck.
June Diane Raphael
Character in the documentary. She says this is all loosely inspired, so don't look too closely. Yeah. But also don't. Don't be too far away.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah. And everybody. I think a lot of the people that were cast in it, especially the husbands, are all dancers. It's Derek Hough. It's people who are executing these elaborate, huge dance sequences.
Paul Scheer
Well, let me just, for a second, just talk about this heart factory. Just for a second.
Jason Mantzoukas
All right.
Paul Scheer
So that's inside of her. If that heart factor is inside and.
Jason Mantzoukas
If you haven't watched it, just really imagine Matrix revolutions. Like those scenes, like in. What's this. What's that city called in the Matrix. What they're trying to get to where. It doesn't matter, but it's where the race.
Paul Scheer
You're talking about. Yes. And. And so she's. He has to put on a special suit to get inside the heart chamber because the heart is running on rose petals. Rose petals are in short supply, I guess, because there's also a meter that's running very steampunk esque. Meter. I was upset that there were no men in the heart factory. And I was wondering maybe she could use some men in that heart factory. I don't know. Do women not. Do men have their own heart factory?
Jason Mantzoukas
Are you saying that they needed men to make the heart work?
Paul Scheer
I'm just saying that maybe.
June Diane Raphael
Careful.
Paul Scheer
She. Her counterbalance is that she needs a little bit of men and women in there.
Jason Mantzoukas
Are you saying because men are strong, they need the men, the stronger men to come in, Paul? Is that what you're saying?
Paul Scheer
Hey, like, you. You said it. But if it makes sense to you, then who am I to disagree?
June Diane Raphael
Well, it's within her own heart. So all of those women are ostensibly her versions of her.
Paul Scheer
Oh.
June Diane Raphael
I mean, I guess there could be a very masculine version, but.
Paul Scheer
Well, yeah, maybe that. Maybe that. That's a part of her that she. Because they all looked a little bit like her. And maybe there needs to be. I mean, because here's the other thing. The Zodiac Council is one council.
June Diane Raphael
Zodiacal.
Paul Scheer
Sorry. The Zodiacal Council is one council.
Jason Mantzoukas
Put some respect on their name ball.
June Diane Raphael
And I know you're angry about the lack of representative Aquarians, and I am.
Paul Scheer
There's no men in that heart factory. There's no Aquarius in the Zodiacal council.
Jason Mantzoukas
What the hell is this?
June Diane Raphael
I'll tell you something that I Was just, just. Sorry to interrupt, Paul, but I, as movie's going along, I'm like, wait, did I miss the goat? Where is, where is the Capricorn? Where are the Capricorn?
Jason Mantzoukas
Meanwhile, we have two Pisces. We have Pisces represented in, in two, in two ways.
June Diane Raphael
Well, obviously we have two Geminis. So I'm like, what the fuck? I quickly Google, who's the Capricorn in this is Me now? And it says Lady Gaga. And I. So I spent. You have to understand, I spent the entire movie slash piece waiting for Lady Gaga to come out as the Capricorn.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, so you did it before you. Oh, wow.
June Diane Raphael
Yeah, because there were like two scenes in. I'm like, did I miss the Capricorn? I'm like, I. I have to find out because that's the, you know, that's the big father energy. Who's gonna, who's gonna be playing her? And it said Lady Gaga online. I don't know what happened.
Jason Mantzoukas
I wonder if that was. Yeah, I wonder if that was maybe what they were trying to do or maybe I. Do you think Lady Gaga was cut from this?
June Diane Raphael
I don't know.
Paul Scheer
She didn't, it didn't work. I mean, maybe she just forgot that Lady Gaga said no and. And just kept it in there. Because again, I mean, I'm just. I'm so torn on this movie because there's so. By the minute, you wrestle with the steampunk heart, then all of a sudden you're transported into this magneto prison world that she lives in a glass apartment with a super. She wakes up to Fox News where Ben Affleck is Rex, the anchor of Fox.
Jason Mantzoukas
I feel like Ben Affleck so badly did not want to appear in this movie that he agreed to undergo what had to have been hours worth of prosthetics to be added to his face to see, to be unrecognizable because he.
Paul Scheer
Doesn'T look like a typical. He looks like a milk puppet.
Jason Mantzoukas
He looks like Tom Snyder. He looks like, like he brought them a picture of Tom Snyder and said, give me this.
Paul Scheer
Yes. And he is anchoring the local news. She wakes up in the morning, she's like, okay, I'm in my glass apartment, which is visually very beautiful. And then this guy that she's with, very violent guy who's drinking, seems early in the morning because it seems like dawn when he wakes up. Then they have this like, fight there, but they're torn. I like, I like this. I know everything in this movie is a little heavy handed. But I like them being like tied together. I thought that was a cool visual representation of the push and pull in a relationship. But he also endured. Like he gave me, no, I didn't like this guy. Because the first moment that we see him, he spits on the floor and he punches a hole in the, in the wall. I don't, I didn't find my, my heart pouring out to him. But then they're together. But where did he come from? Because is that another dream or is that real life?
Jason Mantzoukas
Well, I, I guess I would have, I, I agree with you, Paul. And I guess I would have liked it if a lot of these relationships that are depicted inside of the dance sequences, I was better understanding where they fit into the chronological learning or not learning of J. Lo's character in this. Is she learning from each subsequent relationship and getting better? Or what she seems to be saying in therapy and in the intervention is what's wrong with finding someone for the rest of my life? Or what's like, like having these kind of almost like teenage questions and I'm like, well, where are we in the trajectory of your understanding of love?
Paul Scheer
At one point when she's getting married, she's getting married to four different gentlemen that keep on switching back and forth. And I guess they're supposed to be.
Jason Mantzoukas
Well, I think those are just all the different weddings in her life.
Paul Scheer
They are, but.
June Diane Raphael
Well, I can speak to that a little bit if you want to understand from just a financial perspective why certain creative choices were made. So originally they were going to show like a sequence of multiple weddings, different locations. This look, this wedding is on the beach. This wedding's over here. It's multiple locations, giant extras, all of it. And then they ran into some budget issues.
Paul Scheer
Got it.
June Diane Raphael
Which is why creatively they had to readjust. I liked it.
Jason Mantzoukas
I didn't mind that.
Paul Scheer
I thought it was cool looking.
Jason Mantzoukas
That didn't bother me. And I got what they were saying, you know, but again, it almost was, it made them, it made the husbands all so interchangeable in a way that the issue from understanding each of their impact, singular impact on her life for good or bad.
June Diane Raphael
Yeah. And I guess that's what I took away from it in general, which is that all of these men in her life were inconsequential, were sort of faceless stand ins for her needing to greet herself before she could end up with anyone, which she doesn't at the end of the film piece project, you know.
Paul Scheer
Right. So she was married, just so we. Like, she's married four times. She Was married to this guy Ohani Noah. They were married in 1997, divorced seven months later. She was married to Chris Judd. He was a Leo and a dancer. They were married for two years. Then she was married to Marc Anthony for a while. They have two kids. They were 2004, 2011. Then she was married to a Rod, also a Leo. A lot of Leos in here, by the way. If you're. If you're keeping track of the people she's dated. She's dated a Gemini, a Scorpio, a Leo, a Leo, a Virgo, and Aries, a Scorpio, a Leo and a Leo. Ben Affleck is the Leo.
June Diane Raphael
So I'm just gonna say because, you know, Leo men are very interesting. And when we have a son who's Leo. And I was very excited too, because they are usually very in touch with the feminine.
Paul Scheer
Okay.
June Diane Raphael
And so I do find it interesting that. Because she has a very powerful masculine side, and so I do find it really interesting that she is drawn to Leo men.
Paul Scheer
So Ben Affleck, a Rod. They're the Leos in her life. The true love, potentially.
Jason Mantzoukas
Obviously, I know that this is the movie for. For however it was able to turn out that JLO set out to make right, because she is so in control of this. But I think what we're coming up against, or what I will say for me, what I'm coming up against is. And what we're talking about is so much of what she seems curious to interrogate is so interesting and so compelling. But as a. As a. A person to be looking back on their loves and their growth and their emotional growth, all of that's super compelling and interesting to me. The movie didn't capture it enough for me to get invested, but boy do I wish. And again, I know this was not her intention, but boy do I wish that JLO had instead made a. A narrative feature film in which she truly plays a character who is unpacking these same issues. Because this is fascinating territory.
June Diane Raphael
Maybe we'll see that.
Paul Scheer
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Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, I didn't know that.
Paul Scheer
Oh, yeah. And that, to me was, I thought, the most, like, reflective of who she was and where she was. And I will also say that that's, I think, one of her best scenes of acting, too. She's coming home, she's drunk, she's been partying. Diddy's got a gun.
Jason Mantzoukas
What's super interesting.
Paul Scheer
I mean, that is true, they went. They think they both were arrested.
Jason Mantzoukas
But what's hard about the movie as it exists because it's such short time and the. There's. It's so dominated by the songs that, like, all of the. All of the husbands appear to be happening to JLO concurrently almost at the same. In the same period of time. Like, there's no effort to make that slice of it feel as though it is from quite a long time ago. Do you know what I mean? Like, sure.
Paul Scheer
Right. It all feels like it's happening within a week. Right. It doesn't feel like going back and forth. Right. It just seems like she's. Yes, I understand. Like, the timeline of it is weird because it's not all in therapy. Like, she goes to therapy, she leaves therapy, she comes back, she's having dreams. She's having real moments. Fat Joe is changing costumes. Like, we're, we're with her in this whole thing.
June Diane Raphael
Well, that's interesting because in the documentary, there's a great scene between her and Ben Affleck where he's, you know, he's writing on this script, just an FYI, and he's. He's punching it up and they're working on it together. He's on a computer. And I did think it was interesting that she's on an iPad with a detachable keyboard.
Paul Scheer
Got it.
June Diane Raphael
Okay. So that, that's interesting to me.
Paul Scheer
Different ways of approaching the work.
June Diane Raphael
We. Paul and I know somebody who's. Who, like, exclusively works off of an iPad, no computer. And I just find that to be the most reckless way to live. But she's telling him something about the story in the movie. And she's like, yeah, and then I was 28 when this happened. And he goes, no, you weren't. You were older than that. And she's like, no, well, well, no, but the. But the. But I was 28, meaning the character and I'm speaking and I was 28. And he goes, you're telling me that in your own autobiographical film you're making yourself younger? Yeah, it's such a great moment and they have a laugh about it. But it does seem like she's unwilling and I understand and I can appreciate this to nail down ages and times and to be quite honest, she's a woman in her 50s. She couldn't look better.
Paul Scheer
Couldn't look better, couldn't dance better.
June Diane Raphael
She could not look better.
Jason Mantzoukas
But you know what I would have loved? Like what I. One of the things I loved actually was, and I would have liked more of this is when there is a little girl who is representing the little girl jlo, the little Jenny in the world. I would have loved it if there was another actress representing her at a, at a teenage or early 20s. I would. It would have helped me understand the different relationships happening to different age jlos. Rather than it seeming like a woman in her mid-50s is dating 20 something gangster like gun toting Diddy wannabe to, to the Derek Huffs and the Ben Affleck analog and so forth. It all feels like it's happening to.
June Diane Raphael
Her in the present day.
Jason Mantzoukas
It's. It muddies the story because it makes it seem like she's doing all of this in her 40s and 50s and that's just not the case, you know.
June Diane Raphael
Right.
Paul Scheer
Well, let me ask you about this. We have the, the council, we've talked about the council, but she's also surrounded by her friends.
Jason Mantzoukas
I like that you've now just abandoned.
Paul Scheer
Saying zodiacal now she's also by her own friends. The, the biggest thing I had of a problem with in this movie is that JLO doesn't have any friend named Mike. Like, like when she says my friend Mike, I was like, I found that to be the, the, the boldest. I was like, she has a friend named Michelle. She has a friend named Mikael. She. There's no Mike. She's not. And this guy comes on with a British accent. I'm like, this guy is. We'll give him a name. Give him something. Don't call him Mike.
Jason Mantzoukas
That's like in Game of Thrones where there's like all the. There's Tywin Lannister and there's this guy and then there's just a char. Kevin Lannister. Kevin. And they're like, what do you think, Kevin?
June Diane Raphael
Well, I couldn't tell one apart from the other. They all seemed. There were Just simply. I. I think too many.
Paul Scheer
Well, June, that's why they weren't given names. They were giving. It is. Mike is the cynic and the rest don't have names. It's the cynic, the lover, the quiet one, the realist, the idealist, and the fighter. I don't know who the stealing person is. I think that may be the quiet one. The one who's always stealing all the stuff all the time.
Jason Mantzoukas
And I couldn't figure out what they were supposed to represent. You have these two large ensembles, the Friends and the Zodiacal Council. And they kind of are the Greek chorus of the piece. Interesting. But again, doesn't really work. You know, you've got like, the gods of the zodiac sign up in the heavens and you've got the. The. The chorus of friends on the ground, but none of it really adds up to anything. I. I end up caring not at all for the friends, except for even, like, their. Their. The intervention could have been a great scene for those friends to really drill down into character bits or any. I don't know. It just. Just wasn't.
June Diane Raphael
Well, I'm sure you were happy with the Zodiac Council.
Paul Scheer
Always.
June Diane Raphael
There was a Sagittarius.
Jason Mantzoukas
Always. Yeah. I loved this. The Zodiacal Council. Just because they were wearing crazy outfits. They're clearly alone.
Paul Scheer
It's Clash of the Tiger.
Jason Mantzoukas
They're not together style.
Paul Scheer
They're all talking across the circular table. And because they're never gonna be in a shot together, it's always over somebody's shoulder that you don't see. And one of the things I love is they all love Vanderpump.
Jason Mantzoukas
That was funny.
June Diane Raphael
So funny, by the way.
Paul Scheer
And that's what I'm saying. Like, this movie does have, like, a weird sensibility to her. I'm like, that was fun. All right. Well.
Jason Mantzoukas
And that. And that would have made it, I think, a lot more fun if it. If it was interested in having more fun itself, you know, if the movie's tone was closer to the movie that Kiki Palmer is in. You know what I mean? Like, who I think is so funny and so. And is doing such funny stuff. Again, alone in a vacuum. I'm sure. But that's interesting also at the end.
Paul Scheer
Has a funny outtake on. Like, you have me saying the craziest shit.
Jason Mantzoukas
Like, oh, there's a. There's a thing where Sofia Vargara says, I think this is the weirdest thing I've ever done. Or something like that, by the way, did you.
Paul Scheer
There was one person I didn't recognize in that council, and that was played by guru to the stars, Sadhguru. Do you know Sadaguru? I didn't know Sadhguru.
Jason Mantzoukas
No. I looked it up as well, though.
Paul Scheer
Okay. Sadhguru was paid $200,000 for his appearance in the Zodiacal Council.
June Diane Raphael
Whoa, that's a lot.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, a lot. He is a.
Jason Mantzoukas
Who is he?
Paul Scheer
I mean, the way that it is described to me is he is the guru to the stars. I don't. I mean, and look, he looks. He has got a non profit.
Jason Mantzoukas
I w. I wish that they had just cast Mike Myers as. As the love guru.
Paul Scheer
I would. I mean, by the way, it would have been.
June Diane Raphael
Yeah, that would have been great.
Paul Scheer
He was unfortunately busy.
June Diane Raphael
Maybe Rob Huebel could have stepped in one of the stars.
Paul Scheer
He has a unique approach to blending science with spirituality, which actually resonates with a global audience. Rather than dismissing modern science, he often incorporates scientific perspectives into his teaching, using them as a framework for deeper spiritual understanding. So I imagine that him and Neil DeGrasse Tyson are really getting along on that zodiacal council.
Jason Mantzoukas
It was. I thought there was something interesting. The movie again comes in at an hour and change. Like it is short. It is a. It is a one hour and change movie and it is, you know, mostly just long form music videos. That being said, there are all these kind of scenes, but it starts interestingly with not the zodiacal counselor. Not these kind of big thematic elements, but I thought a really smart and interesting thing, which is this fairy tale, this. This. This fairy tale about Alita and. And what that story is. And I was like, oh, that's a great way to frame this. That's a great through line. It does not. It's not a through line. It's not. It comes back near the end. But I was like, tell me your story through the. Through the lens of this fairy tale. That I understand that I get. That's something I can wrap my head around. But I didn't think that the scenes were a necessarily. Maybe I'm wrong. A necessarily a depiction of the events of Alita's journey in the fairy tale and, And J. Lo putting herself inside of that, which would have been interesting.
June Diane Raphael
I thought that that fairy tale was showing us how obsessed with falling in love she was as a little girl and how it felt like that was going to be her destiny and then she never found it. I mean, most of the scenes that are not like the dance sequences are not. Except for when she comes in rather tipsy, they're not that compelling. Except for the scene with the little girl.
Jason Mantzoukas
Great.
June Diane Raphael
And I'm not gonna lie, I teared up. Now, my one question, though, is when she's singing with the little girl, the little girl is singing in the. In the. In the piece, but there's no sound.
Jason Mantzoukas
To her voice, so she's like, lip syncing. Lip syncing.
Paul Scheer
Well, because you don't want to hear her sing.
June Diane Raphael
I would have loved.
Paul Scheer
No, it's a J. Lo.
June Diane Raphael
I didn't want to hear her sing. I was like, it is J.
Jason Mantzoukas
Lo.
Paul Scheer
You are hearing her sing. J. Lo was singing.
June Diane Raphael
Yes, but I thought it was so strange to have her mouth moved.
Jason Mantzoukas
I agree with you. Because what I feel like is that is in microcosm. The problem with the movie. The movie would have been narratively more compelling if the little girl, Jenny, had a voice. If. If. If the little girl herself had a voice. But at the end of the day, what we're doing is selling these songs. You know what I mean?
Paul Scheer
Jerks don't get this movie. And it makes me upset to even fucking talk to you about it. You're. You're put.
Jason Mantzoukas
Wait, are you quoting the Reddit? Are you reading from the Reddit?
Paul Scheer
Tell you what, that scene is, all right? She had to become a singer for someone to give her love because she didn't give herself helpful of. And you're saying, oh, we want her to sing. No, she's not a. Well, only.
Jason Mantzoukas
No, no, she doesn't have a voice.
Paul Scheer
She only is doing that singing because no one. Because she didn't love herself. And by the way, did she figure it out? Like, Fat Joe's a bad therapist. He should have said you didn't love yourself. She figures it out. She spent all this money on Fat Joe Couples therapy.
June Diane Raphael
Well, the role of a good therapist is for you to be able to come to your issues on your own. So.
Paul Scheer
So you think Fat Joe, that Fat Joe is. Fat Joe is a good therapist because.
Jason Mantzoukas
He a fires her, but then does bring her back and see her after his wife had made him. Has made him fire her. JLo, that is. But then also, Fat Joe is, I believe, all of the couples therapists for her marriages also correct.
June Diane Raphael
Yes.
Jason Mantzoukas
You should have your own.
Paul Scheer
Right? You can't.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah, you should not. You shouldn't be seeing one of your therapists as your also budget couple.
Paul Scheer
Budget issues.
June Diane Raphael
I agree.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, I'm sure you're right. That was the same as the weddings, I'm sure. But that being said, I was like, at this point, Fat Joe.
June Diane Raphael
That's what Paul said to me. Budget issues. We have to go see my therapist.
Paul Scheer
As a matter of fact, I do half of my session. I bring June in, Vera Capper at the end and we get out of there. Just got to save money.
Jason Mantzoukas
Once the alarm goes off, June pokes her head in for five minutes of, of quick, of quick downloading. Time's up.
June Diane Raphael
Let's pick this back up next week.
Paul Scheer
Now, is she going to a hopeless romantic like an AA for romantics or an AA for sex addicts or aa? Like, I mean, is it just.
Jason Mantzoukas
I think it's sex and love. Anonymous sex and love.
Paul Scheer
So she is addicted to sex? A little bit, I think. Love.
Jason Mantzoukas
She's addicted to love. I think the movie is, movie is telling us that she is so addicted to falling in love and finding that love and being in love. That, that, that is the thing that she, that is the cycle she seemingly can't get out of that she can't find a love that is, will last, will go the distance. Right. That she is always in this limerence period or this, this, the, the, the, the electricity of, of falling in love, you know, or finding, thinking you found that love. Does that sound right or am I misrepresenting it?
June Diane Raphael
I think that's right, Jason.
Paul Scheer
You know, I, I, I mean she, when she puts it all together at the end.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, sorry, can I just jump in one second? Because I wrote down something that someone says in the thing. She is re, she's, you know, she's saying, you know, it's the intervention. She's saying, what's wrong with wanting to spend your life with someone, blah, blah, blah. And it's, it's the idea of romantic love versus real love.
Paul Scheer
Right.
Jason Mantzoukas
You know what I mean? Like the, the idea of the, the ideas of around romance versus what a long lasting, lifetime loving relationship actually looks like, versus the music video versions of love that are, you know, dance sequences and that have all this big emotionality to them, if that makes sense.
June Diane Raphael
Well, I also think, you know what, what I thought was cool about the very end was that after realizing that she is not able to find love or real love, that that's based in reality without loving herself. You know, she was also, once she came to that conclusion and decided to love and take care of herself with that little girl part of her, you know, the other thing she was able to do was to genuinely be happy for someone else who had found it.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yes. At the Burning man wedding at the end.
June Diane Raphael
That's right.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yes. And you'll also notice that in that same section of the film, we do in fact Cut back to the interior of the metallic heart matrix world in which she has successfully rebooted the heart. She has successful. She. I don't know either, but she successfully rebooted the heart. Put a petal in there or whatever it is, and then she comes out and the roses are blooming and she's figured out how to love herself.
Paul Scheer
This is what makes it so bad.
June Diane Raphael
There's some sort of container. There's some container of petals that she was able to bring into the atrium and drop off and somehow.
Jason Mantzoukas
But then they come out and like the fields, the fields are rich with roses that are growing from the ground, whereas before those fields.
Paul Scheer
Okay, fallow. And again, I just have to keep on saying that as we talk about this, but a lot of imagery here. A lot of imagery. But I also want to say it makes it even more sad that she is now divorced from Ben Affleck, like, after this.
June Diane Raphael
It doesn't actually.
Paul Scheer
Why?
June Diane Raphael
Because. So I thought about that a lot watching it, because I was like, is she going to end up with him at the end of this? Because at the end of it, she is on her own.
Paul Scheer
Okay? So she is without. Like, she doesn't need a man to fill that void because she's figured out.
June Diane Raphael
I believe, in, in the world of this story, in her mind, she needed to complete this journey in order to come back to him. That's the part we didn't see. Right.
Paul Scheer
Because she needed to be full before she could be. And I, and I, and I love that idea. But here's my question, by the way.
June Diane Raphael
They might get back together. I would not.
Paul Scheer
Wow. You heard it here first. You heard it here.
June Diane Raphael
I heard it here first. I would not rule it. I would not rule it out.
Paul Scheer
I think we said Helen Mirren was going to be in Fast and Furious and we were right. This could be the second one.
Jason Mantzoukas
Why does everybody in this movie put sunglasses on at the same time? That is everybody in the scenes, the zodiacal council. After a certain point in the movie, everybody's just inexplicably wearing sunglasses. I. I couldn't figure it out.
June Diane Raphael
Well, I do know in the heart sequence, when. I believe that was at the end when all of the roses were everywhere. They were wearing rose colored, rose tinted glasses.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, so you think that's it? They're looking at the world through rose colored glasses? Which, by the way. Yeah, that is very. I, I like that. But that is actually unreliable then, because to look at the world through rose colored glasses is actually to not be looking at the world as that usually is something you say about someone who is attributing a false sense of positivity to the world that they're in. Right?
June Diane Raphael
I think that's true. But in the case of. Of the Artist, which is what Jennifer Lopez's character is named, in the case of the Artist, she. Her heart needs to believe that it's possible again, which she does.
Paul Scheer
I'm going to just say. I just. Yeah, I mean, I just. I. So I. I did do a little research on the hummingbird thing. As we were talking about it here. It seems like J. Lo kind of made up that story. It's kind of true, kind of false. It's a little bit more like Romeo and Juliet and a little bit like Pocahontas in a way, too. It's a mixed story, but it is that same idea that this bird is always looking for love and the hummingbird is looking for his lost love. And I think that that's J. Lo. It's weird that J. Lo's mom told her the story and cast her as the girl when she actually is the. I think that J. Lo is the hummingbird.
June Diane Raphael
That's interesting.
Jason Mantzoukas
It leads the story. The legend of the hummingbird, which is the Alita story, is the story. Like you said, it's a Romeo and Juliet. It's a taboo love between the Alita character and someone from a rival tribe. Their forbidden love leads to Alita being transformed into a beautiful red flower and the man into a hummingbird forever searching for her among the blossoms. That is the fairy tale of Alita. Well, which is interesting to me because it's. It's that. That I didn't get from the movie, which is that she's waiting for the one man she fell in love with. I guess that's. That is Ben Affleck. She's been waiting for him to find her in and amongst the. The roses that she's been mixed in with. Is that right?
June Diane Raphael
I think.
Jason Mantzoukas
I think so, too.
Paul Scheer
But she wasn't ready to be sniffed properly.
Jason Mantzoukas
Wait, where did you.
June Diane Raphael
First of all, don't ever say that again.
Jason Mantzoukas
Where did you put the words? Where'd you get sniffed from?
Paul Scheer
Well, you know, like a hummingbird is kind of dipping its wick in everything.
Jason Mantzoukas
You know, like, you think hummingbirds are sniffing with a wick with their little nose.
Paul Scheer
What do you mean with a wicky nose?
Jason Mantzoukas
You think a hummingbird the. The thing. Okay, so what's a toucans thing called a wick as well?
Paul Scheer
No, that's a beak.
Jason Mantzoukas
Okay, so you think a Hummingbird doesn't have a beak. It's got a wick.
Paul Scheer
I think it's a little wicky thing. Yeah, like a little wicking.
Jason Mantzoukas
Like a John Wick.
Paul Scheer
Yes.
Jason Mantzoukas
I mean, look, I'm not tick tock, Mr. Wick. I don't understand what's going on here.
Paul Scheer
So they want to beak it. The hummingbird wants to beak all these flowers. Right.
Jason Mantzoukas
Well, it's looking for his true love. He's looking for Alita, but I think.
Paul Scheer
She'S looking for a leader.
Jason Mantzoukas
All the other roses behind her.
Paul Scheer
That's what I think she's doing. She's got to chase.
Jason Mantzoukas
I don't think they both are.
Paul Scheer
I don't think he's. We don't see anything about this guy.
Jason Mantzoukas
Well, he goes off and marries Jennifer Garner.
Paul Scheer
We have not even in the movie.
June Diane Raphael
And Anna.
Paul Scheer
Wait, they got married?
Jason Mantzoukas
I don't know. Did they get married?
June Diane Raphael
No, but. No, but they were together for a while.
Paul Scheer
He's definitely had a lot of relationships. I'll say this. The. I don't know what Rex represents, and I actually find it to be confusing. This is a final thought that I have on this.
Jason Mantzoukas
Who's Rex?
Paul Scheer
Ben Affleck's character on the Fox News Channel.
Jason Mantzoukas
I didn't know that was his name. Sorry.
Paul Scheer
No, I mean, it was pretty clear. Jason. Rex is clearly.
Jason Mantzoukas
Wait a minute. What?
Paul Scheer
Yeah, Rex, who hosts his morning show, Rex Stone. He also was the biker, by the way. He did actually play the bike biker.
June Diane Raphael
He did.
Paul Scheer
He did. According to this.
June Diane Raphael
IMDb Interesting.
Paul Scheer
Okay, so what is Rex representing? That we are the. The tabloids attacking her?
Jason Mantzoukas
That's what I assumed. But. But the very few times we cut to him, I didn't feel like what he was saying was really on any point that I was clued into. It just felt like superfluous filler. I. I don't know. It didn't feel targeted or sharp enough. I don't. I'm not sure.
June Diane Raphael
Yeah, I don't know.
Jason Mantzoukas
And especially because it was Ben Affleck. I was trying to find other meaning in it as well. I was like, why is the. Her husband, her actual current husband inside of this structure? Why is he right? Like, what's this supposed to be telling?
Paul Scheer
I feel like we don't really even get a chance to see the biker in the story. One last thought here. I will say this. The greatest love story never told. That's a documentary about the making of this Is Me now. That comes in at an hour and 26 minutes. So it is a longer. The documentary is Longer.
Jason Mantzoukas
It's incredible. We gotta do the documentary for a last looks at it.
Paul Scheer
I would love.
June Diane Raphael
I mean I actually, I'm really enjoying.
Jason Mantzoukas
Can we. Can we agree that we'll all three get together for a brief conversation in a future.
June Diane Raphael
Yes.
Jason Mantzoukas
Mini episode to just talk about the doc? Because I will watch that.
Paul Scheer
Oh, I want to watch it tonight.
June Diane Raphael
I also just want to say two things. Where was Leah Remini her best friend?
Jason Mantzoukas
Wait, in reality, her best friend.
Paul Scheer
Wait, she's probably one of. She's probably the lover or the quiet one or the. Maybe is Leah Remini the thief played by.
June Diane Raphael
I mean, where.
Jason Mantzoukas
Why isn't she physically. Why isn't she Aquarius or whatever.
June Diane Raphael
Jlo. So JLO and Marc Anthony were at Anthony. We're at Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's wedding. And this. The. What happened there with JLO and Leah Remini not being seated at the same table has basically caused the downfall of Scientology because Leah Remini questioned it and trying to get them to all sit together. Katie Holmes reportedly Remini having some like conflict with the wedding planner. And then Leah Remini got reprimanded by Tom Cruise and others and it made her so upset that she started questioning the infrastructure altogether. But yeah, JLO and Leah Remini have been friends forever. So I thought it was odd.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, I didn't know that.
June Diane Raphael
That she wasn't in the movie.
Paul Scheer
Here's why. June, you ready for it? They had a very big falling out. No. When JLo got together with Ben Affleck because she expressed to him. She expressed to her she was not. She didn't think that he was coming from the right place. Oh, no.
Jason Mantzoukas
And so wait, Leah Remini thought Ben Affleck was there for the wrong reason, right?
Paul Scheer
Yes. She said he was selfish and not fully committed as a partner. So they did not go to the wedding. They had not spoken.
June Diane Raphael
Okay, so I'm behind on all this.
Paul Scheer
But then when Leah Remini got her divorce. They have recently reconnected. They buried the hatchet.
June Diane Raphael
I've always rooted for them as friends.
Paul Scheer
So for two years they've been apart. But they had a long heart to heart conversation.
June Diane Raphael
Good.
Paul Scheer
And they couldn't believe they were both in the middle of a divorce. And they rekindled their friendships. So that is really good. And look. And by the way, a good friend to get out in front of that. And she was right. She was right.
June Diane Raphael
Well, listen, it's all a part of the journey. I still think that. God damn it. They might find their way back to each other again.
Jason Mantzoukas
I hope So I hope so. I hope so. Whenever they get together, they do seem happy, you know, which is kind of amazing. But, boy, like this, there was something. I found this film to be kind of impenetrable.
June Diane Raphael
Yeah. That's why I think it'll be interesting to fin. Well, for me to finish and for you all to start the companion piece.
Jason Mantzoukas
I think I'm gonna get way more out of the documentary. I think that's gonna be what I want, which is actual conversation about actual feelings.
June Diane Raphael
Yes.
Paul Scheer
Right.
June Diane Raphael
And I do think, visually, there's a lot in here and they talk about in the documentary that is, you know, a reflection on her other album, this Is me. It's like 20 years later, however. However long later. We're getting some visual references that take us back to the other album, and there's a lot going on that they get into. And by the way, I kind of think it's fine to have a documentary or a companion piece to then watch another piece with. And I have to say, I do appreciate. And you get to know more about it in the documentary. J. Lo trying something.
Jason Mantzoukas
Sure.
June Diane Raphael
And you get to hear about how scared she is of this failing.
Jason Mantzoukas
But imagine. Imagine if these songs were great. Like, have it. Forgive me. Have any of these songs been hits and I'm just unaware of it. Like, if these were. Like. If this was a. Like Lemonade, if this was a series of songs that were undeniable, then we would be having a very different conversation.
Paul Scheer
You know, this is the thing that makes it even more of an issue is, you know, she wanted to go out on tour with this album.
Jason Mantzoukas
And this was the canceled tour.
Paul Scheer
Yes, this is the canceled tour. Yeah. So then when she realized that it wasn't working, she said she changed it from this Is Me to this Is Me Greatest Hits. And then it just. Yeah. And then canceled.
Jason Mantzoukas
I'm so looking forward to the. To the documentary, because I do think that's where. That's the movie I wanted to be watching, you know, for sure.
June Diane Raphael
And then. And it's. It's hard, right, because, like, you look at Beyonce and what she's able to do visually and what she was able to do with Lemonade and what she's able to do with her songs and her dancing and how sort of iconic and, like, the visual language she has created around her music has been so effective. And it feels like JLo is so inspired by that that she wanted to do it, too. And then she was also, you know, to me, watching the documentary, I'm like, oh, there's A sweetness to seeing this woman who's so drunk in love, you know, and who's like, I'm 50 and I figured it out, and I want to share it. It. And it's very. It's very endearing, and it's. But it's just not. It's not lemonade.
Paul Scheer
Well, I guess what you're saying is maybe she needs to get off that iPad and maybe get onto, you know, maybe final draft. Final draft. Get on to some sort of a laptop of some kind. Because I don't know if an iPad's gonna let you go that deep. That's all I'm saying is, like. I know what you're saying.
June Diane Raphael
Honestly, there's so many creative limitations to an iPad. This is real. It's true.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah.
June Diane Raphael
You can only do so much on an iPad.
Paul Scheer
I mean, it's just gonna. By the way, I just Googled Beyonce laptop. There's multiple images of Beyonce with a laptop, carrying it into locations. On a bed, typing at a kitchen counter. Beyonce's on a laptop. Of course she's carrying. She's carrying a laptop around with, like.
June Diane Raphael
A 16 to 18 inch.
Jason Mantzoukas
Wow. And I'm not. I'm not saying it's either Beyonce or JLo.
Paul Scheer
There's so many pictures of Beyonce with a laptop.
Jason Mantzoukas
It doesn't have to be team Beyonce or Team JLo. These are both iconic performers of our time. But I. I just did. This was not sticky. I don't remember the songs, and the stuff felt a little derivative of other things.
Paul Scheer
I'm gonna say one more thing. I just typed in JLO laptop. It's only for movies. Then I typed in Taylor Swift on laptop. Taylor Swift's on tons of laptops. Everyone's on laptops, J. Lo.
June Diane Raphael
Wow. This could be the problem.
Jason Mantzoukas
Wow.
Paul Scheer
Get JLO a laptop. Fat Joe should have said, your issue is not having a laptop.
Jason Mantzoukas
His prescription should be don't go to Sex and Love Anonymous. It should be, here's a MacBook Pro. Get JLo and Final Draft. Get her final draft and a final draft license. But it runs out in three months, and it's won't work.
Paul Scheer
Oh, my God. Obviously we have opinions about this movie. There are people out there with a second opinion. Is now time for second opinions?
June Diane Raphael
The movie was a piece of.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yet this person recommends it. Tell me, what is the message? Maybe that art is subject. I need a second opinion.
Paul Scheer
All right, this is me now. Love Story. The average rating is 3.6 out of 5 stars. There are 476 total reviews. This is a Film that is on Amazon. So easy to review it because you don't even have to leave the the place. 61% are 5 star reviews. The first one from ML is from Mike the Cynic's mom who said Mike the Cynic is awesome. Five stars.
June Diane Raphael
That's sweet.
Jason Mantzoukas
That's cute.
Paul Scheer
And then we go to Robin Glasgow who writes Brittany, Beyonce, Janet, respect you as performers, but J. Lo 8. I've watched it 5 times. Anyone who rates us below 5 stars was never a dancer, never been heartbroken, doesn't get artistry, has zero creativity, or is a Taylor Swift fan. 5 stars. Jenny owns the block.
Jason Mantzoukas
Wow. Wow. That's. That is. That's a huge statement.
Paul Scheer
Huge.
Jason Mantzoukas
That's.
Paul Scheer
She ate eight Emily jh. I'll read her title as the introduction line because that's how they wrote it. If you don't enjoy watching a 51 year old woman dance like nothing else matters. Paul Note she's 55 then maybe this isn't for you. But if you think, damn, I didn't know Jennifer Lopez could be that real within the first 10 minutes and proceed to watch the movie three times in a row because it's just that gorgeous. You might be a complete movie nerd like me. Seriously candidate for best film since the Truman Show. Funny.
Jason Mantzoukas
Whoa. Not if you gave me one month.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, that was a tough one to get.
June Diane Raphael
And unlimited guesses Ferb come to that. Wow.
Paul Scheer
Funny because I tried to listen to the album on its own and I was like, yeah, still not a J. Lo fan. Yet somehow this was transformative. And yet it has cheesy moments.
June Diane Raphael
That is interesting.
Paul Scheer
No one stands up and gives a moving speech in the first time they walk into a 12 step group. But the dance number that followed nailed the room. I watched that scene alone probably 10 times now. I shocked you with the Truman show thing. Get ready for this. Therapists out there. Fantastic inner child scene that I've already used in my sessions. What? So this is a therapist bringing it in.
Jason Mantzoukas
Fat Joe.
Paul Scheer
Is it?
Jason Mantzoukas
Is that Fat Joe? Fat Joe. Fat Joe.
Paul Scheer
Bonnie Blue writes for less than 50 minutes long. This packed a big punch for me. Never have I been a JLO fan, but this woman is so talented and has matured and grown. Wasn't sure about the beginning, but now I get it. Love the songs, the theme, the approach, the costumes, the humor, the astrological side theme and surprise appearance of actors that I know. And at the end, when I found out who Ben Affleck was in the movie, I belly laughed. At the end I kept smiling when she quote unquote, got it. And that she has the courage to attend a 12 step meeting. That was awesome. I hope that helps others do that too. Maybe this is not a real 12 step through. I know, I know. Maybe because I've always been a total romantic. Maybe because I've been married and divorced three times. 2. I used to think of myself as a three time loser. But maybe because I believe in miracles and signs. Although mine come from God. And I know that love is the greatest gift that we can give and receive in this life. Romantic love is just one expression of it. I love this movie and considered purchasing the CD. The songs are great. I've read that JLo isn't a great singer. Well, she is now. P.S. that scene at the end when she does a takeoff on Gene Kelly's singing in the Rain. That was wonderful. Respectful of the original, but in her own style. We'll watch this again and again. Bonnie Blue. Outstanding.
Jason Mantzoukas
Wow.
June Diane Raphael
Isn't Gene Kelly kind of in tap.
Paul Scheer
Shoes in that number and singing in the Rain? No, he's like in boots, I believe. Right. Because he's like hitting the rain. Right. I don't think he's just like.
June Diane Raphael
I felt like it's. I. I don't know. I just. I was so taken out by the shoes.
Jason Mantzoukas
I'm pretty sure he's in heels.
June Diane Raphael
Shoes.
Jason Mantzoukas
I'm pretty sure he's in stiletto heels.
June Diane Raphael
He's in what I wanted her to be in. Well, I do want to watch a 55 year old woman down months and sure I. I do. I want to watch that.
Paul Scheer
I will say, to answer June's question, Gene Kelly seems to be wearing loafers. And then he went in and dubbed his own tap dancing sounds afterwards.
June Diane Raphael
That's fine. But to me, that's what that sequence needed desperately was the sound of shoes hitting the ground. I mean that, that to me is like. That's Gene Kelly. That's. You know. And it seemed like she was wearing ballet flats. Anyway, I'll move off it.
Paul Scheer
And the final thing I just wanna bring up, and we didn't talk about it at all, is when she is lip syncing or movie syncing the Barbra Streisand scene from the Way We Were. That was an interesting moment. I enjoyed that too. I thought that was a very interesting moment. And. But then.
Jason Mantzoukas
Well, that was. Again, that was one of the moments that I felt like this is real.
Paul Scheer
How much money do you think that cost for her to license that into her movie? Cause that's a pretty big movie.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, yeah. I don't know.
Paul Scheer
I read Barbra Streisand's book, and for her to even get her hands on some of her old work, I think she did a restoration of that or did some sort of tweak on that. And it was a monumental task to get her to kind of get in there and tinker this. And so I wonder. I mean, this movie seems like it spent a lot of money on gurus.
Jason Mantzoukas
And on random stuff. Random stuff. And digital effects and all those things. Like, they must have spent millions and millions of dollars just building those glass boxes and those glass houses and all that stuff that is just Digital.
Paul Scheer
And Neil DeGrasse Tyson needed a special kind of sunglasses because he refer. He refused to wear any sunglasses that wouldn't block out the moon and the sun for real. He was very. He was like, if I'm going to wear these sunglasses, I want it to be truthful to the sunglasses that I would be wearing. Yeah. So that was a very expensive too. Any final thoughts?
Jason Mantzoukas
Everybody's out of their goddamn minds.
Paul Scheer
Anybody, any final thoughts? Oddly, I loved it. I would watch it again. I kind of am like, it's one of those ones where there's so much of a person in this that I also felt, like, oddly connected to her. I was fascinated by it. I think I do need the chaser of the doc to understand. I don't know if I. I mean, it's ham fisted. Yes. But I also kind of feel like there's stuff I don't get.
June Diane Raphael
Yeah, I agree. I think it. It will be interesting to finish the doc and to. You know, I think this requires you to approach it in a different way. I think that it's not music video enough and it's not like narrative film enough to like, satisfy either of those wants, but it is something a little different. And I think that. That it's very hard to not watch her. It's. She is incredibly compelling. And I want to see. I guess what I walked away with mainly is. Oh, I want to see her act more. I want to see her in out of Sight again. You know, I want to see her again.
Jason Mantzoukas
I want to see her elevating things that are not good the way she does. Like, I like that movie Marry Me that she did with Owen Wilson is not a very good movie, but she makes it very watchable like that.
Paul Scheer
She was great in Hustlers.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah, she's. She's done great stuff. But, yeah, I would love that. And I would. I would even love it in service of a story like this. A story about a woman in middle age confronting the. The failures of love's past and future and present. You know, like, that's an interesting story to me. I would love JLO herself to do it in a movie.
Paul Scheer
Here's what I'll finally say. We haven't put no reference to Gigli in this at all. And I feel like that should have been to Gigli. To Gigli. I feel like there should have been a moment where we referenced Gigli. I mean, right? I forgot about it. You might be up for something good where J. Lo is coming out with Kiss of the Spider Woman this year.
Jason Mantzoukas
Oh, okay. Yeah, okay.
June Diane Raphael
Okay.
Paul Scheer
Bill Condon.
Jason Mantzoukas
Yeah.
Paul Scheer
Big. She's starring with Brett Goldstein right now in a movie called Office Romance. I mean, there's. There's some big shots here.
Jason Mantzoukas
Fantastic.
Paul Scheer
Some stuff coming up for JLo.
Jason Mantzoukas
I will say this just in. In a. In a recommendation in a similar vein, a movie that I think is a sim. It's only a half an hour long, but it is all in. It's all music and a performance. And it is the Mike Mills movie. I am easy to find. And it is all the Nationals music, the band, the national, but it features at its center an Alicia Vikander performance.
June Diane Raphael
Oh, cool.
Jason Mantzoukas
And the idea of the movie, through these songs, is that it charts her life from birth to death.
Paul Scheer
Wow.
Jason Mantzoukas
And it's incredibly moving.
June Diane Raphael
Is Miranda July in this?
Jason Mantzoukas
No, she is not.
June Diane Raphael
I was thinking about Mike Mills, and I was thinking about Miranda July's last novel, which features her obsession with a dancer. And so that's why. That's what I was thinking about.
Jason Mantzoukas
I think that book is incredible. And I think all of the Miranda July stuff Prior is just like, yeah, I think this.
June Diane Raphael
This one was her best.
Paul Scheer
All right, people, we are on the road. How did this get made? Is coming to a town maybe near you, maybe not near you. Go to hdtgm.com we just also announced a Toronto date in May. Get your tickets there. Movies will be announced about a week before the film, but San Francisco, Austin, Seattle, Portland, Idaho. We're. We're coming. We're coming for you now. Yeah.
Jason Mantzoukas
Is there any truth, Paul, to the fact that Canadian shows are going to be 25% more expensive now?
Paul Scheer
Well, but they're going to be 50% more funny. Like, that's. We're like, yeah, the tariffs.
Jason Mantzoukas
The tariffs are comedy tariffs.
Paul Scheer
Yeah, the comedy tariffs are different. We have to be funnier now. Even though the tickets are more expensive. Again, I guess that was what the pm, the Prime Minister of Canada, Sent down to us. If we're coming in, we got to be funnier. It is the Doppelganger tour, so Jess Sinclair will be joining us on those. I will say that we have brand new stuff in the store. We have this amazing shirt on the, like, on the pocket of the shirt is, is Mickey Rourke being held by that winged angel, Megan Fox, which I love. We also have a shirt that just simply says Doppelganger. Anything else we want to plug? Get out there. Anything at all?
Jason Mantzoukas
I will plug, obviously, our tour, but I'll also plug Invincible Season 3 on Amazon prime and Taskmaster Season 19 coming on YouTube and the Taskmaster app in. When is this coming out, Paul?
Paul Scheer
I have no idea.
June Diane Raphael
On March 21st.
Paul Scheer
Also, you can watch Dark Web every week. It's a show that I'm doing with Rob Huebel and June. Just so you know, I did a little bit of research and it's not off the table that JLO and Ben could get back together again. But this is what they said, that, yes, JLO has stayed over Ben's house a couple of times. When it's good, it's really good, but when it's bad, it's really bad. And things are good when they're friends and things are better between them because they're separated. But yet she kept the engagement ring. So never say never, huh?
Jason Mantzoukas
Have they gotten actually divorced?
Paul Scheer
They have and they have. Yeah. She kept her $5 million engagement ring.
June Diane Raphael
Good for her.
Paul Scheer
Good for her.
June Diane Raphael
Just quickly, what is her sign in the movie?
Jason Mantzoukas
Who knows?
Paul Scheer
She's born in July. July 24th. What does that make her? June.
June Diane Raphael
She's a Leo.
Jason Mantzoukas
It looks like Leo.
Paul Scheer
Leo.
June Diane Raphael
Interesting.
Paul Scheer
Well, there you go, everybody.
June Diane Raphael
I guess I'd like to plug the Greatest Story Never Told, the documentary about this movie, also on Amazon Prime.
Paul Scheer
You sold me. I'm in. All right, everybody, thank you so much for listening. We will see you next week for Last Looks. And maybe at that point, we will all have watched the this Is Me now documentary. We could talk a little bit more about it. Okay, here's the deal. This show was put together by an amazing team. Our producers, Cody Fisher and Molly Reynolds. Our movie picking producer, Avril Halley. Our associate producer, Jess Cisneros. Our engineer, Casey Holford. But I want to give a special shout out to Emily Higgins and our intern, Zaria Taylor for their extra help on this episode. You work magic. We appreciate it. Don't forget to follow and rate us. You know, we like to be rated. Just get those numbers up, tell people about the show. It helps. Come see us live, get people talking. I mean, come on, we're not the Kelsey's. And also thank you for everyone who voted for us at the iHeart Awards. We are now winners thanks to you. So if you want to join the conversation, you want to follow us on the socials, you can do that at hdtgm. Join our discord at Discord GG hdtgm, the conversation continues and next week it will continue when I talk about what you want to talk about in Last Looks. Bye for now. Every day our world gets a little more connected, but a little further apart. But then there are moments that remind us to be more human.
Jason Mantzoukas
Thank you for calling Amica Insurance. Hey, I was just in an accident.
Paul Scheer
Don't worry, we'll get you taken care of.
Jason Mantzoukas
At Amica, we understand that looking out for each other isn't new or groundbreaking.
Paul Scheer
It's human. Amica empathy is our best policy.
Jason Mantzoukas
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Podcast Summary: How Did This Get Made? – Episode: "This Is Me...Now: A Love Story"
Release Date: March 21, 2025
In this episode of How Did This Get Made?, hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas delve into Jennifer Lopez's 2024 experimental film, "This Is Me...Now: A Love Story." As usual, the trio dissects the film's intricacies, blending humor with critical analysis to celebrate what they deem a "bad movie."
"This Is Me...Now: A Love Story" is a self-produced $20 million film by Jennifer Lopez, blending narrative elements with music video aesthetics. The story revolves around Lopez's character, exploring her tumultuous romantic life through a series of symbolic and metaphorical sequences.
Opening Scene: The film begins with a motorcycle crash, symbolizing heartbreak and setting the tone for Lopez's journey through love and self-discovery.
Zodiacal Council: A prominent feature in the movie is the Zodiacal Council, comprising celebrities like Jane Fonda, Post Malone, Keke Palmer, Trevor Noah, Jay Shetty, Kim Petras, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Sophia Vargara. This council appears to guide Lopez's character through astrological insights into her love life.
Therapeutic Sessions: Lopez's character undergoes therapy with a character named Fat Joe, who doubles as her couples therapist across her multiple marriages.
Dance Sequences: The film is interspersed with elaborate dance numbers and musical performances, reminiscent of classic musicals like "Purple Rain" and "Singing in the Rain."
The hosts explore the symbolic meanings behind various characters and elements in the film:
Fat Joe as Therapist ([51:17]): Jason Mantzoukas critiques Fat Joe's role as an ineffective therapist, noting, “Fat Joe is a terrible therapist... Maybe he's not a licensed therapist” ([09:09]).
Zodiacal Council Representation ([03:15] - [28:02]): June Diane Raphael expresses disappointment over the lack of Capricorn and Aquarius representations in the Zodiacal Council, stating, “Representation matters” ([03:15]). The council members are seen as a modern Greek chorus, offering astrological advice that feels disconnected from the main narrative.
Ben Affleck’s Dual Roles ([15:52] - [22:25]): Ben Affleck appears as Rex Stone, a Fox News anchor, and a biker. The hosts debate whether Affleck’s portrayal was intentional or a result of extensive prosthetics, with Paul Scheer humorously noting, “He looks like Tom Snyder” ([29:53]).
Visualization of the Heart ([24:34] - [26:36]): The Heart Factory sequence is analyzed as a metaphor for emotional repair, with Paul Scheer remarking, “She has to restart her heart” ([25:00]).
The hosts dissect the film's exploration of love, self-acceptance, and the cyclical nature of relationships:
Addiction to Love ([50:24] - [51:21]): Jason Mantzoukas summarizes, “The movie is telling us that she is so addicted to falling in love and finding that love” ([50:56]).
Narrative Structure ([21:09] - [32:30]): The film's loose narrative is critiqued for prioritizing dance sequences over story progression. Jason Mantzoukas suggests that a more focused narrative could have made the emotional journey more compelling.
Visual and Musical Elements ([20:05] - [75:17]): Paul Scheer praises the dance numbers and costumes but questions the coherence of musical performances within the plot. He highlights the homage to Gene Kelly’s “Singing in the Rain” as both respectful and uniquely styled ([21:42]).
Several key scenes spark in-depth discussions among the hosts:
Gene Kelly Homage ([47:56] - [48:08]): The final dance sequence pays tribute to Gene Kelly, with Paul Scheer noting, “You have to hear her sing” ([47:58]). However, June Diane Raphael critiques the visual execution, particularly JLO's footwear choice during the dance.
Hummingbird Fairy Tale ([55:44] - [56:47]): The hosts explore the fairy tale component of the film, where the hummingbird symbolizes unending love. June Diane Raphael connects this to the legend of Alita, pondering, “She's looking for his true love” ([56:28]).
Relationship with Ben Affleck ([62:15] - [73:57]): The podcast touches upon JLO's real-life relationship with Ben Affleck, intertwining it with the film’s narrative. Paul Scheer humorously speculates on their potential reconciliation, adding, “She kept her $5 million engagement ring” ([78:56]).
The episode references mixed reviews from audiences:
Positive Reviews ([67:14] - [68:19]): Some listeners, like "Bonnie Blue," laud the film for its authenticity and Jennifer Lopez's performance, rating it 5 stars. Comments include, “Jess Sinclair will be joining us on those” and “Jennifer Lopez could be that real within the first 10 minutes” ([67:43]).
Negative Feedback ([66:10] - [67:14]): Others criticize the film for its lack of narrative coherence and derivative musical numbers, with Jason Mantzoukas expressing frustration, “This movie seems like it spent a lot of money on gurus” ([73:31]).
The hosts conclude with a balanced view, acknowledging both the film’s ambition and its shortcomings:
Paul Scheer: Finds himself oddly connected to the film despite its flaws, appreciating the emotional depth and visual elements. He expresses a desire to understand the companion documentary better ([73:31]).
June Diane Raphael: Appreciates the visual storytelling and Lopez's compelling presence but feels the film doesn't fully satisfy as either a music video or a traditional narrative film ([74:53]).
Jason Mantzoukas: Wishes for a more straightforward narrative to better capture Lopez's emotional journey, expressing interest in the upcoming documentary for deeper insights ([77:43]).
Overall, the hosts agree that "This Is Me...Now: A Love Story" is a complex piece that blurs the lines between film and music video, leaving room for varied interpretations and discussions.
The episode wraps up with the hosts promoting their upcoming documentary, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” and teasing future discussions about the complexities of JLO’s film. They invite listeners to join their live shows and engage with them on social media platforms, maintaining the podcast’s signature blend of humor and critical analysis.
For more detailed discussions and future episodes, visit hdtgm.com and follow the hosts on their social channels.