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Jennifer Lopez is back in the cinematic matrimony business with "Shotgun Wedding." The multi-talented star's latest wedding-focused outing follows last year's "Marry Me," and her early-aught rom-com "The Wedding Planner." This new release may feel like vintage Lopez on its surface, but the film doesn't offer anything new for the star to do. Maybe it's time for Lopez to leave the movie nuptials behind.

Lopez was once a staple of the romantic comedy, which flourished in the 2000s, but now such films have been relegated to the streaming dumping ground ("Shotgun Wedding" will debut on Prime Video) and have seemingly lost their luster - minus a few exceptions just last year. She's comfortable in this mode, but Lopez has shown us that she is capable of much more onscreen, having come very close to earning an Oscar nomination just four years ago with "Hustlers" (she deserved the nomination, but alas). On the awards circuit that year, Lopez seemed so excited to be seen in a new light after working in film for decades, finally receiving praise and accolades that had previously eluded her. It would be exciting to see the her leave movies like "Shotgun Wedding" behind and continue making grittier films.

Darcy (Lopez) and Tom (Josh Duhamel) have set their destination wedding in the Philippines, knowing that it was a big ask for their families to make such an extravagant trip to see them get married. Darcy's father (Cheech Marin) has never warmed up to Tom, so naturally a destination wedding within a romantic comedy calls for hijinks and mishaps to ensue. This includes Darcy's ex-fiancé Sean (Lenny Kravitz) showing up to the wedding, much to the excitement of Darcy's father, who always liked him.

All of the tension between the two families causes a strain on Darcy and Tom's relationship, in a bit of tacked-on screenwriting tension by writer Mark Hammer. But all of that is cast aside when the island they are getting married on is taken over by pirates, which causes Darcy and Tom to band together to save their guests.

Director Jason Moore, who last helmed the Tina Fey-Amy Poehler comedy "Sisters," keeps the film moving at a zippy pace, but everything happening on screen feels tired and uninspired. The drama between Darcy and Tom seemingly comes out of thin air, which is ultimately unnecessary for a story involving hostages and life-and-death stakes. With circumstances like that, who needs manufactured bickering and last minute cold feet?

Lopez and Duhamel don't set the screen on fire with their chemistry, but their characters present an interesting upending of wedding rom-com tropes: Darcy is the one who isn't sure about a wedding, and Tom is branded as a "groomzilla," hoping to make everything perfect for Darcy. It's a glimpse of a by-the-numbers movie briefly willing to deviate from a formula.

A well-tuned romantic comedy can be one of the more fun movie outings, but star chemistry has to bring it over the finish line because the genre relies entirely on formula. Lopez and Duhamel have charisma individually, but together they aren't able to elevate a script that desperately needs them too. Perhaps this should be Lopez's last trip down the movie aisle.