Is J.Lo's New Movie A Love Letter To Astrology, Or A Zodiac Hit Piece?

Jennifer Lopez’s strict adherence to astrology is pretty well-known — she even wore a full zodiac-print dress to her This Is Me... Now premiere — but her new movie takes her love of the signs to an even higher level. Not only does Lopez’s character (simply named Artist) obsess over the zodiac signs of her various partners, she also has an entire “zodiacal council” watching over her from the cosmos. As with many aspects of the semi-autobiographical movie, the astro focus is brimming with self-awareness, showing that Lopez has no problem poking a little fun at herself. But does it swing too far in the other direction, and actually turn the movie’s message into an anti-astrological cautionary tale?

After the movie’s fever-dream of an opening, Lopez’s character is shown pestering her therapist with questions about zodiac signs. When she finds out his wife is a Leo, she quickly surmises her personality, “You guys must fight a lot.” Afterwards, she recalls an abusive relationship she had with a Libra — a sign that’s supposed to be a strong match for Lopez’s own sign, Leo.

As Lopez escapes the relationship, she immediately cuts one-twelfth of the population out of her potential dating pool. “F*ck Libras,” she seethes. It’s her first shot against the zodiac, as she shuns the sign that is astrologically supposed to be her match.

Then there’s the zodiacal council, a personification of the twelve signs played by celebrities ranging from some of J.Lo’s most iconic castmates to puzzling add-ons.

This roundtable is meant to offer Lopez’s character sage advice that will help get her love life back on track... but that’s not really what they do at all. Instead, the living zodiac signs bicker amongst themselves and don’t actually end up doing anything. Maybe they were supposed to be portrayed as enlightened mentors for Lopez, but they actually come off as unhelpful chatterboxes.

Surely that’s not how Lopez really views astrology — this is the woman who ordered a giant lion cake for her birthday to highlight her Leo energy — but in This Is Me... Now, the zodiac is portrayed as inaccurate and ineffectual. It’s not until Lopez’s character shuns her past patterns (including her reliance on the stars) that she finally find her happiness in the end — and though the zodiac council seems happy for her, it’s clear she pulled it all off without their help. Whether Lopez meant for it to be the message or not, her love letter to the constellations was really more of a cosmic kiss-off.