The Definitive Ranking of Jennifer Lopez's Ten Most Cringeworthy Movies

Jennifer Lopez easily has one of the most successful and acclaimed careers in modern Hollywood history, with her exceptional feats as both an international pop star and a respected blockbuster actress. Ranging from classic romantic comedies to exceptional displays of talent like Hustlers and The Cell, Lopez has proven time and time again that she is just as talented as an actress as she is a musician icon. However, especially in a career as wide and varied as Lopez's, there have been a handful of misfires and disappointments in each era of her career.

From forgettable films earlier in her acting career to the inconsistent quality of her frequent streaming movies, Lopez's filmography is far from perfect, yet even her worst films have a distinct charm and memorability to them. The inherent star power and likability of Lopez has continued to make her a palpable star, even if the rest of the film surrounding her manages to be less than average quality.

'The Mother' (2023)

Directed by Niki Caro

Jennifer Lopez in The Mother.

One of the few times when Lopez played up her abilities as an action star, The Mother sees her portraying a mournful and darkened figure, hardened by her vicious past and living in hiding. However, she soon finds herself being forced to come out of hiding in order to protect her daughter that she gave up on years ago from dangerous men from her past. In what she hopes will be her final mission, she sets off to deal with her destructive past so that she can finally put it behind her.

While the concept and setup of a powerful hero going up against hordes of bad guys has worked well for action movies in recent memory, The Mother simply doesn't have the scope or execution to work well. Its slower-paced filmmaking shows an attempt to create a more grounded, character narrative out of an action film, yet the clichés and generic execution make this approach far from suitable for this style of Netflix original action film.

'What to Expect When You're Expecting' (2012)

Directed by Kirk Jones

One of the more consistent yet long since faded trends of romantic comedies of the early 2010s was to have a wide array of different stories and romances to focus on, bolstering larger casts for a bigger sense of scale. Many of these haven't stood the test of time, with the focus on various different relationships making each individual feel hollow and unexplored, as opposed to a standard romcom of only one or two romances. Lopez found herself participating in the trend with What to Expect When You're Expecting, combining the twist with the themes and concepts of early parenthood.

The film follows five different couples dealing with the challenges and chaos that come from impending parenthood, proving to turn their lives entirely upside down in different ways. Lopez's specific storyline sees her as an infertile photographer, attempting to adopt a child from Ethiopia with her husband, Alex (Rodrigo Santoro). While its large cast makes it seem to be a higher quality rom-com experience, the divided attention and basic structure of its different romances makes the entire experience largely forgettable.

'Jersey Girl' (2004)

Directed by Kevin Smith

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez (holding a little girl) hold hands across a diner table in Jersey Girl

One of the more controversial and divisive films from director Kevin Smith, Jersey Girl falls into a lot of the same pitfalls and issues as Smith's lesser works, as well as by-the-numbers rom-coms of the early 2000s. The film sees Ben Affleck as Ollie Trinkie, a young music publicist who is seemingly living a perfect life, but faces a mental crisis when having to deal with single fatherhood, forcing him to move in with his father. He soon has to find the strength and willpower within himself to find joy in life again, given help in this regard from his young daughter, Gertie.

Lopez only appears in the film for a relatively short amount of time, portraying the role of Ollie's first wife who tragically died from a brain aneurysm when giving birth to baby Gertie. While Jersey Girl certainly has its defenders, its uneven tone and largely generic script fail to make it stand out among the many exceptional rom-coms of the 2000s, especially when nearly everyone involved has been in much greater romantic work.

'Monster-in-Law' (2005)

Directed by Robert Luketic

Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez standing in front of each other in Monster-in-Law

A romantic comedy dealing with the difficulties and pains that can come from aggressive and judgmental in-laws, Monster-in-Law failed to live up to its anticipation as the long-awaited return of Jane Fonda to the big screen after 15 years. The film sees office temp Charlotte (Lopez) having seemingly found the perfect man in surgeon Dr. Kevin Fields (Michael Vartan), yet the only problem is his overbearing and controlling mother, Viola (Fonda). With Viola fearing that she'll lose the affection of her son forever, she hatches a scheme to break the lovebirds up by acting as the worst mother-in-law possible.

Monster-in-Law proves to be one of the rare cases where a single performance is simply too good, making the largely below-average attributes of the rest of the film stick out that much harder by comparison. Fonda absolutely dominates the screen every chance she gets, yet even her abilities aren't enough to elevate what is one of the most predictable and dull rom-coms when she isn't on-screen.

'The Back-Up Plan' (2010)

Directed by Alan Poul

Among the wide variety of romantic comedies that Lopez has been a part of, it takes a lot to actively stand out as one of the worst, yet the shocking unreliability and mismanagement of The Back-Up Plan make this one of Lopez's biggest rom-com disappointments. The film sees Lopez as an independent woman who, tired of looking for the perfect man, decides to have a baby on her own. However, her plans take an unexpected twist when she finally meets a great guy on the day that she's been artificially inseminated, now forced to coincide with both of these life's dreams.

None of the issues that plague The Back-up Plan can be attributed to Lopez herself, as she oozes charm and likability in the film, much like her great romantic comedies of the past. However, almost every other aspect of the film proves to be a strange and confusing mess, not fully capitalizing on Lopez's strengths as a rom-com star and being about as predictable as it gets. Her co-star, Alex O'Loughlin, shares minimal chemistry whatsoever with Lopez, making their entire romance difficult to root for as well as needlessly complicated from the beginning.

'The Wedding Planner' (2001)

Directed by Adam Shankman

Matthew McConaughey holding Jennifer Lopez on the street in The Wedding Planner

One of the biggest defining factors that either makes or breaks a romantic comedy experience is the likability of their characters, often finding a difficult balancing act in having their characters do bad things while still appearing rootable and charming. The Wedding Planner proves to push this notion to the absolute extreme, making both of its characters incredibly unlikable and unnerving in their romance with one another and simply not having the chemistry to make their love worth rooting for.

The film sees Lopez as Mary, one of San Francisco's most acclaimed and hardest working wedding planners, who has run into a perfect match of her own when pediatrician Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey) saves her life. However, Mary soon realizes the painful truth about Steve, that he's not only taken, but he is the fiancé of her latest client. As he continues to make arrangements for their wedding, she and Steve frequently find themselves in uncomfortable situations, forcing them to face their mutual attraction to one another.

'Atlas' (2024)

Directed by Brad Peyton

Jennifer Lopez as Atlas Shepherd piloting a mech suit in Netflix's Atlas.

One of the rare sci-fi films in Lopez's filmography, Atlas proves to be little more than a mesh of lackluster visual effects and overplayed messages on the rising threat of artificial intelligence. The film sees Lopez as the titular Atlas Shephard, a brilliant analyst who specializes in the powerful AI threat who has waged war against humanity known as Harlan (Simu Liu). When she is taken along on a journey to finally take down Harlan, she ends up being the only survivor of a counterattack, forced to team up with an AI of her own to finally defeat Harlan.

While the film may sport a massive $100 million streaming budget, Atlas has the look and feel of a cheap sci-fi channel movie, sporting lazy lens flairs and a super generic sci-fi world. Lopez herself simply doesn't work as well as an action-blockbuster protagonist, and while she has a handful of effective moments with the cheeky AI companion, the film's monotonously slow pacing makes its 2-hour runtime feel like an eternity. As far as the massive wannabe blockbuster titles are concerned, Atlas is easily one of the worst Netflix Original Movies.

'Jack' (1996)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

While Francis Ford Coppola has created many exceptional dramatic films, including The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and The Conversation, Jack is one of the director's rare and confusing misfires. The film sees Robin Williams as Jack Powell, a young child who suffers from an affliction that makes him grow four times faster than normal, making the 10-year-old have the appearance and body of a 40-year-old man. After years of tutoring at home, Jack finally convinces his parents to let him go to public school, where he finally gets a chance to live a normal life thanks to his fifth-grade teacher.

Lopez plays the role of the sweet Miss Marquez in the film, the fifth-grade teacher who helps amplify the few emotional moments and strengths that the film provides. However, even with the considerable effort that Lopez puts into the character, the concept of Jack proves to simply be too strange and offputting to work for a sweet family movie. The film feels more in line with the cheesy gross-out family movies of the 90s instead of a film created by one of the greatest directors of all time.

'The Boy Next Door' (2015)

Directed by Rob Cohen

Jennifer Lopez as Claire Peterson working in The Boy Next Door

One of the strangest and most uncomfortable romance films that Lopez has been a part of, The Boy Next Door is a shockingly terrible erotic thriller with minimal eroticism and even less intelligence. The film sees Lopez as Claire Peterson, a recently cheated-on married woman who, in the pains of betrayal, finds herself finding a fascination and lust towards the younger man (Ryan Guzman) who has moved in next door. However, their affair soon takes a dangerous turn when Noah begins to form a disturbing obsession with Claire.

The Boy Next Door shocked and disgusted audiences with its lax combination of tense erotic moments and shocking, disgusting imagery and themes that sour the entire viewing experience. It's a film that proves to be equal parts shocking and idiotic with each passing scene, with characters always making the worst possible choices. The film has largely been forgotten in the 10 years since its release, only now being remembered as that strange film where Lopez was somehow gifted a "first edition" of a 3000-year-old story, Homer's Iliad.

'Gigli' (2003)

Directed by Martin Brest

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in Gigli

Once considered one of the biggest and most notable celebrity couples in Hollywood, one would assume that a romantic comedy with Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck would be a recipe for success, yet Gigli ended up being one of the worst rom-coms of all time. The film sees Affleck as Larry Gigli, a low-ranking Los Angeles mobster who is tasked with a high-stakes kidnapping with help from free-spirited female gangster Ricki (Lopez). However, Gigli quickly falls for Ricki, who has decidedly chosen to be unavailable, making their job working together that much more complicated.

From painfully unfunny jokes to poorly aged interpretations of mental illness, Gigli embodies all the terrible trends and clichés that defined the comedy of the early 2000s. Each passing scene manages to have another disgusting and offensive attempt at comedy, with no amount of romance between Lopez and Affleck being enough to save this genuine travesty of filmmaking. More than just Lopez, the film acts as a monumental career low for nearly everyone else involved, including Affleck, Al Pacino, and Christopher Walken.

NEXT: The 10 Worst Jack Black Movies, Ranked

Amal Clooney Wore Optical Illusion Jeans Cosigned by Jennifer Lopez—Fall-Ready Styles Start at $44

My list of must-try jean trends for 2026 is growing; it currently includes all the silhouettes one denim expert revealed to me as the must-watch of the year (save for baggy jeans, because I’ve been wearing those for years). That said, one style that didn’t land on said aforementioned list, but is clearly due for big, big things this year, is flare jeans. With a growing list of celebrity fans that includes Meghan Markle, Jennifer Lopez, Reese Witherspoon, Cindy Crawford, Kendrick Lamar (you know that moment), and, of course, Amal Clooney, there’s no denying the retro denim style that was popular in the early aughts is back—and bigger than ever.

The fact that Clooney wore flared jeans is noteworthy in and of itself. The human rights lawyer is known for her refined dressing approach, regularly opting for billowy trousers, trendy boho blouses, and comfy sweater dresses—all staples that read elegant and timeless. So, when I spotted her earlier this year in the laid-back blues while out to dinner with hubby George Clooney, I knew I had to write about it. Of course, the fact that she wore flare jeans, the style countless celebs have worn the last few weeks, is noteworthy, too, as it further cements the style’s ‘It’ status for 2026.