Throughout her decades-long career, Jennifer Lopez has gone from Fly Girl to rom-com queen to pop culture icon. And though she has achieved several milestones, from her historic Selena role to 180 million record sales, the Bronx native is far from finished.

Lopez's new documentary film, Halftime, just dropped on Netflix, and it explores J.Lo's rise to fame while offering an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at her Super Bowl Halftime show with Shakira. As the title suggests, J.Lo is at a halfway point in her life, having just turned 50 years old. To celebrate, the star addresses everything from her work on Hustlers to the return of her iconic green Versace dress. But perhaps the most remarkable part is the clear parallel between her Halftime show and her own professional journey.

If you need a refresher, J.Lo and Shakira made history in 2020 as the first Latinas to headline the SuperBowl Halftime Show. The doc features a few clips of the dazzling performance—including the surprise cameo by Lopez's daughter, Emme, who sang an epic rendition of “Born in the USA.” But the majority focuses on the stressful planning process and intense dance rehearsals that unfolded behind the scenes. An experience that Lopez calls “a nightmare from the beginning.”

It's disheartening to see that an entertainer of J.Lo's caliber had to deal with so many setbacks, like trying to cut down her performance time (which, FYI, was already extremely limited due to her shared time with Shakira).

In the film, producer Benny Medina explains, "Typically, you have one headliner at a Super Bowl. That headliner constructs the show. And should they choose to have other guests, that's their choice. It was an insult to say you needed two Latinas to do the job that one artist historically has done."

Add this to the fact that higher ups at the NFL tried to change J.Lo's performance at the last minute by forcing her to get rid of the cages, which were meant to send a powerful political message about immigration and freedom. Still, despite the NFL's wishes, J.Lo insisted on keeping her performance the same. At the time, she told her producer, "I don't care what you have to do, we're not changing the show."

It's inspiring to see her resilience and level of maturity as she handled these challenges, and the same can be said for her career journey, which has been far from easy. Despite her growth and incredible work ethic, Lopez had to endure invasive tabloids, hurtful rumors and snide comments about her level of talent. In fact, the singer confessed that these moments took a toll on her self-esteem and emotional health, noting how the media holds a magnifying glass to her dating life, rather than taking her work seriously. Still, this hasn't stopped the songstress from dominating the industry—even though has to work twice as hard to get a small fraction of the recognition she deserves.

In one standout, heart-wrenching scene, J.Lo learns that she's been snubbed at the Oscars for her movie, Hustlers. It's practically impossible to not sympathize with her, given how hard she worked on the film. So, once again, it seems that while Lopez is breaking barriers with her career, she's in a frustrating cycle where the payoff ultimately falls short.

Bennifer fans will be happy to know that Ben Affleck does make an appearance, but don't expect any jaw-dropping relationship reveals. Halftime is no explosive tell-all, as Lopez is very careful to protect her image. But she shares just enough to make fans feel like they're immersed in her world (example: her family's Thanksgiving dinner). And she gets her intended message across: that an accomplished Latina star in her 50s deserves to be recognized and taken seriously.

Considering her talent and contributions, it really doesn't seem like a big ask.

PUREWOW RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Halftime doesn't necessarily bare all, but it does paint an honest portrait of Jennifer Lopez, an incredibly talented star who's still striving to earn respect and recognition in a world that refuses to take her seriously.

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