The music video for Jennifer Lopez’s “Papi” was directed by Paul Hunter, who previously worked with Lopez on “If You Had My Love” and “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.” Filmed in downtown Los Angeles in August 2011, the video combines romantic comedy, fantasy, and energetic choreography in a playful storyline. It opens with the words “Love? Happens” before showing Lopez chatting with her apartment’s mail attendant, Lisa, about her boyfriend, a colonel in the United States Air Force who has yet to return from deployment. Lisa gives Lopez a magical cookie that she claims will bring her lover back, warning her to take only a small bite. After accidentally eating too much, Lopez wakes the next morning to discover that she has become irresistible to men. As she walks through the city, admirers ranging from a gardener to a businessman and a motorcyclist compete for her attention, often fighting over who can offer her the most romantic gifts. The chaos escalates when Lopez reaches her Fiat 500 and is surrounded by a crowd of men bearing flowers and even a puppy. They eventually corner her and launch into an elaborate dance sequence, during which Lopez discovers that her movements can control how close the men come to her. She leads them through a synchronised routine before being lifted into the air by the crowd. Just as the situation becomes overwhelming, her boyfriend arrives on a bus and rescues her, allowing the couple to drive away together. The video ends with Lopez struggling to explain the extraordinary events of her day to her bewildered lover. A preview aired on Good Morning America on September 16, 2011, before the full video premiered on Vevo on September 19. Footage was also adapted into a 31-second commercial promoting the Fiat 500 featured in the video.
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