Continuing our series of writers championing maligned films is a plea to reconsider Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s Razzie-winning crime comedy, Last modified on Thu 28 Jan 2021 05.21 EST. Ben and Jennifer got engaged in 2004 after two years together. [10], Ebert and James Berardinelli were two of the very few major critics to not write it off completely. Ben Affleck and ex fiancée Jennifer Lopez might have broken up way back in 2004, but that hasn't stopped him from recently heaping praise on her. [9], On Ebert and Roeper, critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper both gave the film thumbs down, although Ebert showed some sympathy towards the film, stating it had "clever dialogue", but was "...too disorganized for me to recommend it". Gigli convinces Ricki to take his car to escape to parts unknown; but at the last minute, Ricki returns to pick up Gigli, and they leave town together. [8] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D–" on an A+ to F scale. [2], After its third week it was withdrawn, one of the shortest circulation times for a big-budget film. Starkman is about to kill Ricki and Gigli as well, but Ricki talks him out of it by pointing out that only they know where Brian is and only they can silence Brian and prevent him from revealing the involvement of Starkman's organization in the kidnapping or even accusing Starkman of having been personally involved. [26], In May 2015, The Hollywood Reporter named Gigli #25 on its list of "50 Worst Movie Titles of All Time". Actor Ben Affleck (L) and his fiance actress/singer Jennifer Lopez arrive at the premiere of "Daredevil" at the Village Theatre on February 9, 2003 in Los Angeles, California. An iconic couple for the ages. This Movie Probably Ended Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's Engagement #TBT: Check in every Thursday as we throw it back to some of our favorite celebrity couples of all time. "[25], "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Virus Alert" from the album Straight Outta Lynwood includes the line "make your TV record Gigli" as one of the negative effects of the titular virus. Votes: 149,161 | Gross: $30.06M [17] By its third weekend in release, only 73 US theaters were showing it, a 97% drop from its first weekend. He nevertheless rages at them because the thumb they sent didn't match Brian's fingerprint, and therefore not only failed to increase pressure on the prosecutor but even undermined the organization's credibility. Gigli successfully convinces the young man, Brian, to go off with him by promising to take him "to the Baywatch", apparently a reference to the television show of that name, which seems to be Brian's singular obsession. Halle Berry was invited as the female lead before dropping due to scheduling conflicts with X2, being replaced with Jennifer Lopez, who signed in late 2001 for a reported $12 million. Jen and Ben began dating in … Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were together for two years before getting engaged Credit: Getty - Contributor. When asked why he would appear in this film, he responded "I wanted to make a film worse than Gigli", "15 Years Later, Was Gigli Really That Bad? But before they got to exchange vows, the couple called it quits. Gigli is a 2003 American comedy film written and directed by Martin Brest and starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bartha, Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Lainie Kazan. Ben Affleck praised ex-fiancee Jennifer Lopez as the “hardest-working person” in showbiz, 17 years after their split. Gigli (/ˈdʒiːli/ JEE-lee) is a 2003 American comedy film written and directed by Martin Brest and starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bartha, Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Lainie Kazan. [19] The worldwide gross of $7.7 million against a $75.6 million budget made Gigli one of the most expensive box office flops of all time.[20]. Lopez was nonetheless married to dancer Cris Judd on the time, however the writing was on the wall and 9 months after their marriage ceremony she filed for divorce. “I had to spend 20 minutes before the movie started,” he said, “listening to hack writers cracking each other up with one-liners they’d pre-written about a film that hadn’t even started yet.” If anything, that’s an understatement of the degree to which knives were out when the Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez comedy hit theaters that summer. Gigli is available on Starz in the US and to rent in the UK, Hear me out: why Batman v Superman isn't a bad movie. The events take a darker turn when Gigli and Ricki receive orders to cut off Brian's thumb, something that neither wants to do. Everything is the absolute holy-shit best or the godawful worst of all time, and there’s nothing in between. Throughout the picture, it’s clear that Brest knew what Out of Sight’s Steven Soderbergh and Hustlers’ Lorene Scafaria did: that she’s at her best when she’s got some edge, not in the kind of puffy romcoms that she spent the rest of the decade churning out. They leave Starkman's, decide to leave the mob, and discuss taking Brian back to where they found him. He is also frustrated by Brian's insistence on going to "the Baywatch" and by the fact that Ricki is a lesbian. After release, however, critical reaction was universally negative, and in the years since its release Gigli has been considered one of the worst films of all time. Ben Affleck has praised his ex, Jennifer Lopez, as the hardest-working person in Hollywood in a new 'InStyle' cover story. [11] Ebert gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "They didn't quite get to where they wanted to be, but the film is worth seeing for some very good scenes." While there, Gigli sneaks into the morgue and cuts off a corpse's thumb, which he sends to the prosecutor as Brian's thumb. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Affleck, 48, and Lopez, 51, got engaged in 2002 and were one of the most talked about couples in Hollywood before they broke up in 2004. Roeper called the film "a disaster" and "one of the worst movies I've ever seen". Its title – which rhymes, the film insists, with “really” – became a punchline, and then a shorthand for embarrassing flops. Brest also stops the movie cold for a brief, quintessentially weird Christopher Walken performance – verbose, peculiar, filled with sprung timing, unpredictable shifts in volume and intensity, and odd turns of phrase. Larry Gigli is assigned by a crime boss to kidnap the brother of a prominent district attorney. For example, during an early-2020 New York Times interview, Affleck talked about Lopez in glowing terms, especially when it comes to her performance in the movie Hustlers.. “She should have been nominated. He loves eccentrics – people who have specific, strange ways of communicating – and that comes out most in Lopez’s Ricki, who first divulges her sexuality to Larry by whispering, “This might be a good time to suggest that you not allow the seeds of cruel hope to sprout in your soul.” (“I don’t know what that means, but it sounds beautiful,” the big lug replies.). By Isabel Jones The comic "Bluntman and Chronic" is based on real-life stoners Jay and Silent Bob, so when they get no profit from a big-screen adaptation, they set out to wreck the movie. Gigli is further annoyed when his mother takes an immediate liking to Ricki and when the two women team up to needle him. Ben Affleck, Producer: Argo. Gigli is attracted to Ricki, but he resents both Louis' lack of faith in him and having to take orders from a woman. Louis does not trust Gigli to get the job done right, so he hires a woman calling herself Ricki to take charge. Starring Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. On the way, they discover Baywatch (or a similarly themed show or film) shooting an episode on the beach. Affleck and Lopez met during the film’s production and quickly became an item – such a public one that, by the time it hit theaters a year later, the “Bennifer” backlash had built up quite a head of steam. Ben Affleck and Marc Anthony have praised their former girlfriend and wife Jennifer Lopez in an InStyle interview. Ben Affleck And Jlo, BENNIFER ERA [2002-2004] REAL BENNIFER. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez attend the premiere of "Gigli" in July 2003. What it is is a dreadful romantic comedy." Directed by Francis Lawrence. Worse, Ricki's ex-girlfriend, Robin, shows up at Gigli's apartment, accusing Ricki of changing sexual orientation. Gigli (Ben Affleck) is ordered to kidnap the psychologically challenged younger brother of a powerful federal prosecutor. They were young, impossibly good-looking, fabulously wealthy, and clearly hot for each other, so it seemed like a good time to knock them down a peg. [22] Late night talk show hosts in particular lampooned the film in their monologues; Conan O'Brien said "The Mets are doing so badly that they will be renamed 'The New York Gigli. “I had to spend 20 minutes before the movie started,” he said, “listening to hack writers cracking each other up with one-liners they’d pre-written about a film that hadn’t even started yet.” If anything, that’s an understatement of the degree to which knives were out when the Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez comedy hit theaters that summer. The film ultimately earned $6,087,542 domestically and $1,178,667 internationally for a total of $7,266,209 on a $75.6 million production budget. Ben Affleck praised ex-fiancee Jennifer Lopez as the “hardest-working person” in showbiz, 17 years after their split. As of 2020, it is the last film Brest has directed, making it his longest hiatus between projects. But there’s much about Gigli to admire, starting with Brest’s cockeyed ear for ornate dialogue. They are summoned to meet with the mob's boss. Directed by Martin Brest. As Roger Ebert wrote (in one of the film’s few credible reviews), “The movie tries to do something different, thoughtful, and a little daring with their relationship, and although it doesn’t quite work, maybe the movie is worth seeing for some scenes that are really very good.” But in the 21st century, the mixed review has become an endangered species – most readers look for the Rotten Tomatoes rating and pull-quote, and little beyond that. Larry Gigli is a low-ranking Los Angeles mobster who is not nearly as tough as he likes to act. It took years for the actors to live the picture down. Lopez and Affleck met in 2002 on the set of Gigli. We were discussing biases and groupthink, my critic friend and I, when he recalled the press screening for the 2003 megabomb Gigli. "[14], One of the few positive reviews came from Amy Dawes of Variety, who wrote that the story was ludicrous and that the film would tank, but that on balance she found it a fun film with several good performances. There are no shoot-outs or car chases, and there isn't much romantic suspense, either. The same can be said for the sexual politics between Gigli and Ricki (Lopez), another “independent contractor” who is brought in for the job – Larry gets the hots for her right away (in her low-rise jeans and bare midriff, Lopez is a walking 2003 calendar), but quickly discovers that she’s a lesbian. Writer/director Martin Brest, previously an Oscar nominee for Scent of a Woman (and the guiding hand behind Beverly Hills Cop), never made another film. When she eventually decides to give him a go, the invitation she extends from bed (“It’s turkey time, gobble gobble”) was singled out in many a review as a crime against cinema – without acknowledging, or even allowing, that it is neither written nor played as a serious moment. "[7] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 18 out of 100 based on 37 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike". Gigli is not some misunderstood masterpiece – it has, to be clear, plenty of problems. In the first part of the 21st century, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were an item.I mean, come on, it was Bennifer! Before 2019’s Hustlers, Lopez hadn’t had a Fresh movie since 1998, though her 21st century filmography still includes commercial hits (The Wedding Planner, Monster-in-Law, The Boy Next Door) among notorious bombs like Gigli. The film was released on VHS and DVD on December 16, 2003 by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. "She should have been nominated. While Affleck had been a tabloid figure for much of his career, he was the subject of increased media attention in 2003 because of his relationship with Jennifer Lopez. And The Cell certainly has its fans. [16] The film set a record to date (2003) for the biggest second-weekend drop in box office gross of any film in wide release since that statistic was kept; it dropped by 81.9% in its second weekend compared to its first, grossing $678,640. It’s playful, and funny, and silly. The site's critical consensus reads, "Bizarre and clumsily plotted, Gigli is a mess. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez got together in 2002. Almost two decades after their highly publicized relationship came to an end, Ben Affleck still has nothing but respect for Jennifer Lopez. He then included Gigli on his 100 worst films of the decade at #7. So not only was it just a bad movie but 'they dated each other,'" the actor-turned-director said. A beautiful woman known only as Ricki is sent to stay with him to make sure he doesn't mess up the job. And that edge is what makes her chemistry with Affleck so interesting. American actor and filmmaker Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt was born on August 15, 1972 in Berkeley, California, and was raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The film was also one of the most expensive box office bombs in history, grossing $7.2 million against a $75.6 million budget. Ben Affleck, after his split from Ana de Armas, is seemingly looking at his ex Jennifer Lopez to begin a new journey. The negative response led the studio to pull the advertisement for the film and replace them with another of their releases, Bad Boys II. Affleck was one of several celebrities to heap praise on Lopez in an InStyle cover story dedicated to the multi-talented performer.. 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