I would love to view writer/director Martin Brest's original version of Gigli, which was said to be a black comedy with very offbeat humor and no romantic subplot at all. I would also love to have seen how that film would've fared amongst critics rather than the one that was released to the public. During its release, I find the film's extremely poor reception and disastrous box office performance unsurprising. The gossip about the relationship between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez was overexposed, obsessive drivel and tabloids raced to the neverending finish line of publishing nonsensical articles about the couple and bedazzled them beyond recognition. This was one of the key things that led to Ben Affleck's negative public persona and made it irreparable until he adopted a directorial career in 2007.
Viewing Gigli a decade later, when news of Affleck and Lopez's relationship has long past faded into obscurity, the film is nowhere near as bad as people have said. In fact, it's a farcry from the worst film I've seen this year. I'd go as far as to call it somewhat enjoyable in the regard that it's always amusing in the way the characters interact with one another and the way the actors handle the absurd material they've been handed. However, in the long run, I prefer to view Gigli as a product and discuss its impact on its actors along with how its time of release greatly affected its reception.
But this will be explored later on. The film revolves around Larry Gigli (pronounced Jee-lee), played by Ben Affleck, a second-rate mobster who is hired by his crime boss (Lenny Venito) to kidnap the mentally-challenged brother of a federal prosecutor to prevent the imprisonment of a New York mob boss. In addition, a woman by the name of "Ricki" (Jennifer Lopez), a dominant lesbian, is hired by Gigli's crime boss to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't screw this job up. It is a screenplay obligation that Gigli and Ricki eventually become attracted to one another, despite their differing sexual orientations.
It's no surprise why the film was panned, seeing as casting both Affleck and Lopez in a romantic comedy as their heavily-documented marriage was approaching seemed to be nothing more than a tabloid-sponsored film catering to the same people that inhabit the checkout lines of grocery stores with several of the magazines on the conveyor belt. However, Affleck isn't the one giving the bad performance. His pseudo-tough guy appearance is intentional, something I hope people understood when the film was released and understand now. If anybody's performance should be criticized, it's Jennifer Lopez, who gives a wooden, wholly unbelievable performance as an attractive lesbian, who still finds it amusing and fun to flirt with a heterosexual male just to revert to the "I'm a lesbian" line. Her role is as contrived as they come, even with ten years of age.
The most challenging role of the film easily belongs to Justin Bartha (who later made himself a name in The Hangover franchise), playing the mentally-handicapped brother. His performance ranges from senseless exploitation to somewhat heartfelt and believable. It all depends on what writer Brest feels like detailing at the specific time. Once in a great while, we'll see his charming innocence come through. At other times, we'll see him sing a rendition of Sir Mix a Lot's "Baby Got Back" and do a little wincing.
The other thing to note is the film's use of music, which seems largely out of place. Consider the scene where Gigli, Ricki, and the prosecutor's brother are eating lunch and bouncy pop music plays, somewhat indicating a sex scene or a scene of seduction. The music is entirely out of place and provides an odd shift in tone. Scenes like this are rather frequent in Gigli and the jarring tonal shift is hard not to notice when it's something as quietly but noticeably abrupt as misplaced-music.
On to the legacy Gigli has left. Many people involved with the making of the film felt some kind of rough, turbulent backlash on their careers once the picture was released. It took poor Affleck, as stated, years to rebound into a marketable, respectable name, and if it wasn't for stupendous directorial efforts such as Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo, his name would likely still inspire sneers and eye-rolls. Jennifer Lopez never really got back on her acting feet after this film, and became somewhat of a faded pop singer who had little to offer.
But the one person that seemed to be affected the most is director Martin Brest, who made films like Meet Joe Black and Midnight Run long before this picture. Gigli is the last film he ever made and has disbanded into something of a recluse since. He has given no interviews since its release, has not participated in any film projects, and has left his whereabouts to be nothing more than a thought in a person's mind. After the studio debacle with the film's plot and creative differences, he has vanished into unknown obscurity, with no plans to direct or participate in any film again.
It would definitely seem that people were too quick to label Gigli as one of the worst films ever made. It's definitely a rocky picture, very uneven, structured very peculiarly thanks to rewrites, and features performances that range from mediocre to above average. However, it's an entertaining piece of work, if one can accept the challenge of ignoring its horribly low ratings and criticisms it has garnered over the years. This is the kind of film I'll be judged for tolerating and, if that's the case, so be it. I got a handful of films at the top of my head that may make even the most hardened-Gigli hater reconsider their opinion.
Viewing Gigli a decade later, when news of Affleck and Lopez's relationship has long past faded into obscurity, the film is nowhere near as bad as people have said. In fact, it's a farcry from the worst film I've seen this year. I'd go as far as to call it somewhat enjoyable in the regard that it's always amusing in the way the characters interact with one another and the way the actors handle the absurd material they've been handed. However, in the long run, I prefer to view Gigli as a product and discuss its impact on its actors along with how its time of release greatly affected its reception.
But this will be explored later on. The film revolves around Larry Gigli (pronounced Jee-lee), played by Ben Affleck, a second-rate mobster who is hired by his crime boss (Lenny Venito) to kidnap the mentally-challenged brother of a federal prosecutor to prevent the imprisonment of a New York mob boss. In addition, a woman by the name of "Ricki" (Jennifer Lopez), a dominant lesbian, is hired by Gigli's crime boss to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't screw this job up. It is a screenplay obligation that Gigli and Ricki eventually become attracted to one another, despite their differing sexual orientations.
It's no surprise why the film was panned, seeing as casting both Affleck and Lopez in a romantic comedy as their heavily-documented marriage was approaching seemed to be nothing more than a tabloid-sponsored film catering to the same people that inhabit the checkout lines of grocery stores with several of the magazines on the conveyor belt. However, Affleck isn't the one giving the bad performance. His pseudo-tough guy appearance is intentional, something I hope people understood when the film was released and understand now. If anybody's performance should be criticized, it's Jennifer Lopez, who gives a wooden, wholly unbelievable performance as an attractive lesbian, who still finds it amusing and fun to flirt with a heterosexual male just to revert to the "I'm a lesbian" line. Her role is as contrived as they come, even with ten years of age.
The most challenging role of the film easily belongs to Justin Bartha (who later made himself a name in The Hangover franchise), playing the mentally-handicapped brother. His performance ranges from senseless exploitation to somewhat heartfelt and believable. It all depends on what writer Brest feels like detailing at the specific time. Once in a great while, we'll see his charming innocence come through. At other times, we'll see him sing a rendition of Sir Mix a Lot's "Baby Got Back" and do a little wincing.
The other thing to note is the film's use of music, which seems largely out of place. Consider the scene where Gigli, Ricki, and the prosecutor's brother are eating lunch and bouncy pop music plays, somewhat indicating a sex scene or a scene of seduction. The music is entirely out of place and provides an odd shift in tone. Scenes like this are rather frequent in Gigli and the jarring tonal shift is hard not to notice when it's something as quietly but noticeably abrupt as misplaced-music.
On to the legacy Gigli has left. Many people involved with the making of the film felt some kind of rough, turbulent backlash on their careers once the picture was released. It took poor Affleck, as stated, years to rebound into a marketable, respectable name, and if it wasn't for stupendous directorial efforts such as Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo, his name would likely still inspire sneers and eye-rolls. Jennifer Lopez never really got back on her acting feet after this film, and became somewhat of a faded pop singer who had little to offer.
But the one person that seemed to be affected the most is director Martin Brest, who made films like Meet Joe Black and Midnight Run long before this picture. Gigli is the last film he ever made and has disbanded into something of a recluse since. He has given no interviews since its release, has not participated in any film projects, and has left his whereabouts to be nothing more than a thought in a person's mind. After the studio debacle with the film's plot and creative differences, he has vanished into unknown obscurity, with no plans to direct or participate in any film again.
It would definitely seem that people were too quick to label Gigli as one of the worst films ever made. It's definitely a rocky picture, very uneven, structured very peculiarly thanks to rewrites, and features performances that range from mediocre to above average. However, it's an entertaining piece of work, if one can accept the challenge of ignoring its horribly low ratings and criticisms it has garnered over the years. This is the kind of film I'll be judged for tolerating and, if that's the case, so be it. I got a handful of films at the top of my head that may make even the most hardened-Gigli hater reconsider their opinion.