Maybe one of the most notorious flops of the 21st century so far, Gigli is a movie I finally watched, and did so right after watching another famous "bad" movie from 2003, The Room.
The Room might have too many problems to keep track of them all, but it's a thoroughly engaging and funny watch, when you watch it at an interactive screening (as I've done about 10 times now). Gigli just doesn't have the magic that The Room does. For the most part, it's bad because almost all of its comedy flops, and it's just a weirdly lifeless, boring movie...
...with a couple of exceptions, thanks to Christopher Walken and Al Pacino. They're both in the movie briefly for some reason, but each being an energy that's kind of compelling and fun. Walken especially might be the one thing preventing this from being truly irredeemable.
I think it really has the reputation it does because of the talent involved, and the careers it sank, because reading about this on paper, you'd expect better. Beyond the cast, Martin Brest has made some very good films, particularly comparable crime-comedies like Beverley Hills Cop, Midnight Run, and the original/excellent/underrated Going In Style. Since Gigli's release in 2003, Brest hasn't made another movie, which is a shame. Unless of course he made a personal choice to retire from filmmaking, the idea that one bad movie should make you a filmmaking outcast isn't really fair.
Anyway, watch the Walken and/or Pacino scenes on YouTube. Miss the rest. It's pretty dull and tedious, and probably has about 25 minutes of plot spread across two hours, and it's not even like the characters are enjoyable or likeable either.
The Room might have too many problems to keep track of them all, but it's a thoroughly engaging and funny watch, when you watch it at an interactive screening (as I've done about 10 times now). Gigli just doesn't have the magic that The Room does. For the most part, it's bad because almost all of its comedy flops, and it's just a weirdly lifeless, boring movie...
...with a couple of exceptions, thanks to Christopher Walken and Al Pacino. They're both in the movie briefly for some reason, but each being an energy that's kind of compelling and fun. Walken especially might be the one thing preventing this from being truly irredeemable.
I think it really has the reputation it does because of the talent involved, and the careers it sank, because reading about this on paper, you'd expect better. Beyond the cast, Martin Brest has made some very good films, particularly comparable crime-comedies like Beverley Hills Cop, Midnight Run, and the original/excellent/underrated Going In Style. Since Gigli's release in 2003, Brest hasn't made another movie, which is a shame. Unless of course he made a personal choice to retire from filmmaking, the idea that one bad movie should make you a filmmaking outcast isn't really fair.
Anyway, watch the Walken and/or Pacino scenes on YouTube. Miss the rest. It's pretty dull and tedious, and probably has about 25 minutes of plot spread across two hours, and it's not even like the characters are enjoyable or likeable either.