Gigli (2003)

ONE OF THE GREATEST CINAMATIC EXPERIENCES THAT I HAVE WATCHED IN YEARS

Where do I start. The acting, the well written script - innovative writing mind you. You can feel the passion of the film maker. And the Direction was flawless. Ben and Jen were obviously at the top of there game. Superb acting...Thank you very much. Oh,and the cinematography was outstanding, the way it came through on my HD set. Oh my. March 20, 2008

NOT THE FLOP ONCE THOUGHT

There are a number of things that can make a bad movie. One is a bad story. Or how about bad acting? These are the two most obvious because they can be the most easily seen. Bad directing is harder to spot but comes through anyway. But perhaps the worst way a movie can be bad is in notoriety.

GIGLI is a movie that was hyped not as the movie to go see but as one of the worst movies ever made. This was proclaimed before the movie hit a screen. And with all of this negative hype, is it any wonder that the movie sank at the box office? The question is is it really as bad a movie as they said?

The answer is no, it is not nearly as bad as they claimed it was. The sun will continue to rise each morning and the moon at night. Tides will not pass over the coastline and wipe out the beachfronts from sea to shining sea. And movies will continue to be made, some even starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.

Affleck stars as Larry Gigli (pronounced like really), a low level enforcer for mobster wanna be Louis. Gigli may be an enforcer, but he's a nice guy deep down as well which doesn't sit well with Louis. Especially on his latest job.

Louis wants Gigli to kidnap a mentally handicapped young man named Brian from an institution and hold on to him until further notice. This is to help a top level Mafioso from the east coast who is being prosecuted by the young man's brother.

Gigli follows through and later find a young lady knocking at his door. Enter Ricki (Jennifer Lopez), another employee of Louis sent to help. It seems that Louis doesn't have much faith in Gigli so he's sent her along as back up.

The expected happens when Gigli puts the moves on Ricki. The unexpected happens when she tells him she is a lesbian. Macho Gigli, a stereotypical male if there ever was one, has his pride squashed. But that changes later when they have the chance of...well watch and see.

The characters evolve as this movie progresses. Gigli is put in touch with who he really is. Ricki gets the chance to see the world a bit differently. And both of them find a fond affection for Brian, becoming more understanding as they get to know him.

So why does everyone hate this movie? Perhaps it's because it moves along a bit slowly. Perhaps because some of the discussions between the two main characters, the main focus of the movie, are frank and up front. My best guess is that it has little to do with these items and more to do with the publicity bandwagon that started with the duo falling in love while the film was being made.

The movie is not all that bad. The story is better than many movies released and the dialogue well written. Affleck's accent may be a tad off but hey, it isn't real life, it's a movie! The appearance of the film, everything from cinematography to lighting was wonderful. Both actors seemed believable in their roles. So what went wrong?

I've read reviews and the things taken apart have seemed nit picky. When stars rise, it seems they become targets. Was the movie going to make strides in film making? No. Was it going to be the next best thing since sliced bread? No. What it was was an interesting story with some good and some bad dialogue.

I guess the biggest mystery to me about this film was why it received such bad press and did so little money at the box office while movies like LEGALLY BLONDE 2 did so well? Now that movie had the content of a well filled diaper. I guess it all depends on the expectations one has when viewing a film. Go in expecting the worst here and you'll be happy. It's at least worth a rental.
March 14, 2008

I scream, you scream, we all scream for gigli!!

So everyone complains about this movie, right?!?

It's actually PRETTY GOOD.
Christopher Walken is always good, Ben Affleck looks great in black leather (as always) and JLo is ok. October 3, 2007

My favorite Ben Affleck movie

"Reindeer Games" is my favorite Ben Affleck movie because in it he gets repeatedly punched in the face. September 27, 2007

Worth It For The Yoga Scene!

You know, so much has been said regarding Gigli being a worthless piece of garbage...and well, it almost is, what saves it for me is, first off I LOVE Lainie Kazan. She is a legend and still beautiful woman. Aside from the fabulous Ms Kazan, is that gloriously sexy scene between Afleck and Lopez where they are debating over the female vs male body. Now THAT scene alone was worth the entire movie admission for me! For the record everything Lopez' character said in that scene is 100% correct! The movie could not win any awards for great acting, but, take it for what it's worth and you'll have fun. July 21, 2007

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