Gigli (2003)

Too many fans seem to be blown away

Good concept, poorly executed.

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This movie was...well I don't know what to say other than it was something. but not in a great "something" kind of way. Character and plot development are two things that you cannot live without...and honestly the only person who had real character development was the mentally challenged Brian played by Justin Bartha. J-Lo's character talked a lot but didn't actually do anything to make her seem dangerous, and the same goes for Ben Affleck's character with that terrible accent. Not to mention he couldn't even cut off a finger from a dead guy...also note he didn't actually carry a proper knife to do it right instead having to settle for a plastic butter knife which would definitely NOT do the trick. But we are supposed to believe they are gangsters. I could track on what was going on with the plot of kidnapping the kid to blackmail the DA or whatever, but there was no resolution nor were there other characters coming in to support the storyline other than Al Pacino's random gangster character that came in later to shoot a minor character because they messed up the thumb thing to get him out of whatever rap he was facing, and even he still did not seem like a threat to Bennifer since they talked themselves out of that too.To top it all off the ending just didn't make sense with the aforementioned Al Pacino role, which I would have thought would galvanize the characters to do something when all they end up doing is leaving the poor kid at a Baywatch shoot and driving off into the sunset together. But oh wait, J-Lo is supposed to be a lesbian. Though a poor one apparently due to the aforementioned sunset driving and of course the exception she makes for Affleck's character which is also unbelievable as she spends all this time talking about being a lesbian and saying things to prove her intelligence and Affleck's character says and does nothing intriguing to make the "hopping the fence" worthwhile. Add to that a random cameo by an ex- girlfriend who tries to kill herself and they leave that chick at the hospital too...honestly I don't know why they just didn't have her play it straight because it would have been better than that sad attempt to make Jennifer's character seem "edgy". That being said, the only redeeming factor of this movie was the whole seductive yoga lesbian dialogue, which I did find to be quite refreshing from a feminist perspective...and I'm a straight female. But again, even that did not redeem this film. So I guess watch it if you have nothing better to do, but I wouldn't go out of your way because while it is one of those semi-light movies in feel; once you realize just how void of actual character and plot elements it is you will want your 2 hours of your life back. You can YouTube the lesbian yoga thing if you are curious.

After years have passed since Gigli has been released, and within the constant media and critics hate towards the film. One has decided to settle and watch the film. Gigli was released in 2003 during the peak of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's romance career, and many have dismissed the film's failures on them. The film had a massive budget of 54 million yet only made 7 million worldwide. One would consider this as a major reason for the film being as criticized.Gigli has a different sense of what is wants to be. Considered as a romantic crime comedy. The film does bring out several levels of romance in a predictable relationship with the leads. The plot is thin and the film does have several scenes which stretch out, yet could have been edited about 20 minutes shorter. Although even with its flaws, Gigli remains an entertaining watch, due to the fact that there are many unintentional funny and clever scenes. For such a crime gangster film, the ending does have a heart and tender feel about it. Many have dismissed the film as too violent, though there is only one really violent scene, as an unexpected jump scene. Lenghty cameo scenes are made by Christopher Walken and Al Pacino, in which some considered a saving point of the film.

I watched this movie tonight at Netflix to just finally find out how bad it was. This movie is great.A quarter into it I'm thinking "Ok, just when is it going to be bad?" And in walks Christopher Walken. Alright, not bad yet.The story kept me involved and all roles were acted so very well, from leading roles to Brian "the retared" and all others. Three quarters into it I'm trying to figure out when it will get bad and in walks Al Pacino who delivers big time.I sincerely think the only reason everyone hated this movie is because they didn't like the fact that Jennifer Lopez was a lesbian.

I like Ben Affleck. He's a talented person and I'm sure he's a nice guy, but clearly he wasn't thinking straight when he decided to sign on to this mess. Not even him, Christopher Walken, or Al Pacino could save this movie from failing.At one point, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez as a couple was a big thing for tabloids & the media but here, they have zero chemistry in this movie, which isn't good for a romantic comedy. It's barely acted and it feels as if there wasn't even a script during production. The film revolves around Affleck as a gangster who has to kidnap a mentally challenged man (played by Justin Bartha), then J-Lo helps him out and the catch is that she's a lesbian. Imagine Kevin Smith's decent movie "Chasing Amy" minus the enjoyment, while adding a crime plot and pretentiousness and you have "Gigli".Apparently, this flop of a movie costs around $75.5 million dollars. Where did all the money go? How can anyone green-light this? I went into the movie with an open mind and five minutes into it, I knew it was only going to get worse and worse. I take full responsibility for seeing it out of my own curiosity, so you don't have to sit through this painful 2 hour garbage. If you like Ben Affleck, go watch "Good Will Hunting" instead of "Gigli" and you'll thank me later!