Ben Affleck is an interesting study in movie stardom. He’s pretty much been as big as you can be… and been pretty much as loathed as can be almost simultaneously. The man has made some undeniably, and unbelievably bad films… but he’s also turned in some absolute gems.
The man is more than an actor. He already has one Oscar for writing Good Will Hunting with buddy Matt Damon, and now The Hollywood Reporter is calling his new film and directorial debut “Gone Baby Gone” ONE OF THE BEST CRIME MOVIES OF THIS DECADE. High praise indeed. Affleck is a tough one to nail down.
However, despite the Gigli and Jersy Girl… despite Pearl Harbor and Surviving Christmas… I’ve always really liked Affleck. Not for his off camera shenanigans, but for his work. I think people do a huge disservice to Affleck when they marginalize the amazing work he’s done in Changing Lanes (which I still can’t believe how many people haven’t seen), Good Will Hunting, Hollywoodland, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Reindeer Games (ok ok ok… I’m just kidding about that last one).
Regardless of where you fall on this question, we can all agree that Affleck is a personality that clearly divides opinon. How can a guy be so clearly good one minute… and then so clearly bad the next? And he’s done both enough to establish that neither is a fluke.
Personally, I really enjoy Affleck (hell… i even loved daredevil)… but that’s just my opinion. With the huge positive buzz now coming from Gone baby Gone, I thought it would be interesting to throw the question out to you guys…. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BEN AFFLECK AND WHY? Discuss.
I dont really like or dislike Ben Affleck. I liked some of his movies like Good Will Hunting, Dogma, Changing Lanes, and Armageddon but then there are movies like Paycheck, Gigli, and Surviving Christmas which were horrible.
I think he knows exactly what he’s doing. The “bad” movies weren’t bad ONLY because of him. They were bad movies to begin with and they would’ve been bad with or without him. Fortunately for him there was a “good” paycheck attached to all of them so he didn’t care. The man works for a living and I don’t blame him for doing crappy movies just to get a paycheck.
He’s also very loyal. Personally I liked Jersey Girl but Kevin Smith was one of the people that put him on the map so I admire Affleck’s loyalty to him. For better or worse, he’ll take pretty much any part Kevin Smith asks him to take.
As for the “good movies”, obviously he knows how to pick em. I think the guy is extremely talented and is where he wants to be right now. People like to rag on him for doing “crappy” movies but we’re the ones that keep going to see them which gives such big paychecks to the actors doing them. You think he would rather do movies like Surviving Christmas and Forces of Nature rather than Good Will Hunting and Hollywoodland? He’s obviously not in it just for the fame and money because he’s willing to take risks and do independent films as well.
He knows what’s good and what’s bad and he knows what he’s doing. That’s why he’s the first to say: Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms.
“Äffleck was the bomb in Phantoms Yo”
First of all, great post. Who knew a simple question of either liking or hating Ben Afleck could draw so much attention and response?
It has been a roller-coaster ride for me with him. After Good Will Hunting, he could do no wrong in my eyes. He did seem like the guy I could sit in a bar and have a drink with. Then movies such as Pearl Harbor and Paycheck (to name only two) came out. Action star he is not, evidenced by the hilarity of him firing a machine gun in slow motion-thanks Woo.
And the tabloids didn’t help, obviously. I am sure he didn’t come up with the name Bennifer. Now I have learned to not pay attention to the trash of the tabloids(except for upskirt and nip slips) and not use them in any way as a base of my opinion of actors/actresses.
However, as wisely noted already, I think supporting roles or even cameos are his best work. Dazed and Confused, Good Will Hunting, Jay and Silent Bob strike back, Boiler Room…all of these fit him quite well.
I love Ben Affleck! He’s an awesome man, and he’s actually very smart. I don’t know why people give him so much crap. I mean, even Al Pacino has made some bad flicks!
I’m a huge Ben Affleck fan but a lot of his career is made up of roles that sound good on paper and end up being either blah or terrible.
I think that he’s much stronger behind the scenes and would actually prefer to see him direct and produce more and take on more supporting roles than lead ones.
I forgot all about that he was a Red Sox fan-that pushes him over to the he sucks side
Thanks, Richard! I thought Affleck was just fine in ‘Phantoms’ -he was well cast, if, and only if, folks read the Koontz novel. Did the film have its faults? Sure. But it had a creepy town, a lovecraftian monster, a creepy dog, Rose McGowan and Joanna Going. Who screwed the pooch in Phantoms was an uneeded over the top Liev Shreiber.
I didn’t mind him in Daredevil. I hated the see saw playground scene with a fucking vengeance, some of the dialog made me cringe….but hey, if Hulk and Punisher can be recast…I expect an Affleck-less Daredevil 2 soon.
But Affleck’s best work was ‘Hollywoodland’, I think, second only to ‘Changing Lanes’.
His work with Michael Bay should be burned to a crispy melt in a nuclear bonfire. Gigli too.
I agree with Jay in “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”… Affleck was the bomb in “Phantoms”. Daredevil was entertaining. Jersey Girl was amusing, especially the scene with Will Smith. Good Will Hunting was great. Affleck has an up and down movie career, but some of the best actors do (John Travolta anyone?).
I read “Gone, Baby, Gone” and as long as they stick to that story pretty closely, this will be a great movie. Might even be a great franchise since there are 4 or 5 books about Casey Affleck’s character, all of which were as good as or better than “Gone, Baby, Gone”.
2 words: overrated dimwit
He’s tapping Garner, so at least that’s one thing he’s got going for him. I never got any of the hype that he got. He’s never done anything spectacular to me, and his hetero lifemate Damon smokes him in every possible way. I’m just not a fan. Meh.
Its sad when your brother, a relative no name in the business, is a far better actor then you. I wish Ben Affleck was known as Casey Afflecks brother. PACK YOUR THINGS!!!!
Good point Zuke. Stars with uninformed political positions piss me off. I even found recent comments by the great Paul Newman to be offputting. Also, Affleck is a Red Sox fan. Boo.
Drtheopolis, Affleck would have been a bigger star in the golden era because he lacks personality? That was a joke, right? Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Jimmy Cagney, William Powell, Clark Gable…
Most stars today are like badly programmed robots. That’s why Denzel, Crowe or Bale are so welcome on my screen.
Affleck seems like a cool guy, the kind you could kick it with at a bar or watching a football game w/the guys. None of his movies really stand out for me, he’s been in good ones and some turds. I don’t mind watching him though. Just please, no DareDevil2. I was hoping he’d have a bigger part in Smoking Aces, but no.
The thing that freaks me out is when talk shows start asking his opinion on political issues, etc. Most celebeties are so out of touch with the real world and real people-type problems because of their socio-economic status, that they’re some of the last people we should be giving a cr*p about opinion-wise. Sometimes I get this vibe that women interviewers think he should enter politics, and I think it’s because he’s good looking and charismatic.
Funny, one of the reasons given over and over about Affleck is the reason I like him: His mediocre / bland / undistinguished good looks. I find him relate-able, not unbelievable. Sure he’s made his share of bad movies (“PAYCHECK” anyone? which I paid to see in the theatres!! I blame John Woo mostly for that. but I digress…) but i think he is almost of another time. in the 1930s/40s/50s, i think he would have been the biggest star around, mostly because he seems to lack personality. today, audiences want more magnetism from their movie star-action heroes.
btw, have you seen him on Bill Maher? he comes off pretty smart.
I’ve liked Affleck in some films and disliked him in others. He’s a solid actor who has made a lot of bad choices. That’s all.
I’ve never understood why this guy gets so much hatred directed towards him. Granted, he’s been in some lousy movies but he’s also been in some that I’ve really enjoyed.
Changing Lanes, as many of you said, was a great flick.
I loved Good Will Hunting.
Chasing Amy was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen and he had great chemistry with Jason Lee. I even liked Jersey Girl.
You take out all the tabloid stuff and I think he’s turned in some pretty decent work. Should he of been Jack Ryan? No… but how do you turn down that role?
Since Bishop brought it up regarding DeNiro -I just had a discussion about how terrible DeNiro’s career has been in maybe the last 20 years. Don’t get me wrong-anyone who made Mean Streets-Godfather 2-1900-Taxi Driver-Raging Bull and Goodfellas-doesn’t have to do anything ever again and can be considered one of the greatest actors of his or anyone elses generation. But how diluted has his career become with terrible choices since Goodfellas.
Anyway Ben Affleck is a likeable guy-an actor who has also made some bad choices-but I’ll say that in the same time frame that Affleck has been an actor he hasn’t been any worse than DeNiro has in the same time frame
I walked out of The Departed thinking that Damon was the one that would get nominated fro his role. I thought he stood out in one the best ensemble casts of the last couple decades.
Affleck has some talent, he definately doesnt seem like hes terribly diverse, but he can do a couple things well.
Affleck rides on the coattails of others when the movies are successful, and he takes the blame when they aren’t. Sometimes that blame is warranted and sometimes it isn’t, but I heave yet to see any reason he should get any praise for anything he’s done.
That said, Gigli is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen.
I agree with Christine on that one, he was good in that movie, and I liked him in “Dazed and Confused” even though he was a dick. As a matter of fact, everyone in that movie was fucking awesome.
Ben Affleck – meh. But, if he is in a good movie or is behind the scenes for a good movie, I’ll go see it.
I think Matt Damon is meh, too. Brothers Grimm, anyone? Matt Damon lucked out with the Bourne movies, but I know plenty of other actors who could have done it. Matt only has the Bourne movies, his other movies just aren’t as popular. Oceans and the Departed had greater actors allowing Matt to float along.
I see Clive Owens, Daniel Craig, Christian Bale, Gary Oldman and Russell Crowe as movie stars. Bruce Willis, too.
Well, to be fair, Robert DeNiro was in Rocky and Bullwinkle. Actors don’t have to make amazing choices all the time. Sometimes actors do the best that they can with the scripts that they get, or the direction they get. Sometimes a paycheck (no pun intended) is just that. I would not avoid seeing a movie with him in it, just because he is in it. I think people just like to poke at him because he has been such fodder for the tabloids. And as far as looks go? I think that is pretty irrelevant as it is so subjective (hell Pam Anderson gave Kid Rock a dip in the stinkhole).
Hell, I bet each and every one of us doesn’t kick ass and take numbers every day at our own job. Minus me.
There are a number of roles I see him in that I absolutely love. Hollywoodland was an amazing movie. Pearl Harbor made me want to kick him in the nuts. I actually liked him in Jersey Girl, and for that matter a lot of his stuff with Kevin Smith. Armageddon kinda made me want to hit him with a tire iron.
So we kinda have a love/hate relationship.
He plays the “asshole” character in films well. Thats all I really think about him. Daredevil sucked, but I don’t think it was his fault, he really didn’t bother me. He also fucked JLo and Eric Cartman’s hand.
So…I’m just saying…I’ve never fucked JLo or a cartoon character.
And now he’s fucking Jennifer Garner, and this excerpt from IMDB was interesting:
Early in the filming of Daredevil (2003), while doing a stunt, she (Garner) became tangled in the wires that were helping her do a flip and she nearly crashed into a wall that she was supposed to flip off. Ben Affleck, in his Daredevil costume, rushed up to her, grabbed her, and pulled her away from the wall before the accident could happen. Jennifer later commented “It was like he was Superman.”
And who knows, he’s still young and still has a good career. He may end up rivaling Cary Grant for all we know. I love Cary Grant.
I like Ben Affleck. Despite the bad movies he has made, he consistently picks himself back up and makes another good one.
I also appreciate his sense of humor – his scenes in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, both as himself and as Holden, were hilarious. An actor that can poke fun at himself always wins my respect.
I think Affleck got a bad rap for taking on some really bad roles. Its not like he’s the first actor to do such a thing. I think it comes down to jumping on the loathing train. One person decided they’re going to be haters and everyone else follows suit.
If you or I were scrutinized for all of our bad decisions the way Ben Affleck is scrutinized – how would we look?
I hope to see more quality work from Ben Affleck whether it be acting, writing or directing.
Irrelavant maybe, but I also wanted to add that his “buddy” Matt Damon is one of the best and smartest young actors working today. Hands down.
I’m not an Affleck fan by any means. Besides Hollywoodland, he’s never given anything I would even remotely call an impressive performance and like most people, I always felt that the Oscar-cred he received for writing mostly belonged to Matt Damon. Off the camera, he’s always seemed to be a shmuck too…
I do find myself warming up to him though. He’d admitted that most of his career has sucked, he’s done way too many terrible movies just for the money, and now he seems determined to be taken seriously… which is also the case with people like Ashton Kutcher and Hilary Duff, but in Affleck’s case, he might have a chance, because I do feel there might be some talent deep down in there… and where do I think that talent might be? As a director, not an actor (leave that for his little brother Casey).
Gone, Baby, Gone looks fantastic.
I always find myself thinking about him and Matt Damon and what opposite directions their careers have gone in since Good Will Hunting.
It seems like Damon has held out and made better decisions on what movies to do while Affleck was trying to become a superstar and just taking anything thrown at him.
Damon is the much better actor of the two, I think Affleck can find a niche for himself, and be a serviceable actor himself.
There is “something” about him though that makes me want to see him fail sometimes, while its the exact opposite with Damon. Cant put my finger on it though.
I like Affleck. Wouldn’t mind seeing more of him in films to come.
I dug his performances in enough stuff to say I think he’s “hit-and-miss”, which is a fair take on an actor, I think. Alot of actors are just that, skilled but not always on point. I know he has talent–“Changing Lanes” showed me that. I also like when he just does the “Affleck” riff, like in Kevin Smith’s films. I have no interest in alot of his lead roles (the romances); but I actually liked both “Armageddon” and “Daredevil”. When I get him in small doses (like “Boiler Room”), I usually think he’s good or, at least, Serviceable. I don’t know. Affleck’s alright in my book.
3 words; James Tiberius Kirk
I think he’s awful. Everything that used to make a strong Hollywood leading man is missing from Affleck. He’s a piece of wood with lips.
I defer to my wife on him looks, which she calls “average”. She said to me once there is no justice when a good-looking talented actor like Nathan Fillion can’t buy a hit and Affleck is all over the place.
His Oscar was undeserved. I thought “Titanic” had a better script, but the award belonged to “Boogie Nights”. It was the marketable friendship with Damon that won him the award.
I can’t honestly assess all his acting performances, just the ones I saw, which were early in his career since I started avoiding his films. His work with Kevin Smith is mediocre, but I’m also of the school that Smith hasn’t made a decent film since his debut. “Armageddon” was OK and “Pearl Harbor” was KATE BECKINSALE!!! and Affleck was blah in both. I hated “Good Will Hunting”, “Phantoms”, “The Sum of All Fears” and “Daredevil”. He was unwatchable in all of them. After that I was done with him and fortunately haven’t seen “Gigli” or “Jersey Girl”.
In all fairness, he has given two good performances in supporting roles. He was amusing in “Shakespeare in Love” and solid in “Boiler Room”.
“How can a guy be so clearly good one minute… and then so clearly bad the next?”
That’s a simple answer: it’s called caring. There’s no denying Affleck has talent, but if you don’t care about the project you’re working on, you’re not going to have the same dedication towards it.
Ben seriously has the behind the scenes attitude towards the movie biz, and I wouldn’t rule out him becoming more a director/producer/writer than an actor, soon.