Well, here it is, Gigli, the movie critics want to hate and moviegoers wants to love. Fresh off great ratings for the J-Fleck and Ben-Lo NBC Dateline special we finally get to see the movie that spurred on America’s favorite romance.
So, is it worth all the hype? Well, the short answer is…No. It is a wonder to me that movies like this get made when they start off and end up going nowhere.
Gigli, is promoted as a new romantic gangster comedy about a lowly thug who lets love get in the way of a high-risk mob assignment. Gigli (Affleck) is ordered to kidnap the psychologically challenged younger brother of a powerful federal prosecutor.
Now cue Lopez, a thug (yeah) brought in by Gigli’s boss to make sure nothing goes wrong with the plan. Granted Lopez looks amazing and the shots where you can see practically down the back of her jeans and the times where her blouse leaves little to the imagination almost make you forget this movie is so boring, but there is a catch to this beauty. Not only is she not believable as a thug she is also a lesbian, which gives the film a whole Chasing Amy vibe… Affleck must be drawn to this kind of material.
Needless to say, Affleck falls for her and, through their time protecting their handicapped friend, a series of events lead them into bed together and on a variety of endless and unnecessary dialogue. Al Pacino makes a cameo appearance for all of five minutes and then we are left with the witless banter of the two stars of the film.
The only comedy offered up comes from the kidnapped child played by Justin Bartha as he does what we have seen over and over again as actors have played a handicapped role. And finally, the in-and-out New York accents are disturbing as Lopez tries to prove that she actually is just “Jenny from the Block.”
Gigli has no imagination and it is a wonder this movie was made before the Affleck and Lopez romance actually began. It seems like a flick designed to play off America’s infatuation with the two superstars rather than one that caused said infatuation.
This movie will probably draw big opening weekend numbers but once audiences get a taste of what Gigli has to offer it will fall off the map. It is hard to tell what this movie is really trying to accomplish and leaving it to be a mindless clutter of circumstances you aren’t interested in seeing what the outcome may be.
