Ben Affleck’s New Netflix Hit Redeems His Worst Movie Ever

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Ben Affleck’s new film, The Rip, is a big success, but it shares some unexpected similarities with his least popular movie. Affleck’s career has seen its ups and downs. He first gained recognition for strong performances in films like Chasing Amy and Good Will Hunting, and then became known for big-budget action movies, starting with the hit Armageddon in 1998.

Despite early success, a series of poor decisions hampered Ben Affleck’s career for several years. Films like Reindeer Games and Jersey Girl were critically panned, and he didn’t regain positive reviews until the 2010s. With movies like The Town, Argo, and Gone Girl, he successfully returned to prominence as a leading actor.

Although Ben Affleck has generally received better reviews for his directing than for his acting, he recently starred in a very successful film for Netflix called The Rip. This action-packed thriller, directed by Joe Carnahan, centers around a group of police officers who find millions of dollars during a raid on a drug cartel’s hideout. The discovery then causes the team to fracture as they grapple with what to do with the money.

The Rip Has A Lot In Common With Gigli

Image by Everett Collection

Featuring a talented cast including Matt Damon, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Steven Yeun, and Kyle Chandler, The Rip is a thrilling and unpredictable movie. It keeps you guessing as characters form surprising partnerships and constantly betray each other, making it hard to pick a side.

Critics generally liked The Rip, but it shares surprising similarities with Ben Affleck’s biggest career failure, the 2003 film Gigli. Gigli was a romantic comedy and action thriller directed by Martin Brest, who also directed popular movies like Beverly Hills Cop and Scent of a Woman.

This film completely lacked the director’s signature style and felt lifeless. Similar to Netflix’s The Rip, it features Affleck as a troubled and unethical character. Like The Rip, the movie is largely confined to one setting and centers on a group of dishonest people attempting to make a lot of money.

While The Rip has its flaws, Gigli is widely considered one of the worst films ever made. Many things don’t work in the movie, but the most problematic aspects are the portrayal of a character with intellectual disabilities by Justin Bartha and the script’s jarring changes in tone. The film started as a dark, comedic thriller, but was awkwardly turned into a romantic comedy after the actors were cast.

Gigli Remains Affleck’s Worst Movie Ever

Ben Affleck stars as Gigli, a gangster tasked with kidnapping the brother of a federal prosecutor to force the prosecutor to give the mob favorable treatment. Jennifer Lopez plays Ricki, a no-nonsense criminal sent to oversee Gigli’s mission. However, the romantic relationship that developed between Affleck and Lopez during filming significantly changed the direction of the movie.

Brest originally wrote Gigli as a funny, suspenseful story, but the final film turned into a strangely gloomy and unsuccessful romantic comedy. The plot involved Ricki, who initially states she’s a lesbian, unexpectedly falling for the main character. Despite the real-life relationship between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, they lacked believable chemistry on screen, and the film’s silly dialogue only made things worse.

The choice to have an actor without intellectual disabilities play the hostage in Gigli made the movie’s comedic scenes even more awkward, and it felt disrespectful to the character. Compared to the reaction to The Rip, Gigli was clearly Ben Affleck’s biggest professional misstep.

It’s strange, but initial reviews of the movie weren’t as harsh as those that came out later, though very few people defended it. Critics found it boring and unoriginal, but the real problem was its financial failure. Despite being a simple romantic comedy set in one location, the movie cost a huge $75 million to make, yet only earned $7 million when it was released.

The movie initially received overwhelmingly negative reviews, and it’s now widely considered to be one of the worst films ever made. Almost nothing works in this overly long, unfunny, and suspense-free story, and Gigli surprisingly squanders the talents of a strong cast including Jennifer Lopez, Paul Bartha, Ben Affleck, Al Pacino, and Christopher Walken.

The Rip Proves Affleck’s Thriller Reputation Has Been Redeemed

Despite the widely acknowledged failure of Gigli, Ben Affleck has since demonstrated that it was an isolated incident. He’s gone on to star in a number of successful thrillers, including the intense heist film Triple Frontier on Netflix and the gripping psychological thriller Gone Girl. He also proved his ability to lead action thrillers with 2016’s The Accountant and more recently, The Rip.

I have to say, Ben Affleck really surprised me with his range! Remember Smokin’ Aces from 2006? It was a seriously underrated, darkly funny action flick that proved he could pull off something totally different – as long as his real-life partner wasn’t involved. And while The Rip definitely gets him back on track with thrillers, let’s be real, nobody’s clamoring for a follow-up to that one movie he really shouldn’t have made.

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2026-01-24 15:59