27019207
Gigli
R
Playing in area theaters tomorrow
Two-and-a-half reels out of four
Gigli, the long-awaited comedy with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, likely will disappoint many people for all the wrong reasons.
The press has building this up as the Heaven’s Gate of romantic comedy, the movie that will kill the Ben and Jen screen partnership before it gets started.
Well, I hate to be the bearer of good tidings, but Gigli isn’t half bad. It is charming and sweet, and possesses a fine comic performance by Lopez. Heck, with a stronger script and a few more days in the editing room, it could have been a contender.
When low-level hood Larry Gigli (Affleck) is given an assignment to abduct the mentally challenged brother of a prominent district attorney, Ricki (Lopez), a gorgeous and free-spirited female enforcer, is sent in to assist him. Gigli finds himself falling for the very unavailable Ricki and goes to great lengths to win her affection. And the harder she resists him, the stronger their connection becomes.
Way back in the old days, before she was J-Lo, Lopez had a well-deserved reputation as a decent actor. Many critics conveniently forget this. Now, she is easily the best thing in Gigli. Her performance is nuanced, self-confident and ultimately very likeable.
On the flip side, I’m not sure I’m buying Affleck as a street punk any more than I bought Warren Beatty as a ’30s gangster in Bugsy, yet his screen presence is undeniable. Despite an accent that sounds like bad Central Casting Mafioso, Affleck makes believable Larry’s metamorphoses from hood to sensitive guy.
Al Pacino is totally nuts in a cameo as a Mafia boss. In any other movie he might be overacting, but here he’s a welcome burst of much-needed energy. Meanwhile, newcomer Justin Bartha is likeable as the kidnap victim Brian, but displays too many mannerisms and ticks to make his performance totally believable. It’s even annoying at times.
Although they’ll never be accused of being Tracy and Hepburn, Affleck and Lopez have an undeniably strong chemistry. Acting or no acting, you can’t fake that.
The rest of the movie doesn’t fare quite as well: There are plot holes as big as Montana. And in one completely illogical scene, Christopher Walken plays a cop.
I must confess, I go into every movie hoping to have a good time. And Gigli was, surprisingly, genuinely enjoyable.
Agent Cody Banks
PG
Available Tuesday
Cody Banks is like most teenage boys: His parents are constantly on his back, his brother’s a pain, and he can’t seem to connect with the girls. All that changes when he’s selected by the CIA to be a secret agent. His mission? To get close to the prettiest girl in school so he can find out what her mad-scientist father is up to. Who said saving the world was easy? Malcolm in the Middle‘s Frankie Muniz looks like he’s having a ball and the gadgets are as cool as you’d expect. With teen sensation Hilary Duff and mega-babe Angie Harmon as Cody’s CIA babysitter and mentor.
