Gigli is an interesting film. Without a doubt, it’s one of the worst movies ever made, but what stands out, even more, is the fact that the premise of the movie is brimming with potential. The film is about Gigli, who kidnaps the younger brother of a powerful federal prosecutor. Naturally, plans go awry, so Ricki comes down to clean up the mess and assist with the kidnapping. However, Gigli begins falling for Ricki, which could be trouble for his occupation. In the midst of this tonally confused mess is a great film had it taken the cynical, dark-comedy, approach like Heathers. No manner how much you try to make Gigli seem like a decent guy, kidnapping a kid is wrong. Though, I don’t think the film cares all too much.
The blame can’t be fully on director Martin Brest, as Ben Affleck has stated that the studio took away creative control from the filmmaker. Originally, Gigli was supposed to be darker (Release the Brest cut?) and if you compare the first trailer to the actual movie, you’ll notice that some of the scenes aren’t in the feature. Gigli really could’ve been a great dark gangster comedy. A young man who’s feels that in order to prove his manhood that he has to be in a gang, but then realizes that the violent and brutal world just isn’t for him is a really good story there. Perhaps Gigli had the same mindset as Henry Hill; He always wanted to be a gangster. Sometimes, some men aren’t cut out for the violent and cutthroat lifestyle. Unfortunately, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were the “it” couple during this time and the executives tried to make this an odd romantic comedy that just doesn’t make sense. Perhaps a Bonnie and Clyde-type movie could’ve come out of this if the executives desperately felt that there needed to be a love angle here. However, Ricki’s role never makes sense and feels unnecessary. She is sent there to keep an eye on Gigli, but he manages to kidnap the kid without any problems.
Plus, Ricki is gay, but she’s not? And I understand that there’s bisexuality and pansexuality, but the film makes it clear that she’s a lesbian. There’s never any deep exploration of the subject. Ricki isn’t battling her sexuality nor does she even question whether she can fall in love with a man. She just gets horny and suddenly it’s turkey time. And Ricki is never believable as a tough boss chick. Perhaps that part lies in the acting talents of Jennifer Lopez. No disrespect to the actress as she has certainly grown into a respectable acting talent, but Gigli was not a good showcase here. She feels nothing more than eye candy for the Gigli. That whole intimation scene with the kids was an epic failure because of the whole layout of the sequence combined with Lopez’s acting ability. If the executives wanted to make this a romantic comedy, then they should’ve gotten rid of the whole kidnapping plot. As I previously mentioned, this could’ve been a Bonnie and Clyde type film. Or Ricki could’ve been a nice girl that Gigli meets and persuades him to leave the gangster lifestyle for good.
However, the gangster aspect is the more interesting angle of the two. We’ve seen stories of guys growing up in a world that’s bigger than them, but a different perspective on wanting out of this lifestyle could’ve really added to the genre. Gigli feels afraid to take any risks. It’s about a wannabe gangster, but he’s too scared to do anything that’s suitable for the lifestyle. There’s a kidnapping, but nothing ever happens to the kid. Ricki is gay, but that’s not particularly the subject they want to explore so nothing of depth comes from that. We’re supposed to be rooting for Ricki and Gigli to get together, but there’s absolutely no chemistry between Lopez and Affleck. It doesn’t help that their scenes tend to fall in the range of stupid, boring, or eye rolling. The only actors to really spark some life into this movie is Christopher Walken and Al Pacino, but neither are in the film long enough to warrant a full watch. There’s a mish mash of ideas that could’ve come together to make a great gangster/dark comedy. Unfortunately, Gigli ends up being a misguided and miscast mess featuring some of the worst dialogue imaginable and a non-sensical plot that trudges along. Martin Brest was dealt an unfair hand, and who knows what would’ve happened had the director of Midnight Run and Beverly Hills Cop been able to have creative leeway with this 2003 stinker.
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