Not the worst movie of all time, contrary to popular opinion, but certainly not a good movie either. It suffers from a lot of things, starting with wanting to be a drama but at the same time a romantic comedy, and failing at both. Mainly it seems to be a vehicle for Jennifer Lopez, three years after she wrote that green Versace dress at the Grammy's and still on top of the world, and who at the time had left Cris Judd for Ben Affleck to form Bennifer 1.0. She's gorgeous but you would probably be happier watching scenes like the one where she's doing yoga with the sound muted, the dialogue is so atrocious.
One of the biggest issues with the film is with her lead man, Ben Affleck, whose character is an unlikeable tool, made worse by the way he performs it. Seriously, if the thought of wanting to punch him in the face doesn't cross your mind, you're a saint. The problem is not thar he makes Lopez's character "go straight" as mentioned in many reviews because that's not even what happens (and she's pointed out she's been with men before) - the problem is he's so utterly charmless that there's absolutely no way her character would want to share a bed with him, let alone sleep with him. Affleck is caught in no-man's land here - a character too soft to be a gangster, one of the plot points, but still abrasive and arrogant in his personal relationships. It's dissatisfying both ways, and tonally the film is wildly inconsistent.
Al Pacino makes an appearance and gets his big moment in, but it doesn't fit the film at all. The other cameo, Christopher Walken, just seems awkward, with Walken trying to make something good out of the crappy lines he was given and failing. Then there's the kidnap victim, a mentally challenged man, played by Justin Bartha, who you may know as the sidekick Riley in National Treasure. Suffice it to say that unsurprisingly, this character is handled poorly and it's cringe-worthy how he's played for laughs, even if the film thinks it's showing empathy in that final Baywatch scene, which was ridiculous.
Watchable especially if you have low expectations, but be prepared to howl at the screen, and to endure 122(!) minutes.
One of the biggest issues with the film is with her lead man, Ben Affleck, whose character is an unlikeable tool, made worse by the way he performs it. Seriously, if the thought of wanting to punch him in the face doesn't cross your mind, you're a saint. The problem is not thar he makes Lopez's character "go straight" as mentioned in many reviews because that's not even what happens (and she's pointed out she's been with men before) - the problem is he's so utterly charmless that there's absolutely no way her character would want to share a bed with him, let alone sleep with him. Affleck is caught in no-man's land here - a character too soft to be a gangster, one of the plot points, but still abrasive and arrogant in his personal relationships. It's dissatisfying both ways, and tonally the film is wildly inconsistent.
Al Pacino makes an appearance and gets his big moment in, but it doesn't fit the film at all. The other cameo, Christopher Walken, just seems awkward, with Walken trying to make something good out of the crappy lines he was given and failing. Then there's the kidnap victim, a mentally challenged man, played by Justin Bartha, who you may know as the sidekick Riley in National Treasure. Suffice it to say that unsurprisingly, this character is handled poorly and it's cringe-worthy how he's played for laughs, even if the film thinks it's showing empathy in that final Baywatch scene, which was ridiculous.
Watchable especially if you have low expectations, but be prepared to howl at the screen, and to endure 122(!) minutes.