Thursday, September 5, 2013

Podcast: Gigli (2003)


By listener request, it's 2003's epic Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez flop Gigli! Two low-level mobsters kidnap the mentally handicapped brother (Justin Bartha) of the District Attorney and house him in Ben Affleck's lush Los Angeles condo.


Meanwhile Jennifer Lopez goes on long rambling rants about how great her vagina is, and Justin Bartha sings "Baby Got Back" in mentally handicapped blackface. We discuss Al Pacino's descent into acting madness, the unrealistic stage-y nature of this film, its (possibly exaggerated) reputation, and eerie casting parallels to Tommy Wiseau's The Room.

Some notes:
  • The IMDb synopsis, in its entirety:
    • Gigli, a lowly and inept hitman, is assigned a job by the mob to kidnap a mentally retarded brother of a California district attorney. Gigli abducts the brother from his mental hospital and holds him hostage in his apartment. Ricki, a "lesbian assassin", is sent to oversee Gigli's job and make sure he doesn't screw it up. Comedic high jinks ensue as the two go on the lam and start to fall in love. 
  • Inspired by the Batman/Superman movie, our casting choices for Gigli/The Room crossover:
    • Ben Affleck = Johnny
    • Jennifer Lopez = Lisa
    • Justin Bartha = Denny
    • Gigli's Boss = Chris-R
    • Gigli's Mom = Claudette (role reversal)
    • Christopher Walken = Peter
    • Al Pacino = Steven (a.k.a. "Guy Who Replaced Peter")
    • Crazy Lesbian Girlfriend = Mark

1 comment: