The Curious Case of Benjamin Affleck
The Golden Raspberry Awards, known colloquially as the ‘Razzies,’ added a noteworthy category at the 2010 edition of the event – the ‘Worst of the Decade’ awards.
Nominated in the ‘Worst Actor of the Decade’ category, alongside the likes of Rob Schneider and John Travolta, was one Ben Affleck.
Affleck didn’t win. And two years later, he won the Best Picture Oscar for Argo. And that is Ben Affleck’s career distilled into a sentence.
It’s difficult to pin down Affleck the actor; he’s all over the place. But dare I say, his talent in front of the camera is undervalued, and he has grown into a dependable actor, capable of at-least approaching greatness with the right material.
And for a large part of his career, that wasn’t the case.
Affleck and Matt Damon were both launched into the Hollywood stratosphere with Good Will Hunting.
Damon went the route of being a ‘serious’ actor – he followed up his wicked smaht performance with roles in Saving Private Ryan, Rounders and The Talented Mr Ripley.
At this point, one could make a very persuasive argument that Damon is one of the ten best actors of his generation.
Affleck, however, went a different, more ‘leading man-esque’ route – Armageddon, Forces of Nature, Reindeer Games.
And then came the dreaded early 2000s, undoubtedly Affleck’s nadir as an actor – Pearl Harbour, Gigli, Daredevil, Paycheck and the likes were critically panned. And Affleck wasn’t spared.
Although it might be too grand an assumption to make, it appears that at that point, Affleck wasn’t particularly concerned with his craft. Setting aside the quality of the films, he wasn’t starring in movies where he would be tested as a performer.
If I had to use one word to describe those performances, it would be ‘stiff.’
His career was in limbo. But everything changed with 2007’s Gone Baby Gone, Affleck’s directorial debut. A great film that won him back some goodwill.
His follow up, The Town, was an even better film. And I felt not only was it the best movie Ben Affleck had starred in since Good Will Hunting, it was also his best performance up to that point.
Since then, it has been an uphill climb for Affleck the actor, who delivered good to great performances in Argo, Gone Girl, Batman Vs Superman, The Accountant.
It’s apparent that taking some time off had done him a world of good. Affleck seemingly developed a more mature approach towards his characters; he could do more, emote more, express more.
Perhaps his greatest weakness as an actor was his inability to pick the right project. And by and large, he's come out of that funk.
Further, with age and experience, his craft has doubtless developed.
And now, he’s a true phenomenon, a bona fide triple threat - the guy co-wrote Good Will Hunting, directed Argo and The Town, and delivered a bravura performance in Gone Girl.
Oh, and he was goddamn Batman. And all that in a span of five years.
How you like them apples?
Although he's morphed into a more-than-capable actor, his greatest talent lies behind the camera - I think he's a fantastic director, and there's certainly more to come on that front.
If the Razzies include a ‘Best Redemption of the Decade’ award, Ben Affleck is as strong a contender as any.
P.S. He's currently dating Ana de Armas. Man, our boy is wicked smaht.
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