Rich
Ben Affleck has got a Bad Rep. We all know this. But I’m not totally sure where it’s all come from. He has somehow, ever since Pearl Harbour, become the go-to guy that everyone takes the piss out of. When people are feeling down people go “Ben Affleck’s shit though, ain’t he?”, and that’s just not fair. Everyone has a bad film and I wanna put it to you that Affleck’s bad reputation has simply come from Pearl Harbour and spiralled out of control from then. This, after all, is the guy who co-wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting, and he can’t hang out with Matt Damon without learning a few tricks.

Deirdre
Ah now… one bad film? That’s being a little kind now isn’t it? What about the atrocities Jersey Girl and Surviving Christmas… almost forgot Forces of Nature? The list is endless. Yes he had a few lucky breaks in his early days but to be honest, the man has lost it. When was the last time he was in a decent film? The best thing he’s done in recent years was divorce J-Lo and I don’t even think he had a say in that – he’s a has been. Throw in the towel Ben cos nobodies watching you anymore…

Rich
Oh…ok…I forgot about those. They weren’t all bad were they? Well in most of these films he is a cocky but perhaps loveable doofus and I think that comes across as bad acting when really he’s just hitting the nail on the head. People wouldn’t keep casting him in things if he wasn’t a least a little good. Luckily I have a couple sneaky little curve balls for you now though: The Town and Gone Baby Gone. Affleck has smashed away all the doubts, all the critics who panned him, all the people in the pub that loved to laugh at him whilst secretly being jealous of him, by becoming a top notch director. The Town got rave reviews and I even believe I saw one rather large film magazine write an entire feature on how he has made a comeback and is now Hollywood’s “golden boy” once again. Golden boy. BEN AFFLECK. Take that. Who cares about his acting now!!

Deirdre
You say people keep casting him? Doesn’t he keep getting cast in films that feature his brother or his wife Jennifer Garner? You’ve also conveniently forgotten one of the worst films ever made which starred Mr Affleck which was the utterly awful Gigli! A film so bad that it nigh on obliterated Martin Brest’s directorial career and part of the blame must lie with his cast. Gigli even starred Affleck’s real life girlfriend of the time, J-Lo, and still they couldn’t find any on-screen chemistry. He is bad news.

Rich
Erm..Yep.. but..what about all the Kevin Smith he did? Dogma? YES. Mallrats? YES. Kevin Smith knew exactly what to do with Affleck, and that was make him a wanker. Now I’m sure you going to say that an actor has to be versatile but that’s just not true. Affleck plays the same part in every film, and that is fine. So do hundreds of other actors.

Deirdre
What, like Matt Damon?

Rich
Ben taught Matt everything he knows. Oh wait…

By Richard Parkin and Deirdre Savage