Publication Date: 09-25-2026

Gigli (2003) review

Dir. Martin Brest

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★½

I did the unthinkable this month. Not only did I elect to watch Gigli, but this is the second time I’ve seen the film. Even crazier? I don’t think it’s nearly as bad as its universal reputation suggests. Now, keep in mind, I’m also the same person who thought Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever was closer to mediocre as opposed to being worthy of being the lowest-rated film in Rotten Tomatoes’ history.

To me, the story of Gigli‘s release, catastrophic box office performance, and ensuing fallout is a sad one. The chief reason why is it remains the final film written/directed by Martin Brest, who in part defined mainstream American cinema with action-comedies in the 1980s (Beverly Hills Cop, Midnight Run) and A-list dramas in the 1990s (Scent of a Woman, Meet Joe Black).

Brest’s original movie was darker and more focused on the criminal life of its protagonist, played by Ben Affleck. When Halle Berry withdrew from the co-starring role, Jennifer Lopez, Affleck’s real-life girlfriend at the time. Brest reportedly clashed with Revolution Studios, who took note of audience’s outrage at the film’s bleak ending. That led to reshoots and a film completely reworked into a romance as opposed to a crime drama; one that would emphasize the Affleck/Lopez relationship, which was ubiquitous tabloid fodder in the early aughts.

The result was disastrous critical reception and utterly appalling box office figures. Following its release, the word “Gigli” became used in Hollywood to describe a movie that had the potential to be an utter failure. Brest completely retreated from the public eye, only to resurface in 2023 to give his account on how this otherwise unremarkable movie became the death-nail in his long, successful career:

“Extensive disagreements between the studio and myself got to the point where post-production was shut down for eight months while we battled it out. In the end I was left with two choices: quit or be complicit in the mangling of the movie. To my eternal regret I didn’t quit, so I bear responsibility for a ghastly cadaver of a movie. Once key scenes were cut it became like a joke with its punchline removed, endless contortions could never create the illusion that what remained was intended. Extensive reshooting and re-editing turned characters, scenes, story and tone upside down in the futile attempt to make the increasing mess resemble a movie. For the first time in my career I had become a true collaborator — not in the benign, creative sense, but rather that of one who, in violation of their true allegiances, cooperates with occupying forces. And for that kind of compromise, self-castigations far exceed any possible public ones.” – Martin Brest, per Variety

But onto the movie, which is a messy but otherwise marginally enjoyable crime-drama revolving around Affleck’s Larry Gigli (pronounced “ZHEE-lee”), an incompetent gopher who works for a mobster named Louis (Lenny Venito). Louis orders Gigli to kidnap the mentally handicapped brother of a federal prosecutor so he can convince the prosecutor to go easy on one of his associates. Gigli obliges, forcefully adopting a young man named Brian (Justin Bartha), who is one of those disabled people with a motormouth and a fleeting attention span. While at home in his apartment, Gigli is visited by Ricki (Lopez), a mob enforcer Louis sent because he doesn’t fully trust his main errand-boy.

From there, Brest’s work is essentially a hangout movie. Ricki’s initial arrival to Gigli’s apartment eats up about 20 minutes of the runtime, and for a film lobotomized in post-production, it surely is in no hurry. Christopher Walken turns up in a secondary role as goofy as the one he earned in Kangaroo Jack, released the same year. Lainie Kazan pops up as Gigli’s mother. And Al Pacino gives one of the most obnoxious performances he ever gave at the time, which would soon be followed by other lowlights in years to come.

If there’s a conflict at hand, it’s that Gigli is catching feelings for Ricki, when she reveals early on that she is a lesbian. Fans of Affleck movies will note that this is the same conflict inherent to Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy, in which Affleck falls for Joey Lauren Adams, but cannot come to grips with the reality that she’s gay. The external relevance of an Affleck character being curved by a lesbian love interest in two separate movies is both ironic and hilarious. It also leads to a devilishly funny scene in which Lopez’s Ricki — skintight spandex clad, in the middle of seductive yoga poses, of course — waxes poetic about the strength and beauty of the vagina in contrast to the penis. The writing in this scene (who knows if it actually came from Brest) is sharp and better than that of many erotic thrillers. If Quentin Tarantino wrote it, it would probably be quoted by women. But because it’s in Gigli, everyone laughs at it. Even the second time around, I found it amusing and witty.

Bartha’s performance as a mentally handicapped character is probably problematic in 2026. It’s not tremendously convincing either, and neither is the crime angle at hand because Affleck and Lopez just don’t look and move like contract killers or even petty criminals. They’re too polished and sloppy with their work. Consider the fact that they’re supposed to keep Bartha’s Brian out of the public eye, but decide to cruise around Los Angeles in a drop-top convertible and even at one point take him to the beach. If they were criminals, they would’ve been whacked and had a fate similar to Anthony Spilotro long ago.

Gigli pales in comparison to Brest’s previous works, but it’s bolstered by a story structure as laidback as its titular character and solid performances render it passable in my eyes. It’s also a nice change of pace to see a mob comedy about a low-level gopher who could botch a one-car funeral, if given the opportunity. It’s definitely a rocky picture, very uneven, structured very peculiarly thanks to rewrites. This is the kind of film I’ll be judged for tolerating and, if that’s the case, I got a handful of films at the top of my head that may make even the most hardened-Gigli hater reconsider their opinion.

REVIEWS OF OTHER MARTIN BREST FILMS:
My review of Hot Dogs for Gauguin (1972)
My review of Midnight Run
My review of Beverly Hills Cop
My review of Scent of a Woman

Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bartha, Lenny Venito, Christopher Walken, Lainie Kazan, and Al Pacino. Directed by: Martin Brest.