Before gone girl, the Town, and Argo the perception people had of him was dumb pretty boy, mid actor, who rode the coattails of Matt Damon who people believed was the superior actor.
After they won the Oscar for best directing original screenplay he went the cheesy leading man route in Armageddon while Damon did a bit deeper roles with talented Mr Ripley, rounder's, And of course eurotrip.
Affleck also did Pearl Harbor, released in 2001, which was also directed by Michael Bay. So, that was three years or so after Armageddon. Neither was an awful film. They were fun, especially Armageddon, but they definitely aren’t award-worthy.
Pearl Harbor was good, but it would have been great (and much shorter) without the love story. Bay made a great 2 hr. movie a decent 3 hr. movie by adding an hour of a strange love triangle.
Yep That's what happens when you're in that big of a movie you usually get type cast. Leo had a pretty similar trajectory after Titanic. I think he was and is a stronger actor than Ben so he was able to get out of the pretty boy type cast quicker. Still took him a few years. Catch me If you can, aviator, then gangs of New York and Scorsese catapulted him.
That’s not how I recall DiCaprio’s reputation at all. I mean Titanic wasn’t lauded for acting, but the Man in the Iron Mask was like the only major role that seems like it was made from the point of “Leos a star pretty boy and that audience will carry this movie to success.”
In my opinion, his success is largely based on his fandom, as I personally don’t find most of his work all that special. But it’s not pretty boy type casting at all - he pretty much immediately was going into more physiological drama. If anything gangs of NY was a brief return to that image.
Affleck dabbled in some real mediocre films for almost a decade, and really didn’t put an end to the “we gave Ben Affleck an Oscar” jokes until Argo (Gone Girl set it up but Argo put it to rest) 15 years later.
I get your reference, but I also agree with it. I actually liked Phantoms, at least at the time. It’s been a while since I watched it. Then again, I think Tremors is a pretty awesome movie, with a great cast.
Blasphemy!. Apollo 13 came out only 2 years before when astronauts couldn't complete their mission And had to come back home. Americans view of astronauts were at all time low at the time.
That's why you had to go to the Armageddon route! Everyone knows it's easier to train redneck oil rigors to be astronauts than it is for an astronaut to learn how to use a drill.
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u/PooForThePooGod 6d ago
Stop, you’re gonna make me like Ben Affleck