Summary
Ben Affleck’scareer has been full of ups and downs, and numerous movies have defined his unique trajectory. While Affleck started as a child actor, he soon made a name for himself as an Academy Award-winning screenwriter, a major blockbuster star, and later the director of a Best Picture-winning film at the Oscars withArgo. While his personal life has fueled as many stories in the tabloids as his acting has in movies, Affleck has continually impressed audiences and critics alike and had one of the most varied careers in Hollywood.
From his earliest film roles, such as the cult classicDazed and Confused,to later nuanced performances in which he channeled his personal struggles, Affleck has truly done it all in Hollywood. With successful collaborations, such as hiscreative partnership with Matt Damon, numerous appearances in the work of Kevin Smith, and his equally impressive success as a writer-director,there were many disparate strands to Affleck’s appeal. Affleck has been an action star, a superhero, and a restrained and poignant dramatic actor throughout a turbulent but often inspiring career.
Dazed and Confused
Cast
Set during the last day of school in 1976, Dazed and Confused follows Texas teens, including student Randall Floyd, as they navigate the social dynamics of high school. Floyd, a star athlete and cannabis enthusiast, faces a dilemma when his football coach insists he sign a “no drugs” pledge.
Ben Affleck began professional acting during his childhood as the star of the children’s PBS seriesThe Voyage of Mimiand later gained minor uncredited roles in series such asBuffy the Vampire Slayer. However, before he found his breakout success in Hollywood, Affleck’s most notable role came with the release of Richard Linklater’sDazed and Confused. Affleck played the high school bully Fred O’Bannion in this influential cult classic, which proved just how impactful a more laid-back and artistic style of filmmaking could be.
Affleck creditedDazed and Confusedwith “demystifying” the filmmaking process for him (viaPlayboy), as the group of young actors could all contribute their own lines and scene ideas. Linklater stated he cast Affleck in this villainous role because he wanted a likable actor for the part of “a formidable bad guy” (viaDaily Beast), as his “big and imposing” demeanor and smart attitude fit the bill perfectly.Linklater’s early self-made success opened the door for Affleck to do the same as he created his own opportunitiesby developing a creative partnership with his long-time friend and collaborator, Matt Damon.
Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting centers around a gifted janitor, Will Hunting, whose mathematical genius is recognized by professors. As he navigates his complex personal life and inner struggles, he is guided by a therapist who helps him confront his past and realize his potential.
A definitive moment in the early part of Ben Affleck’s career came when, at age 25, he became theyoungest person to win an Academy Awardfor Best Original Screenplay forGood Will Hunting, which he co-wrote and co-starred in with Matt Damon. Damon played the lead, Will Hunting, a mathematician genius janitor discovered by a professor at MIT, while Affleck played his loyal best friend Chuckie Sullivan, who saw the incredible potential of his friend’s extraordinary intellect. The nuanced and layered characterizations inGood Will Huntingmade it a success andsignaled Affleck and Damon as major Hollywood up-and-comers.
The success ofGood Will Huntingmeant that Affleck was forever an Academy Award winner, which gave him and Damon real momentum in the industry, both as a duo and separately.Good Will Huntingseparated Affleck from the average struggling actor, afforded him plenty of early career opportunities, and allowed him to sustain a successful career for decades. With a budget of $10 million (viaThe Numbers),Good Will Huntinggrossed over $225 million worldwide, making it both an artistic and financial smash success for Affleck and Damon.
Chasing Amy
Chasing Amy is a romantic comedy-drama film by writer-director Kevin Smith. Following the viewpoint of comic artist Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck), the movie focuses on his hopeless romantic attachment to a fellow comic artist who happens to be a lesbian - and his best friend’s attempts at voicing his disapproval. The film explores the complex layers of love and what forms it takes.
Another significant collaborator of Ben Affleck’s was the director Kevin Smith, with whom he first worked onMallratsin 1994 before taking up the lead role of Holden McNeil in perhaps Smith’s most artistically satisfying film,Chasing Amy. As a romantic comedy-drama, in many ways,Chasing Amywas ahead of its time in the way that it addressed sexuality, deconstructed LGBTQ+ relationships, and presented taboo topics not often seen in mainstream cinema, although there’s also the argument that it was misguided in its thematic execution. Either way,Chasing Amywas a definitive film in Affleck’s filmography.
With an interesting storyline and meaningful messaging around love, friendships, and accepting the past,Chasing Amywas a rom-com that strived to be much deeper as it sought to address confusing sexual politics for wayward 20-somethings.Affleck and Smith have continued their working relationship throughout the decades, and he later starred alongside Matt Damon inDogmaand numerous other View Askewniverse movies. As a representation of Affleck and Smith’s longstanding creative collaborations,Chasing Amywas a definitive release in his acclaimed career.
Armageddon
In Michael Bay’s sci-fi action thriller Armageddon, a colossal asteroid is found barrelling toward Earth, guaranteed to wipe out all life. To stop it, NASA concocts a plan that involves drilling into its core to denote a nuclear bomb inside of it - and to make that happen; they’ll need the right crew. Led by the head of an oil drilling company, Harry Stamper, a group of blue-collar workers are given the crash course for Astronaut preparation as the crew races against time to save the planet.
Throughout the 1990s, Ben Affleck experimented with many different types of movies, from the Best Picture-winning period pieceShakespeare in Loveto the sci-fi horrorPhantoms, but his real introduction to the world of blockbuster movies came withArmageddonin 1998. As a star-studded action disaster movie starring Bruce Willis and directed by Michael Bay,Armageddonwas a turning point as Affleck transformed into a bona fide movie star. Taking in a global gross of over $550 million (viaBox Office Mojo),Armageddonwas the highest-grossing film of the year worldwide and opened the door to even bigger opportunities for Affleck.
Following the success ofArmageddon, Affleck was cast as the lead in Bay’s big-budget romantic war dramaPearl Harbor, which, although derided by critics, was a major success worldwide and brought him even more recognition.Armageddonwas the pinnacle of a string of good luck for Affleck, which helped make him one of the most sought-after names in Hollywood. As Affleck’s upward trajectory continued for years unimpeded, it was only a matter of time before things started to go wrong for the young star.
Gigli
Gigli is a romantic comedy-crime film directed by Martin Brest and starring Ben Affleck as a low-level mobster assigned to kidnap a prosecutor’s brother. Jennifer Lopez co-stars as Ricki, another mob enforcer who becomes involved in the plot. The film explores the dynamic between the characters as they navigate their mission and personal challenges.
Unfortunately, 2003 was not kind to Ben Affleck, as he found himself in the midst of several professional failures due to the lackluster response to his superhero debut inDaredeviland the sci-fi failure that wasPaycheck. However, it was also the year of Affleck’s greatest blunder,Gigli, a romantic crime comedy he starred in opposite Jennifer Lopez, which has often been described as amongthe worst movies ever.Gigliwas also significant due tothe highly publicized romantic relationship between Affleck and Lopez, a Hollywood romance story that, for better or worse, has continued to this day.
Giglisignaled a defining box office failure for Affleck, making just $7 million against its $72 million budget (via Box Office Mojo.) This astronomical financial failure meant thatGigliwas one of the most expensive box office flops of all time, the after-effects of which significantly impacted the momentum of Affleck’s impressive career up to this point. As the lingering memory of theGiglifiasco followed Affleck for years, he did not truly recover until he was able to rebrand himself as a writer-director of his own projects with films likeGone Baby GoneandThe Town.
Argo
Argo is a historical thriller adapted from the memoir of CIA operative Tony Mendez. The film follows Mendez as he infiltrates Tehran, Iran, by pretending to be filming a sci-fi movie during the Iran hostage crisis at the beginning of the 1980s. Ben Affleck stars as Mendez as he infiltrates to save the six escaped embassy staff members.
After carving out a new identity as a director of real talent, Ben Affleck achieved a level of success previously unseen in his entire career with the release ofArgoin 2012. As the Best Picture winner at the Academy Awards,Argo,which wasdirected by and starred Affleck, was a deception of C.I.A. operative Tony Mendez’s covert rescue mission, ‘Canadian Caper,’ where six U.S. diplomats were rescued from Tehran, Iran. As a mission done under the guise of a fake science fiction film,Argobrought together Hollywood’s love of storytelling with real-life espionage heroism.
While declassified information has provedsome aspects ofArgowere depicted wrongly, and the film received criticism for its historical inaccuracies, it still received widespread acclaim and accolades. As a tense, exciting, and often comic story,Argo’ssuccess embodied Affleck truly overcoming his past failures and box office bombs, as it received multiple esteemed awards.Argowas top-tier filmmaking and immediately silenced those who doubted Affleck’s reputationas a force to be reckoned with both in front of and behind the camera.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice features the iconic clash between Gotham’s Dark Knight, played by Ben Affleck, and Metropolis’s Man of Steel, portrayed by Henry Cavill. As these two heroes confront each other, a looming threat endangers humanity, setting the stage for larger challenges ahead in the DC Extended Universe.
Thirteen years after the failure of Ben Affleck’s last superhero project,Daredevil, he returned to the genre after being controversially cast as Bruce Wayne/Batman in ZackSynder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. WhileBatman v Supermanunderperformed at the box office and was badly received by critics, Affleck’s portrayal of the Caped Crusader was one of the few things people unanimously agreed was done well. Dubbed ‘Batfleck’ by the press, Affleck played an older, more jaded version of Bruce Wayne that felt poignant and unique among cinematic portrayals of the vigilante crime fighter.
AlthoughBatman v Supermanwas part of the DC Extended Universe and plans had been made for anAffleck-ledBatmansolo movie, these plans never came to fruition, and his tenure as Bruce Wayne felt like a bittersweet, noble failure. WhileAffleck continued to play the character in further movies likeSuicide SquadandJustice League,following the release ofThe Batmanstarring Robert Pattinson, it looked like all chances of a solo outing for ‘Batfleck’ were no more. This sad development was littered with wasted opportunities and endless what-ifs about Affleck’sBatman.
The Way Back
The Way Back stars Ben Affleck as Jack Cunningham, a depressed alcoholic who is offered a job coaching his former school’s basketball team. As his work with the team begins to improve his life, Jack is also forced to confront his past demons, leading to disastrous consequences. Al Madrigal, Michaela Watkins, and Janina Gavankar also star.
Ben Affleck’s later career included esteemed roles in the thrillersGone GirlandThe Accountant,but the performance that hit closest to home was in the excellent sports dramaThe Way Back. With a story about an alcoholic construction worker who became head coach of the basketball team at the high school where he was once a star player,The Way Backhad extra resonance because of how well it related to Affleck’s own life story and struggles with addiction. With a highly nuanced portrayal, it felt like Affleck put a lifetime of experience into the part of Jack Cunningham.
As an account of anguish, self-destruction, and the path toward redemption,The Way Backwas produced in the wake of Affleck’s alcohol relapseand was shot shortly after he left rehab (viaInquirer.) As one of the best performances in Affleck’s entire career,The Way Backfelt personal and poignant, and it was impossible as a viewer not to relate the power of his portrayal to similarities between his struggles. As an actor who experienced plenty of ups and downs, this late-career highlight showed that, no matter how much he faltered,Ben Affleckalways found the way back.
