Ben Affleck Rides High with Gone Baby Gone

by Mallory Potosky | Published October 28, 2007

Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman work on the Boston set of Gone
Baby Gone.

Okay, so there’s a lot of talk lately of Ben Affleck—and not the type that he amassed just five years ago when “Bennifer” was the hottest thing in the tabloids. This time around, it’s for the momentum he’s regaining after years of critically-panned fare such as Forces of Nature (1999), Gigli (2003) and Surviving Christmas (2004). Beginning with his Golden Globe-nominated role in 2006’s Hollywoodland and leading to his directorial debut, this month’s Gone Baby Gone, Affleck has seen the kinder side of critics. But it was a long time coming after such a promising start.

The year was 1998 and as one half of the Oscar-winning screenwriting team behind Good Will Hunting, Affleck was riding high in Hollywood. After years of filling the stereotypical role of “struggling actor” through work in films like Field of Dreams (1989) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Affleck saw his sudden good fortune as a way into the Hollywood Ivy League. His roles started getting larger and his name became a draw for audiences and studios alike. Unfortunately, with this fame came the tabloid circus and Affleck decided to withdraw.

But Affleck is back and, according to many, in top form, as the writer-director of Miramax’s Gone Baby Gone. Filmed in his native Boston and based on a book by hometown favorite Dennis Lehane (author of Mystic River), the movie follows the city’s police force (played by Affleck’s brother Casey, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman) as they question their procedures and morals in the attempt to find a missing four-year-old girl. Of Affleck’s second (and arguably already successful) attempt at screenwriting, executive producer David Crockett says, “Ben is a true writer-director at heart who not only loves to write but I think has become equally passionate about seeing what that yields on the screen.” Seems like things are slowly getting back into shape.

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Comment by catherine on 10/29/07 at 2:14 pm: I thought he was terrific throughout his career. Maybe, Gigli was bad, but he was in a lot of major films that did well, including Pearl Harbor, Armageddon, Shakespeare in Love, Forces of Nature. I think the critics were responding more to his engagement to Jennifer Lopez and all of the press about that than to any defect in acting.

This film looks interesting and I look forward to checking it out.
Comment by Jana on 11/07/07 at 5:36 pm: The film was excellent. The writing and direction were great. I’m very happy for Mr. Affleck. I’ve been a fan of his, since back in the day. I keep saying I need to purchase the book and read it. Plus, I never follow the tabloids. These artists don’t care about my personal life, why should I care about there’s. I just want to see the work and the product that it yields.