“Jersey Girl” (Miramax)
Sound the trumpets! Ben Affleck is back and J-Lo’s got him, but not for long. Yes, in the new movie “Jersey Girl” Affleck and Lopez play husband and wife but she dies ten minutes into the film. From there on out it is Ben being a concerned father to his seven-year-old daughter.
The film is directed by Kevin Smith who helmed Affleck’s roles in “Chasing Amy” and “Dogma.” Smith is an edgy director who manages to keep “Jersey Girl” from being too saccharine. Still it is a pretty sweet movie, but also an entertaining one.
The film starts with a view of Ollie Trinke (Affleck) making a living as a high-powered PR man in New York. He has met a woman named Gertrude (Lopez) and is quickly in love. Soon they are married and expecting their first child. Life couldn’t be better, but it doesn’t stay that way. Gertrude dies in childbirth and Ollie is devastated.
Ollie and his infant daughter, Gertie, move in with his father Bart (George Carlin). The pressure of fatherhood and his job lead Ollie to have an outburst towards a group of journalists, and this gets him fired. Now he not only has to worry about his daughter, he has to find a way to make a living.
Most of the movie takes place when Gertie (Raquel Castro) is seven years old. It is at this time that Ollie meets an attractive young woman who is obviously drawn to him. Maya (Liv Tyler) is a graduate student who also works at the video store Ollie frequents. They have a cute first meeting and things progress from there.
“Jersey Girl” shows the sentimental side of Smith and provides Affleck with a role that makes people re-learn why they liked him so much as an actor in the first place. He has his “three L’s” all in place. He is likeable – guys want to be his friend. He is loveable – women want to mother him or marry him. And he is lookable – he has that aw shucks, I’m just me type of charm.
“Daredevil” was just too pretentious. “Paycheck” was just boring.” And “Gigli,” well it was just horrible. Now he has finally arrived in a movie that is pure entertainment from start to finish.
Smith can’t make a movie without having a good bit of profanity in it and this one is no exception. There is also a lot of crudity and sexual humor. This lands the movie a PG-13 rating. Some folks will see the tag line about a father and his daughter and think it is a family film. Well trust me, this is not a movie for the kids.
If you want to see Ben Affleck in a romantic comedy with a lot of heart then “Jersey Girl” is a good movie for you to choose. You will even be able to enjoy his and Jennifer’s scenes together at the start of the film. “Gigli” may cross your mind for a moment but it will soon pass.
“Jersey Girl” is a movie that fathers and daughters all across the country can identify with, and one that will bring some tears, some laughs and some smiles. It won’t be a blockbuster of a movie but it should be enough to get Affleck back on his career path.
I scored “Jersey Girl” a northern 6 out of 10.
