Affleck's Second Act

Argo releases October 12th

1997's Good Will Hunting sparked
Affleck's career.

He's been the butt of a lot of jokes by Seth MacFarlane and other comedians for the last twenty years- and in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back he participated in some good natured ribbing- but Ben Affleck has seen a wide range of success in Hollywood of the last 20 years. The former child star in The Voyage of the Mimi had a career that progressed very well into the 1990's with supporting roles in films like Dazed and Confused, School Ties, Phantoms and Mallrats. Oddly, it was Mallrats where he became friends with Kevin Smith and would star in Smith's 1997 comedy Chasing Amy about a guy that falls in love with a lesbian. It allowed Affleck to show his range, but stardom truly hit at the end of the year when Affleck and childhood friend Matt Damon's screenplay Good Will Hunting came to life and exploded in a big way. A lasting image from the film was Affleck's wry smile as his wish that his friend would just not be there when it was their usual morning drive to work at a quarry. The result, a Best Actor nomination for Matt Damon, but an Oscar for both for their screenplay. Affleck's career skyrocketed from there. He had some blockbuster films like Pearl Harbor and Armageddon, but he had several clunkers like Reindeer Games and Gigli. He was Daredevil and Jack Ryan (Sum of All Fears), but never got the respect like his friend Damon got from the public. By the mid-2000's, Affleck seemed to go smaller and back to the supporting actor route in films like Hollywoodland, Smoking Aces and Extract, while another person close to him got recognized for their work; his brother Casey Affleck got a Best Supporting Actor Oscar Nomination for The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford. While the films and parts got smaller, where was Affleck's career going?

Gone Baby Gone showed
Affleck can do much more
than Forces of Nature.

In 2007, Ben Affleck changed his role to directing and thus far, all criticisms have been GREATLY positive. His first feature was Gone Baby Gone that was based on a Dennis Lehane novel. It was originally intended to feature Affleck in the main role, but wanting to focus solely on directing, Affleck declined the lead role before casting Casey Affleck as the lead. Surrounded by great actors Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman and accompanied by Michelle Monaghan, Ben Affleck showed he had more talent that perhaps anyone thought. His direction aided Amy Ryan to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

Flanked by Jeremy Renner, The Town
proved that Affleck is a budding
director in Hollywood.

In 2010, Affleck's second film, The Town, garnered (no pun intended) rave reviews again. This time, Affleck was the lead role with Jon Hamm, Blakely Lively and budding stars Rebecca Hall and Jeremy Renner, who received an Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Like his first film, this took place Affleck's beloved city of Boston where the grand finale of the film had him robbing Fenway Park. Come to think of it, the Red Sox robbed their biggest fan this year, so they got him back. Affleck's knowledge of the city and gritty style of directing was perfect for The Town and Gone Baby Gone. You always hear about filmmakers using New York City as a character, but Affleck did the same with the city of Boston.

Improving as an actor as well, the question
is what hardware will Affleck eventually claim?

This week, Affleck's third feature Argo hits the screen and it's getting quite a buzz. Unlike, his first two films, this will not be set in Boston. The story is about a small group of US citizens that escape from the American Embassy when it was raided by a militant group of Iranians in 1980. Affleck plays a CIA agent that comes up with an unbelievable plan: pose as a Canadian film unit to get them out. Based on a real CIA operation that was declassified in 1997, Affleck's getting more great reviews from preview audiences and critics. Again, Affleck has a great cast aside him with Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Alan Arkin. If Argo gets some motion, a Golden Globe or Oscar can be in Affleck's future as a director, but there's a chance Affleck could land that hardware as an actor. Chasing Amy's Kevin Smith always told Affleck, “If you were in Jaws, I think you could play the shark.” That confidence may be paying off as even Affleck's biggest critics were impressed by his portrayal of a bank robber in The Town. At the rate he's going, it's not hard to see it in his future.