Blank Check with Griffin & David Gigli with Jen D'Angelo
Jul 14, 2024
Jen D'Angelo, a talented screenwriter known for her work in contemporary film and streaming, joins the discussion about the notorious flop, Gigli. The trio delves into the peculiar title pronunciation and explores how the film became a cultural shorthand for failure. D'Angelo champions Ben Affleck's performance, sparking a lively debate on casting and career arcs. They also tackle the film’s surreal ending, problematic portrayal of disability, and analyze its box office disaster against that summer’s hits. Expect humor, insight, and surprising opinions!
02:52:41
Reading The 2001 Draft
- Jen D'Angelo read the 144-page March 2001 draft and found it surprisingly similar to the finished film.
- She notes the odd title pronunciation note appears verbatim on the second page, signaling eccentricity from the start.
Gigli As A Blank-Check Calamity
- Blank Check frames Gigli as an archetypal studio calamity and a textbook “blank check” failure despite its on-paper promise.
- The hosts argue the film’s famous flop status mixes cultural narrative with real production missteps.
Director's Regret Versus Script Reality
- Martin Brest claims heavy studio interference and eight months of post-production battles ruined his vision.
- Jen D'Angelo and hosts counter that the shooting script closely matches the released film, questioning that narrative.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
Why Gigli? Context and the Title Pronunciation
02:12 • 2min
Reading the 2001 Draft: How Different Was the Script?
04:18 • 2min
Was Martin Brest's Vision Salvageable? Brest’s Postmortem Quote
06:07 • 9min
Ben Affleck's Casting and Performance Debate
15:28 • 5min
Deleted Scenes and Monologues: Walken’s Cut Material
20:17 • 3min
The Script’s Surreal Ending and Reshoots
23:36 • 4min
Gigli’s Premise: Rain Man Meets Chasing Amy in L.A.
27:06 • 8min
Production: Casting Changes and Star Salaries
34:50 • 14sec
Ad break
35:04 • 5min
Martin Brest’s Career Arc and Directorial Style
39:49 • 9min
Tone, Visuals, and the Question of Control
48:48 • 9min
Brest on Being Done: Regret and Retirement
58:05 • 11min
Portrayal of Disability and Cultural Change
01:08:39 • 7min
Opening Choices and Early Tone: Monologues to Washing Machines
01:15:10 • 2min
Where Did the $75M Go? Production Costs and Reshoots
01:17:21 • 8min
The Penis vs. Pussy Monologue and Turkey Time
01:25:03 • 9min
Characters and Casting: Ricky, Gigli, and Brian Dynamics
01:33:56 • 10min
Pacino and Walken: Star Cameos That Partially Work
01:43:27 • 8min
Ad break
01:51:42 • 4min
How to Fix Gigli: Fan Edits and Thought Experiments
01:55:22 • 7min
Box Office Context: August 2003 and Cultural Moment
02:02:48 • 28min
Ad break
02:30:49 • 2min
Detailed Box Office Breakdown and Summer Hits
02:32:48 • 14min
Ranking Brest’s Filmography
02:47:01 • 6min
Looking Ahead: Upcoming Episodes and Guest Plugs
02:53:01 • 1min
Outro
02:54:17 • 4min
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The first "G" in "Gigli" is pronounced like the "J" in “Jacques,” the second “G” is silent. Rhymes with "really." Now that that’s out of the way - we conclude our Martin Brest series with the turkey of all turkeys. The Bennifer original sin, the project that should have gotten Justin Bartha put in prison. That’s right, folks. We’re talking about one of the canonical “Worst Movies Ever Made” - 2003’s GIGLI. Screenwriter Jen D’Angelo joins us to talk about this fascinating cultural object, and makes a case that Ben Affleck is “good in this movie, actually.” Griffin and David disagree. We’re going to Baywatch!
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