Casey Affleck's big time

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A friend has seen Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone (Miramax, 10.17.07), a Boston-based crime drama about the search for a missing four-year-old girl by a pair of private detectives, played by Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan. And he's telling me it's a break-out performance for Casey, which makes the early fall an especially flush time when you add the younger Affleck's reportedly exceptional turn in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which Warner Bros. is bringing out in September.

Gone Baby Gone is based on Dennis Lahane's novel (one of four he's written about the two fictional detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro). Ben Affleck both directed and co-adapted the screenplay (with Aaron Stockard). How can it not be at the Toronto Film Festival in September? In fact, how can Jesse James not show up there? Easy -- it's a Warner Bros. release, and there's a view among WB marketers and publicists that a Toronto Film Festival association isn't necessarily a plus (or else they would have offered The Departed last year).

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 19, 2007 at 9:12 AM

comment #1

Hopscotch says ...

Dennis Lehane also wrote "Mystic River", and while I liked that one a lot. I loved Gone, Baby, Gone. It's truly one of the best fiction books I've read in the last 10 years.

I must say the casting is not what I had in mind, but I hold hopes that it delivers.

Posted by Hopscotch at June 19, 2007 10:15 AM

comment #2

BurmaShave says ...

Jeff, you're getting a little bit OCD about the Warner Brothers Departed Toronto thing. And as we've all mentioned, it really hurt it in the end.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 19, 2007 10:26 AM

comment #3

BurmaShave says ...

Also, it's too bad that Casey Affleck kid is so ugly.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 19, 2007 10:27 AM

comment #4

Hallick says ...

Casey Affleck is also the only good thing I've been hearing about "Ocean's 13" from my friend. Maybe its time to rent "Lonesome Jim".

Posted by Hallick at June 19, 2007 10:28 AM

comment #5

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Hallick: Nope...."Lonesome Jim" is a problem. A respectable problem, but too morose, almost lethargic.

Posted by gruver1 at June 19, 2007 10:31 AM

comment #6

jeffmcm says ...

I'm glad the more talented Affleck is finally getting some recognition.

Posted by jeffmcm at June 19, 2007 10:54 AM

comment #7

Craig Kennedy says ...

Hallick, Affleck's bit is definitely the best part of O13 whether you like the movie or not (I liked it) and I didn't really have an opinion about him going in.

This one sounds good. Michelle Monaghan is a bonus.

Posted by Craig Kennedy at June 19, 2007 10:58 AM

comment #8

Monument says ...

Casey Affleck is a seriously underrated actor, mainly because he's never really landed a choice leading role. I agree with Wells on "Lonesome Jim" though. I really wanted to like it, but it just didn't do it for me. The performances are good, but the story just doesn't really hold up.

Posted by Monument at June 19, 2007 11:07 AM

comment #9

Jay T. says ...

Casey Affleck is highly underrated and due for a breakout. And yes, he was easily the best part of Ocean's 13 (the complaining in the factory bits are hilarious).

Posted by Jay T. at June 19, 2007 11:08 AM

comment #10

wayne76 says ...

Gone, Baby, Gone is a terrific book. Looking forward to this.

Posted by wayne76 at June 19, 2007 11:15 AM

comment #11

Hopscotch says ...

In an interview on NPR, Lehane said he though "Ray Liotta would make a perfect Patrick", though he then admitted Liotta was a little old for the part.

I'd also like to say if they do the book justice, this would be a NC-17 film for sure. This book gave me nightmares.

Posted by Hopscotch at June 19, 2007 11:46 AM

comment #12

MASON says ...

I know everybody likes to bash Ben, but I gotta say, I read his adaptation of the book and thought it was really solid. Got high hopes for the flick.

Posted by MASON at June 19, 2007 11:51 AM

comment #13

adaml says ...

I honestly and truly had to turn the subtitles on for all of Casey Affleck's scenes in 'The Last Kiss'. I just couldn't understand a word he was saying.

Posted by adaml at June 19, 2007 12:05 PM

comment #14

Filipe says ...

Just a small correction: Lahane wrote five Kenzie/Gennaro novels.

Posted by Filipe at June 19, 2007 12:07 PM

comment #15

Hopscotch says ...

that is correct: Prayers for Rain is also in development at Paramount, though that was my least favorite of the books.

Drink Before the War, the first one, was my second favorite behind, Gone, Baby, Gone.

Posted by Hopscotch at June 19, 2007 12:19 PM

comment #16

CambridgeCat says ...

This is the movie I'm most looking forward to this year. The book was real gritty and I always root for those crazy Cambridge cats.

Posted by CambridgeCat at June 19, 2007 12:26 PM

comment #17

Breedlove says ...

I read one of the paperbacks about these two detectives, although I can't recall which one. It was a decent enough detective story. I wonder whatever became of Wolfgang Peterson's adaptation of 'Shutter Island,' which I believe is Lehane's only major post-'Mystic River' novel to date, if I'm not mistaken. That book was a trip.

Posted by Breedlove at June 19, 2007 12:26 PM

comment #18

DavidF says ...

I can't believe Wells is still mentioning how Departed didn't play at Toronto last year. I guess in a few weeks I can expect a post about why Eddie Murphy does not deserve an Oscar.

that said, count me in the camp who think Affleck is a talented guy who has had a rough ride. He has shown that he's capable of doing great stuff when he chooses great material.

Curious to see what he can do as a director (and a writer, without Damon)

Posted by DavidF at June 19, 2007 12:27 PM

comment #19

OddDuck says ...

Lonesome Jim was definitely a very slight movie, but certainly didn't hurt anybody. I don't remember too much about it, but one thing that stuck with me was how hard Affleck made it to like his character. And I mean that in a good way! His character says some truly awful things and doesn't act like the "loveable loser" that you sometimes see in "down on their luck" movies like this. You seriously get the sense that this guy's more than a bit of a douchebag. He's got just enough charm and potential for perhaps Liv Tyler's character to believably sorta fall for him. The note I'm describing is a hard note to hit and still have anyone in the audience like your character, but I've got a couple friends who feel the exact same way (positively, that is) about his character so I know I'm not the only one.

Posted by OddDuck at June 19, 2007 2:27 PM

comment #20

erniesouchak says ...

"GBG" proves Casey is not leading-man material, but it has other problems as well, chiefly his big bro's script.

Posted by erniesouchak at June 19, 2007 2:36 PM

comment #21

bostonlackey says ...

Lehane is a god. He also works on The Wire - the best show on TV - and had the funniest cameo of Season Three. As a die hard Bostonian and worshipper of all of my city's crime writers, I would put Lehane's Gone, Baby Gone and Darkness Take My Hand up there with the best of all time. Casting gives me pause but at least the Afflecks are locals.

Posted by bostonlackey at June 19, 2007 2:51 PM

comment #22

zoey says ...

Affleck (Ben) seems to be a pretty good writer... some good magazine articles, most of the episodes of Push, Nevada, contrary to some opinions, his fair share of Good Will Hunting, and now Gone Baby Gone. Love the Lehane detective novels... would love to see Affleck adapt them all.

And Casey is an underrated actor, but instead of saying he was the best thing in Oceans (you needed subtitles to understand him even though he was given the funniest lines), I'd say he was the best thing in Gerry. (Yeah, I know, no one saw it and man, there was a lot of walking in that flick, but when you take a movie away from Matt, you've got it going on.)

Posted by zoey at June 19, 2007 3:03 PM

comment #23

nemo says ...

Maybe I've never seen Casey Affleck in the right movie. Everything I've seen him in, he's so recessive, he's not even there.

I did like that jump he made off that big rock in "Gerry". Reminded me of jumping off the garage roof with my brother when we were kids. We'd sit on the edge of the roof and spend a long, long, long time working up the courage. When we finally did jump, we couldn't believe how hard we hit the ground. A miracle we didn't break anything. Made me gasp when Casey hit the ground.

Posted by nemo at June 19, 2007 3:32 PM

comment #24

Monument says ...

I saw the premiere of Gerry at Sundance. The first thing Gus Van Sant said was thank you to everyone who was still there and awake.

Regardless, I really liked that film, Casey Affleck was great it it. I loved that monologue about the computer game, hilarious.

Posted by Monument at June 19, 2007 3:44 PM

comment #25

MiraJeffAICN says ...

Two things. 1. Wells, Lonesome Jim was a nice little indie movie. Definitely not a problem at all. It was funny in a very subtle way. Listen to the crowd during those atrocious girls' basketball games. It's hilarious. James. C. Strouse went on to do the Sundance hit Grace Is Gone and in my mind, Casey's always been a solid actor. He never got enough props for playing Morgan in GWH, and I can't wait to see him as the coward Robert Ford and in Gone, Baby, Gone. 2. I'm from Boston and I've only read one Lehane novel but it was a doozy. Those of you who haven't read it should run out right now and buy it. SHUTTER ISLAND. Good stuff. Would love to see Clint tackle that adaptation, rather than The Changeling script he's attached to now...

Posted by MiraJeffAICN at June 19, 2007 4:15 PM

comment #26