ROTTEN TOMATOES: Ben Affleck Goes Straight to Video With "Man About Town"

Ben Affleck Goes Straight to Video With "Man About Town"

by Fred Topel | March 12, 2007

Okay, we all knew Ben Affleck was having some problems, and earned a few Razzie nominations several years in a row, but he's still a movie star. Could it really have gotten to the point that his movies go straight to video? Well, his latest one, "Man About Town" did, debuting from Lionsgate Home Video.

Directed by Mike Binder, the film stars Affleck as a Hollywood agent going through a personal crisis with his adulterous wife. With Affleck, Rebecca Romijn, and the director of "Upside of Anger" and "Reign Over Me," it would seem like they could have arranged a theatrical release.

"Lionsgate bought it and they decided to dump it," said Binder. "I'm not that surprised. The thing is, to be honest, I've made a movie every year and they don't all come out the way you want it to. I guess people didn't think this one came out that good. The audience when we tested it liked it and I went onto my next movie and then I heard that people weren't liking it and they didn't think that there was a market for it because it was based on show business, and Ben wasn't likeable in the role but I thought Ben was really good in the role."

Affleck with Bai Ling in "Man About Town"

Binder defended Affleck at the peak of the critical Ben-bashing. After "Gigli," "Surviving Christmas" and others, Binder said that all careers go in peaks and valleys and he would rather have him on the way up. Even though movies have launched the Affleck comeback, Binder holds no grudges.

"I would have thought that after 'Hollywoodland' and how good he was in it, I got excited [about 'Man About Town'] but then 'Hollywoodland' didn't do any business so that didn't help. But I think he's a really talented guy."

Affleck in his Golden Globes-nominated performance in "Hollywoodland"

With "Reign Over Me" in theaters this month, it doesn't hurt Binder's career either. "I don't think that there's the stigma of that as much anymore but we all like to see movies in theaters and stuff. And let me say, I think that if we had kicked and screamed, we could have forced them to put it into 15 theaters or something but we're smart enough people to know that that doesn't mean anything. It's an ego stroke. I've never been one for those. I don't like those fake releases so I never even spoke to Lionsgate. When I heard they were doing it, I said 'Okay, I'm not going to fight City Hall.'"

Related Items

Celeb:	Ben Affleck
	Mike Binder
	Bai Ling
	Rebecca Romijn
Movie:	Gigli
	Surviving Christmas
	Hollywoodland
	Man About Town

(1-14 of 14 posts) | Reply

sir_mcchris_the_pirate writes:
on Mar 12 2007 08:46 AM

Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms!

(Reply to this)

n_cruz69 writes:
on Mar 12 2007 09:46 AM

This is really sad

(Reply to this)

arpeggio191 writes:
on Mar 12 2007 10:08 AM

so paycheck was on tv this weekend. that sure sucked too.

(Reply to this)

Jofo1185 writes:
on Mar 12 2007 11:25 AM

he was nominated for a golden globe this year for Hollywoodland, and I always believed that an actor is only as good as the words that are coming out of their mouths.

(Reply to this)

ChimneyClot writes:
on Mar 12 2007 12:08 PM

Test screening piece of shit can't tell if his own movie came out alright.

(Reply to this)

unbreakable_samurai writes:
on Mar 12 2007 02:18 PM

It's messed up that a movie like this, with a solid cast and director ends up going strait to video. I like Affleck and Binder's Reign Over Me looks very good. I'm getting it from Netflix later this week, so hopefully it's not completely horrible.

(Reply to this)

Chooeubhaechaeus writes:
on Mar 12 2007 02:42 PM

haha, that's right, suck it Affleck. He's like the new Steven Segal, or wesley snipes.

(Reply to this)

GreenBastard writes:
on Mar 12 2007 03:24 PM

And he wont do another DareDevil?

(Reply to this)

TheAnswerMVP2001 writes:
on Mar 12 2007 06:52 PM

Straight to DVD is where he belongs!

(Reply to this)

timov writes:
on Mar 13 2007 06:21 AM

i think they released this straight to dvd so the masses could appreciate his superb acting that much quicker. so many people can't make it to the theaters these days, it was a great move to keep us all from having to wait to see his latest work of art.

(Reply to this)

okito writes:
on Mar 13 2007 09:51 AM

no comment

(Reply to this)

High School With Money writes:
on Mar 13 2007 12:55 PM

Limited theatrical releases like [i]Princess Mononoke[/i] and [i]Fast Food Nation[/i] might as well be counted as one step shy of being DVD movies themselves. It's not like a majority of people will see them before their home video debuts, anyhoo. Sadly, these are the only sort that seem to be of any worth. The ones that aren't seem to be flooding major retailers, passing off "unrated" copies of [i]Dukes of Hazard 2[/i] in the same shelf space with [i]Casino Royale[/i].

Studios are getting into the DVD act, like "Warner Premiere".

(Reply to this)

rdproductions writes:
on Mar 13 2007 03:34 PM

Finally, Affleck goes right at home with straight to video releases.

(Reply to this)

nardoguz writes:
on Mar 14 2007 11:08 AM

[b]hmm[/b]
this goes straiht to video, yet we get "zoom" "premonition" and "the number 23"? - with RT'ss recent worst fo the worst compilation, I can't help but wonder if this would even make that list at all. - Of course some of those movie's had big box office success, which is ultimately what a studio is after

(Reply to this)

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