(Photo by Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection)
Ben Affleck chose the right friends early on: His first notable appearance was in 1992’s School Ties, which happened to co-star Matt Damon. The two would go on to become household names after co-writing and co-starring in the Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting. And a few years after School Ties, Affleck starred in Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy, and is now a regular fixture in Smith’s View Askewniverse. Damon, Smith, and Affleck would all work together in 1999’s iconoclastic Dogma.
Later on in his career, Affleck would pal around with Michael Bay, creating two bombastic feasts together: Armageddon and Pearl Harbor. He’s worked with some of the most legendary directors of their time, like John Woo (Paycheck), John Frankenhemier (Reindeer Games), Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused), and David Fincher (Gone Girl) — experiences we’re sure all went into Affleck’s own directing career, which culminated in the Best Picture-winning Argo.
Affleck’s recent stint in the DCEU has left his image relatively unscathed: His Batman was considered among the best things out of Batman v Superman and Justice League. And after some highly public personal issues and with his last directorial effort, Live By Night, a Rotten bomb, Affleck’s now on something of a comeback trail for 2020. The Last Thing He Wanted‘s single-digit Tomatometer was probably the last thing Affleck wanted at this point. But his other 2020 movie, sports drama The Way Back, opens this Friday and is drawing strong reviews. Before we see where critics place The Way Back on Monday, we’re first ranking all Ben Affleck movies by Tomatometer!
#44
Adjusted Score: 7.54%
Critics Consensus: It’ll be the last thing most viewers want, too.
#43
Adjusted Score: 11.233%
Critics Consensus: Bizarre and clumsily plotted, Gigli is a mess. As for its stars, Affleck and Lopez lack chemistry.
#42
Adjusted Score: 9.757%
Critics Consensus: Surviving Christmas is unpleasant characters attacking each other for 90 minutes before delivering a typical, hollow anti-consumerist message
#41
Adjusted Score: 12.059%
Critics Consensus: It has an impressive cast and an intriguing premise, but Runner Runner wastes them on a bland, haphazardly assembled thriller with very little payoff.
#40
Adjusted Score: 14.009%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#39
Adjusted Score: 30.451%
Critics Consensus: Pearl Harbor tries to be the Titanic of war movies, but it’s just a tedious romance filled with laughably bad dialogue. The 40 minute action sequence is spectacular though.
#38
Adjusted Score: 27.698%
Critics Consensus: Despite a decent cast, subpar acting and a contrived plot disappointed reviewers.
#37
Adjusted Score: 31.261%
Critics Consensus: Though Dick’s short story has an intriguing premise, Woo reduces it to a lot of meaningless chases, shoot-outs, and explosions.
#36
Adjusted Score: 44.682%
Critics Consensus: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice smothers a potentially powerful story — and some of America’s most iconic superheroes — in a grim whirlwind of effects-driven action.
#35
Adjusted Score: 31.193%
Critics Consensus: A clumsy and scattered comedy with a poorly executed script.
#34
Adjusted Score: 34.988%
Critics Consensus: A violent mess of a movie, Smokin’ Aces has some Quentin Tarantino’s style but not much of his wit or humor.
#33
Adjusted Score: 6.587%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#32
Adjusted Score: 43.511%
Critics Consensus: Live by Night boasts visual style and an impressive cast, but they’re lost in a would-be crime saga that finds producer, director, and star Ben Affleck revisiting familiar themes to diminishing effect.
#31
Adjusted Score: 44.84%
Critics Consensus: Lovely to look at but about as intelligent as the asteroid that serves as the movie’s antagonist, Armageddon slickly sums up the cinematic legacies of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay.
#30
Adjusted Score: 11.76%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#29
Adjusted Score: 56.718%
Critics Consensus: Justice League leaps over a number of DC movies, but its single bound isn’t enough to shed the murky aesthetic, thin characters, and chaotic action that continue to dog the franchise.
#28
Adjusted Score: 45.959%
Critics Consensus: Despite the best efforts of a talented cast, He’s Just Not That Into You devotes too little time to each of its protagonists, thus reducing them to stereotypes.
#27
Adjusted Score: 46.75%
Critics Consensus: A surprisingly conventional romantic comedy from Kevin Smith, Jersey Girl is warm but often overly sentimental.
#26
Adjusted Score: 49.64%
Critics Consensus: While Ben Affleck fits the role and the story is sporadically interesting, Daredevil is ultimately a dull, brooding origin story that fails to bring anything new to the genre.
#25
Adjusted Score: 47.399%
Critics Consensus: A distinct lack of chemistry between Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock, coupled with a screwball sensibility that’s a touch too screwy, scupper Forces of Nature’s modest ambition to serve up romantic charm.
#24
Adjusted Score: 52.311%
Critics Consensus: To the Wonder demonstrates Terrence Malick’s gift for beautiful images, but its narrative is overly somber and emotionally unsatisfying.
#23
Adjusted Score: 55.496%
Critics Consensus: Critics say Bounce is more of a thud. Plot turns feel cliched and contrived, and the romance between Paltrow and Affleck fails to engage.
#22
Adjusted Score: 56.876%
Critics Consensus: Fans can expect a good laugh as the cast from Smith’s previous films reunite for Jay and Silent Bob’s last bow. The loose plotting and crude language may be too much for others though.
#21
Adjusted Score: 62.831%
Critics Consensus: The Accountant writes off a committed performance from Ben Affleck, leaving viewers with a scattershot action thriller beset by an array of ill-advised deductions.
#20
Adjusted Score: 58.489%
Critics Consensus: Mallrats colorfully expands the View Askewniverse, even if its snootchie has lost a few of the bootchies boasted by its beloved predecessor.
#19
Adjusted Score: 62.478%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#18
Adjusted Score: 67.754%
Critics Consensus: Extract has some very funny moments and several fine performances, but the film feels slighter and more uneven than Mike Judge’s previous work.
#17
Adjusted Score: 69.244%
Critics Consensus: Its ending is disappointingly tidy, but Boiler Room boasts just enough sharp writing and brisk pacing to make getting there worthwhile.
#16
Adjusted Score: 72.54%
Critics Consensus: Provocative and audacious, Dogma is an uneven but thoughtful religious satire that’s both respectful and irreverent.
#15
Adjusted Score: 71.824%
Critics Consensus: It might be hard for most viewers to identify with The Company Men’s well-heeled protagonists, but writer/director John Wells uses their plight to make universally resonant points — and gets the most out of his excellent cast.
#14
Adjusted Score: 68.591%
Critics Consensus: Its themes may feel overly familiar, but Going All the Way is set apart from other period coming-of-age films by the strength of its performances.
#13
Adjusted Score: 74.118%
Critics Consensus: More than a movie star murder mystery, Hollywoodland takes it slow in order to reveal the intriguing details of the rise and fall of superstar fame.
#12
Adjusted Score: 68.648%
Critics Consensus: Fan-focused to a fault, Jay & Silent Bob Reboot tries to mock the same audience nostalgia it’s mining — and pulls it off often enough to satisfy the faithful.
#11
Adjusted Score: 76.107%
Critics Consensus: An outstanding cast and ambitious story help Triple Frontier overcome an uneven narrative — and elevate the end result above a crowded field of grim and gritty heist thrillers.
#10
Adjusted Score: 81.024%
Critics Consensus: Though some may find its conclusion unsatisfying, Changing Lanes is a tense, well-crafted exploration of meaty ethical dilemmas.
#9
Adjusted Score: 90.693%
Critics Consensus: A taut, well-acted political thriller, State of Play overcomes some unsubtle plot twists with an intelligent script and swift direction.
#8
Adjusted Score: 23.121%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#7
Adjusted Score: 92.149%
Critics Consensus: Chasing Amy explores gender roles, sexual mores, and the limits of friendship with a mixture of sensitivity, raw honesty, and director/screenwriter Kevin Smith’s signature raunchy humor.
#6
Adjusted Score: 101.209%
Critics Consensus: Dark, intelligent, and stylish to a fault, Gone Girl plays to director David Fincher’s sick strengths while bringing the best out of stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.
#5
Adjusted Score: 95.373%
Critics Consensus: Featuring an excellent ensemble cast, a precise feel for the 1970s, and a killer soundtrack, Dazed and Confused is a funny, affectionate, and clear-eyed look at high school life.
#4
Adjusted Score: 99.941%
Critics Consensus: Endlessly witty, visually rapturous, and sweetly romantic, Shakespeare in Love is a delightful romantic comedy that succeeds on nearly every level.
#3
Adjusted Score: 99.671%
Critics Consensus: Tense, smartly written, and wonderfully cast, The Town proves that Ben Affleck has rediscovered his muse — and that he’s a director to be reckoned with.
#2
Adjusted Score: 109.28%
Critics Consensus: Tense, exciting, and often darkly comic, Argo recreates a historical event with vivid attention to detail and finely wrought characters.
#1
Adjusted Score: 101.425%
Critics Consensus: It follows a predictable narrative arc, but Good Will Hunting adds enough quirks to the journey — and is loaded with enough powerful performances — that it remains an entertaining, emotionally rich drama.
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