Anyone who keeps up with the American press knows that Gigli, the film where stars Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez met and fell in love, was absolutely skewered when it opened in the U.S. The good thing about that was that my expectations were pretty low when I screened it. My conclusion: it wasn’t that bad, but it certainly wasn’t great either.

Gigli (which rhymes with “really,” a running joke in the film) tells the story of low-level gangster Larry Gigli (Affleck), who is assigned to kidnap the mentally-challenged brother of a federal prosecutor. As this is an important and potentially challenging assignment, a second contractor is sent to make sure there are no screw-ups – the alluring lesbian Ricki (Lopez). The story then creeps its way toward a conclusion where all of the characters are supposed to grow, change, and learn powerful lessons about life.

The worst parts of the film are its painfully slow pace and its lack of subtlety; when we are meant to find something heartwarming, the music swells predictably. There is also no depth to the character of Gigli – due in equal parts to poor screenwriting and not-so-great acting. The saddest thing about the film is that it does show some occasional glimmers of potential, sporting a few clever lines of dialogue by writer-director Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop, Scent of a Woman). But overall, while Gigli isn’t the worst film I’ve seen this year, I really think those involved should put it low on their resumes.