Jersey Girl (2004)

Let’s be honest, Jennifer Lopez has a reputation for making underwhelming romantic comedies. Take Maid in Manhattan (2002), Gigli (2003), Monster-in-Law (2005), The Back-up Plan (2010), Second Act (2018), Marry Me (2022) and Shotgun Wedding (2023) — please! Of course, we’d be remiss not to include Jersey Girl (2004) on this list. Written and directed by Kevin Smith, this flick barely made a profit at the box office. Worse than that, it provided hardly any assets in spank banks. But if you’re a Ben Affleck fan (and who isn’t?), it’s worth a look. The PG-13 pic begins when Gertrude (Lopez) dies during childbirth. Her widower Oliver (Affleck) tries to avoid his grief and his fatherly duties by devoting his time to work as a powerful media publicist. But after finding himself in a literal shit storm of dirty diapers with a crying baby, Oliver loses his job. As such, he moves back in with his father (George Carlin) in New Jersey. Fast-forward seven years and Gertie (Raquel Castro) is prodding her dad to date. Life changes for the better when Ollie crosses paths with Maya (Liv Tyler), the cute video store clerk. Alas, the prospects of a new job, coupled with the opportunity to move back to NYC, kills any chance at romance. But at least Ben finds time to don underpants while making out with Liv on the staircase. If Mr. Affleck flashed more flesh, he might have avoided a Razzie nomination and earned a statuette in Mr. Man’s pants instead!