You may not have noticed, but Ben Affleck has been using his Accountant 2 press tour to cement his status as The Most Charming Man in America. Affleck has successfully unseated George Clooney for the title (not hard to do after Clooney dyed his hair) through a series of delightful interviews and appearances. He has spoken highly and respectfully of his ex-wife Jennifer Lopez on several occasions, he told a relatable anecdote about refusing to buy expensive sneakers for his son on the Today show, and he looked incredible in GQ. Now he has made his way to the Criterion Closet, where he selected the perfect array of discs to convey “I’m a man of the people, but with slightly better taste.” Let’s watch.
“The Criterion Collection has brought me into my idea of heaven,” Affleck said before launching into one of the most rapid-fire versions of this segment I’ve ever seen. Across six minutes, he speaks lovingly and passionately about 13 films, including Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game, Robert Townsend’s Hollywood Shuffle, and Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting (a pick that inspires Affleck to do a Scottish accent). His selections run a little more popcorn than the usual Criterion Closet guest, but the joy of the video is watching Affleck speak about Fast Times at Ridgemont High with the same reverence he has for Miller’s Crossing.
It’s hard to pick a high point. Is it when Affleck said “the best work of my career” is his famously candid Armageddon commentary? It might be when he put on his ally cap and said that Spike Lee’s Malcolm X made him want to be a better man. Actually, it’s the moment at the end when Affleck picks up David Lynch’s The Elephant Man and says that watching it was the first and only time he saw his father cry. Who else is giving us that during a promotional stop for a clunky action movie? Affleck will be holding on to his title for the foreseeable future, at least until Clooney goes back to gray.
