Guess How Young Blake Lively Was Opposite Ben Affleck in This 93% Rotten Tomatoes Thriller
At 22, Blake Lively held her own opposite Ben Affleck in The Town, the 2010 Boston heist hit that still boasts a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score—shot in a sprint from August to December 2009 as Affleck solidified his status as an acclaimed actor-director.
Blake Lively was 22 when she stepped into Ben Affleck's Boston crime world in 'The Town' — and that one gritty supporting role basically flipped the switch on how Hollywood saw her. The movie still absolutely holds up too: big box office, awards love, and a Rotten Tomatoes score that has not budged in years.
Blake Lively's pivot: from teen star to serious drama
Production on 'The Town' ran August through December 2009. Lively's birthday is August 25, so she was 22 while cameras rolled. At the time, she was best known as Serena van der Woodsen on 'Gossip Girl,' and most of her film work skewed teen/comedy/indie. Then she shows up as Krista Coughlin — a strung-out single mom tangled up with Charlestown bank robbers — and turns in a sharp, unglam performance that made a lot of people do a double take.
- 1998: 'Sandman' — Trixie / Tooth Fairy (Film)
- 2005: 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' — Bridget Vreeland (Film)
- 2006: 'Accepted' — Monica Moreland (Film)
- 2006: 'Simon Says' — Jenny (Film)
- 2007: 'Elvis and Anabelle' — Anabelle Leigh (Film)
- 2007–2010: 'Gossip Girl' — Serena van der Woodsen (Television)
- 2008: 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2' — Bridget Vreeland (Film)
- 2008: 'New York, I Love You' — Gabrielle DiMarco (Film)
- 2009: 'The Private Lives of Pippa Lee' — Young Pippa Lee (Film)
'The Town' is the pivot point. After that, she starts headlining grown-up projects like 'Savages,' 'The Age of Adaline,' and 'The Shallows.'
Affleck's Boston heist classic still hits
Affleck directs and stars, and he has fully earned the rep as a director who pulls focused, lived-in performances from his casts — himself included. The film remains one of his high-water marks.
Quick receipts:
- Jeremy Renner landed an Oscar nomination for his supporting turn.
- The movie made $154 million worldwide (per Box Office Mojo).
- It sits at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and gets cited constantly as a modern crime-thriller staple.
"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."
People are still talking about it online, too — everything from running jokes about Boston critics fawning over it every year to threads arguing it belongs right up there with 'The Departed' and 'Good Will Hunting.' Honestly, I get it. The movie is lean, mean, and very Boston in a way few films nail.
Where to watch
'The Town' is available to rent or buy on Apple TV+ and Amazon.