After brutal 'Batman v Superman' reviews, 'Sad Affleck' meme takes off

"Batman v Superman" produced some of the worst reviews of the year, but it also unleashed one of the funniest video memes.

During a press junket, Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill were asked on camera how the news of bad reviews makes them feel. The video has been re-edited and dubbed "Sad Affleck" on YouTube. In it, Cavill launches into a canned answer that is quickly drowned out by Simon & Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" as the frame slowly zooms in on Affleck's increasingly sad expression. OK, maybe he isn't actually sad (he's rich!), but the re-edit makes him look completely dejected. When the music fades out, the interviewer asks Affleck for his response. Batman simply says, "I agree." Boom. YouTube gold — 20 million views.

Now for a brief history of classic sad celeb memes. The first is "Sad Keanu," a photo of Keanu Reeves on a lonely park bench eating a sandwich and staring at the pavement. Awesome. And utterly depressing. The second is "Sad Kanye," an Instagram pic of wife Kim Kardashian taking a selfie as Kanye sits in the background, head down, sulking (and wearing a helmet 'cause they were zip-lining).

Affleck is sad, but no one beats Kanye when it comes to being the saddest.

Tom Horgen