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Keanu Reeves

post #1 of 62
3/9/10 at 4:52pm
Thread Starter 
We've had some good actor threads lately, so now I'd like to discuss an actor who's not quite as valued or beloved as, say, previous thread subject Jeff Bridges and is reviled more often than not: Keanu Reeves. While I tend to stay away from the movies that he apparently sucks in (I do still need to see Point Break, if only for the Bigelow factor, as well as Devil's Advocate for Pacino), I actually think he's damn good when you cast or direct him correctly (he's also apparently really nice and down-to-earth in real life). As such, I'd like to use this thread to discuss Reeves' virtues, his flaws, and his best and worst moments as an actor.

To begin with, I'll list the performances that Reeves has impressed me with:

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure/Bogus Journey-Yeah, it's an easy one, but Reeves is goofy, likable and funny in both of these, and he has a great rapport with Alex Winter.

Parenthood-True, just about everyone else acts rings around him here, but he manages to not embarrass himself by doing a low-key spin on his Ted Logan.

Much Ado About Nothing-Before you start throwing things at me, let me explain. Don John is already a moody, morose villain on the page, so I tend to think Kenneth Branagh knew what he was doing when he cast Keanu in the role. And Reeves honestly looks like he's enjoying himself as the hateful villain, although he does occasionally mangle dialogue with that ever-present accent.

Speed-The key word here is "focus". While I sometimes get the feeling that Keanu gets distracted easily as an actor, he's completely focused and surprisingly badass here.

The Matrix Trilogy-In the first film, Reeves is practically perfect since he both looks like a computer hacker and someone who could conceivably kick your ass, and Neo is supposed to be something of a blank slate. He also serves as a nice counterpart to Hugo Weaving's Smith, and it's no accident that their performances are probably the best non-effects parts of the sequels.

With that, I open the floor.
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post #2 of 62
3/9/10 at 4:56pm
He (with the help of Raimi) actually scared me in The Gift.

Also appreciate the fact that in addition to being a decent guy from what I've read, he also keeps himself very private. Always loved the story about him putting his significant paycheck for the Matrix sequels back into the visual fx.
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post #3 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcnooj82 View Post
He (with the help of Raimi) actually scared me in The Gift.

Also appreciate the fact that in addition to being a decent guy from what I've read, he also keeps himself very private. Always loved the story about him putting his significant paycheck for the Matrix sequels back into the visual fx.
I'm kind of ambivalent about seeing The Gift because I've heard that while Reeves gives a great performance (isn't he a lot bulkier than usual?), his character is so unsubtly vile that he practically screams "Red herring!", even for overblown Southern gothic melodrama (which I love). Should I still give it a try?

And yeah, the "paycheck goes to the FX guys" story really impressed me.
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post #4 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:03pm
He does an amazing, bitter turn in Constantine. Screw the DC purists, he was perfect.

As for Devil's Advocate, yeah, Pacino runs rings around him, but he's still solid there. The bit where he blows up at Milton for suggesting he take the loss is still shocking coming from him.

I havent seen A Scanner Darkly since it was in theaters, but I remember thinking he and Robert Downey Jr worked rather well together there.
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post #5 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Spider View Post
I'm kind of ambivalent about seeing The Gift because I've heard that while Reeves gives a great performance (isn't he a lot bulkier than usual?), his character is so unsubtly vile that he practically screams "Red herring!", even for overblown Southern gothic melodrama (which I love). Should I still give it a try?
Hell yes. There are days where that wrangles with Evil Dead 2 for my favorite Raimi flick.
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post #6 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:06pm
He really is surprisingly good in 'The Gift'. He needs to play a bad guy (not necessarily THE main villain) more often.

I know a couple of people that met him when he was in town filming 'Feeling Minnesota', and apparently he was an exceptionally cool guy to meet.

eta: I'll back you up on 'Constantine', Justin. I thought that he was nearly perfect in the role.
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post #7 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:08pm
He's pretty great in The Gift, and even though I'd like to see Hellblazer done in England with an English actor, Constantine's a really nice "Elseworlds" take on the material. They got a lot right with that movie and it's a shame it didn't do better at the box office. I could have done with a Constantine movie every couple of years.

It seems that he's gotten better as the years have gone on at picking material that's suited to him. He's aware of his limitations (though I'd like to see him stretch, a la The Gift, every so often) and picks projects accordingly. I respect that.

Plus, I remember thinking he was the only decent part in Thumbsucker.
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post #8 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:11pm
Thread Starter 
I'll definitely give The Gift and Scanner Darkly a try, then. Any thoughts on my Much Ado assessment?
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post #9 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:12pm
Reeves has gone through so much shit in his personal life that it's hard not to like him on sheer sympathy value alone. I'm betting he put that grief to good use when playing Constantine. I'd love to see a Thatcher-era set British Hellblazer movie, true, but we got a decent (if only tangentially related to the comic) movie out of it anyway, in no small part thanks to Keanu.

Sounds like I should check out The Gift.
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post #10 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:16pm
Yeah, there was an article I read years ago that went into all the stuff he's endured in his personal life and how it's made him very private. If I recall, he basically lives in hotels and gives a bunch of his money away to charity.
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post #11 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:16pm
It's kinda hard to judge him in 'Much Ado About Nothing', as he's barely in it. Indeed, isn't he done after about the first 10 minutes?
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post #12 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:18pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judas Booth View Post
It's kinda hard to judge him in 'Much Ado About Nothing', as he's barely in it. Indeed, isn't he done after about the first 10 minutes?
No, he's got more screentime than that. It's not a whole lot compared to some of the other actors, but it's not just the first ten minutes, from what I recall (it's been a bit since I've seen it).
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post #13 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:21pm
I need to see it again, I guess. Honestly, I remember him there for the beginning sequence, the mass bath, and the conversation where he laments on the fact that he is a villain and sets events in motion. I thought that he was gone after that.

Good movie, as I recall.

I also remember him being pretty good in 'River's Edge'. Anyone else remember this one?
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post #14 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judas Booth View Post
I need to see it again, I guess. Honestly, I remember him there for the beginning sequence, the mass bath, and the conversation where he laments on the fact that he is a villain and sets events in motion. I thought that he was gone after that.

Good movie, as I recall.

I also remember him being pretty good in 'River's Edge'. Anyone else remember this one?
Well, he shows up again for the ending, and he does disappear for a while, but I think those scenes are more spread out. Guess I need to see it again too.
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post #15 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:26pm
Not as hot on River's Edge as most, but I remember Reeves being pretty good in it.
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post #16 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:33pm
Didn't he also take close to no pay whatsoever so that they could afford Gene Hackman in The Replacements?

Anyway, I've always been a big fan of his Devil's Advocate performance.
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post #17 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:34pm
I just came in to mention The River's Edge, but Rath beat me.

Also effectively used in My Own Private Idaho and Permanent Record. (latter is basically an After School Special but he has one powerful scene he nails)

Then comes the Bigelow reinvention.

For the record: I thought he was embarrassing and ineffective in The Gift. A glaring bit of miscasting.
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post #18 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Elvis View Post
I just came in to mention The River's Edge, but Rath beat me.
...and I beat Rath.

I forgot about 'Permanent Record', though. I recall him being quite good in that one.

As to his worst performance? I have to go with 'Bram Stoker's Dracula'. He was painful to watch in that film, and I'd argue that his performance was worse than Sofia's in 'the Godfather III'.
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post #19 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Spider View Post
While I tend to stay away from the movies that he apparently sucks in (I do still need to see Point Break, if only for the Bigelow factor, as well as Devil's Advocate for Pacino)
He doesn't suck in POINT BREAK. That's not to say he gives a brilliant performance, but there is no one else who could have brought to it what he did.

I was going to mention PERMANENT RECORD before Fat Elvis beat me to it.

Most of his performances from around that time are at the same volume, but the sneaky thing he does is making those kinds of characters feel like real, likeable people. Not an easy thing to do.
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post #20 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:41pm
Worst performance: Babes In Toyland

(How does that not have a camp following?)
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post #21 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:42pm
Every time I think about him out of context, I marvel at how well he does with so few obvious acting chops; actually watching his films, though, he's either waaay better an actor than he seems, or he has a better eye for projects that suit him than any actor of comparable stature.

And I'll add to the "like" (if not, perhaps, love) for Constantine. As Luca says, I'd fucking love to see that comic done right, but for an Americanized version, it was light years above what I'd expected.
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post #22 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan Banks is my hero View Post
He doesn't suck in POINT BREAK. That's not to say he gives a brilliant performance, but there is no one else who could have brought to it what he did.
He's not great in it, but he's PHYSICALLY right for the role, and he has an easy going chemistry with both Patrick Swayze and Gary Busey.
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post #23 of 62
3/9/10 at 5:50pm
I can't remember exactly where, but around the time Reloaded came out, there was an interview with Fishburne where he was talking about sitting down to play chess with Reeves during filming on The Matrix. I guess he figured it'd be easy but interesting and was very surprised when Reeves quickly wiped the floor with him. Always thought that was pretty entertaining, for some reason.
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post #24 of 62
3/9/10 at 6:16pm
No praise for his stirring portrayal of Ortiz the Dog Boy?

Looking over his filmography, I'm surprised to learn that I like him in more movies than I thought. Only Dracula and Johnny Mneumonic stand out as outright shit performances, and in all fairness, he's not the only shit performance in either of those films.
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post #25 of 62
3/9/10 at 7:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeb View Post
Every time I think about him out of context, I marvel at how well he does with so few obvious acting chops; actually watching his films, though, he's either waaay better an actor than he seems, or he has a better eye for projects that suit him than any actor of comparable stature.
Option B. He knows his margin of safety, but chooses to exploit it wisely. He's the acting career opposite of Ben Affleck.
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post #26 of 62
3/9/10 at 7:37pm
He fucking kills me when he breaks down after nearly running over his dead best friends little brother in Permanent Record. I saw that scene again not that long ago and it is still effective as hell.
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post #27 of 62
3/9/10 at 10:58pm
I'm glad to see that he is at least getting some respect as a human being in this thread, as well as a (limited) actor.

It was mentioned briefly above, but what about FEELING MINNESOTA? I saw that quite a long time ago but I remember liking Reeve's performance a lot.

And I'm digging the CONSTANTINE love.
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post #28 of 62
3/9/10 at 11:18pm
I'll throw in yet another positive mention of The Gift. I'd love to see him work with Raimi again or PTA or any other director that is known as an "actor's director." What most people who manage to put Reeves to good use--Bigelow and the Wachowskis are the two main examples--do is simply show they can use what he usually puts out there in the right way at the right time. With the performance they pull off in The Gift, Raimi showed us that Reeves that go completely out of his comfort zone and succeed with the right kind of direction.
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post #29 of 62
3/10/10 at 1:02am
Constantine is awesome, and it has some of Reeves best acting, while also featuring some of his worst. It's very flip-flop for me from an acting standpoint. I only actively hate Reeves in Dracula, and that's more miscasting than anything else.

I Love You to Death deserves more love. He's barely in it, but that's a rad little movie.
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post #30 of 62
3/10/10 at 5:42am
I'm (not that) surprised his creepy villain turn in The Watcher hasn't garnered a mention.
I also think he did a good job as a jaded, burned out quasi-asshole cop in Street Kings.

I seventh the Constantine love. Can we have a sequel already?
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post #31 of 62
3/10/10 at 6:11am
I've always enjoyed Keanu, but holy shit did he rock the house in Constantine. It's a very well rounded performance for a film that is really very slim. His whole conversation with the devil was one of 2005's highlights, if you ask me.

In an alternate universe, where Hollywood was still cranking out detective noir films like they were candy, Keanu would be this generation's Dana Andrews. As is, he knows his strengths, and for the most part sticks to them while still making interesting choices. I'm not a big fan of A Scanner Darkly, but I give everyone involved kudos for rolling the dice and seeing what happened.

He's not the most talented actor out there, and he seems to know it. But as much as he gets mocked and parodied for being a blank slate, he's still, to me, one of the more interesting actors working, simply because he doesn't just sit on his haunches and do paycheck after paycheck.
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post #32 of 62
3/10/10 at 2:34pm
Yeah I'd like to see Reeves in a full-on detective movie/noir. I think is blankness or stoicism or whatever we're calling it today really helped him deliver in Street Kings. They keep talking about what a pawn this guy is, a blunt instrument, etc. There's this sort of combat-intensity underneath his reticence. First time I ever found Reeves physically intimidating.
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post #33 of 62
3/10/10 at 2:42pm
I want room service!

Keanu Reeves was the superior choice in Something's Gotta Give. Diane Keaton chose...poorly.
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post #34 of 62
3/10/10 at 3:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus-7 View Post

I Love You to Death deserves more love. He's barely in it, but that's a rad little movie.
Not to derail, but hell yes.
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post #35 of 62
3/10/10 at 3:57pm
It was Tilda Swinton who said something along the lines of wanting to work with Keanu Reeves because in his various role she saw him giving space to other actors to do their best work, he doesn't try to hog the screen, a rare thing.

That's basically her saying that Reeves appears to have virtually no ego as a performer and maybe positing that as his greatest asset. From the little we know about him, I tend to agree. When he did Dracula, he did it because of the people he'd get a chance to work with. It ended up being something of a black mark on his CV because of his limitations, but I like that he has a sense of humor about it and that it was all in the service of surrounding himself with people he felt could enrich his experience as a performer.

Reeves said of his character in The Gift that he wanted to play the role because the character was "a man with a point of view who expresses it". I remember the interviewer being slightly put off by that because the character is such a virulent racist and they probably expected Reeves to condemn the character in his description but that didn't happen. I think that speaks a lot to the type of actor Reeves is. Plenty of talented actors overplay their hand occasionally, Reeves perhaps has to be more selective than most, but he's one of the good ones.
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post #36 of 62
3/10/10 at 4:22pm
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who likes (love, actually) Keanu Reeves. I really like that he uses restraint in his performances to hide his limitations instead of going over the top like many bad actors do. Unfortunately, the over the top guys usually get more respect because the general public are easily impressed.

Looking at his resume, Keanu's worked with a great list of directors: Bigelow, Wachowskis, Bertolucci, Raimi, Branagh, Linklater, Coppola, Van Sant. For a guy who supposedly can't act, good directors sure seem to like casting him. The pairing I would most like to see would be Keanu in a Tarantino film. I'd love to see what Quentin would get out of him.

Dangerous Liaisons hasn't been mentioned yet. His role is really small but I really like him in it.

And many of you are insane, Keanu's great in Point Break.
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post #37 of 62
3/11/10 at 1:08am
I can totally attest to what a nice, sweet guy Keanu is. I actually ran in to him twice in the Bay Area when he was here filming Sweet November.

The first time he was swarmed by a bunch of high school kids in Daly City asking for autographs. And he was very patient and gracious, actually engaging these kids for a minute or two and not just scribbling in their notepads before pushing them off. When they all left I talked to him for a minute. He shook my hand and patted me on the shoulder and said "Take care."

The next time I ran into him in San Francisco about a couple days later. I walked up and said, "You again?!" I was suprised he actually remembered saying something like, "Yeah. No mobs today, though" And I asked him a bit about what he was filming. He talked for about another minute and before went on his way he said," If I see you again, you're really gonna start to worry me." He grinned as he crossed the street. I responded, "So does that mean you won't let me watch you sleep?" He chuckled and called back, "That talk'll get you in trouble!"

Ever since then I've loved that guy. He's just an awesome person.
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post #38 of 62
3/15/10 at 1:43pm
^Creepy story.
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post #39 of 62
3/15/10 at 2:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyRockyHorror View Post
I can totally attest to what a nice, sweet guy Keanu is. I actually ran in to him twice in the Bay Area when he was here filming Sweet November.

The first time he was swarmed by a bunch of high school kids in Daly City asking for autographs. And he was very patient and gracious, actually engaging these kids for a minute or two and not just scribbling in their notepads before pushing them off. When they all left I talked to him for a minute. He shook my hand and patted me on the shoulder and said "Take care."

The next time I ran into him in San Francisco about a couple days later. I walked up and said, "You again?!" I was suprised he actually remembered saying something like, "Yeah. No mobs today, though" And I asked him a bit about what he was filming. He talked for about another minute and before went on his way he said," If I see you again, you're really gonna start to worry me." He grinned as he crossed the street. I responded, "So does that mean you won't let me watch you sleep?" He chuckled and called back, "That talk'll get you in trouble!"

Ever since then I've loved that guy. He's just an awesome person.
You realise he probably reported you to the cops the moment you were out of his sight, right?
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post #40 of 62
3/15/10 at 2:57pm
A decent guy who knows his strengths and sticks with them. While his performance in Dracula is always compared to be bad, I do appreciate the effort of an accent since Costner played Robin Hood without one.

His role of Neo though kind of had a personal effect though. I at first couldn't see him as the savior of mankind, but it hit me that I think that was the purpose. That the things we ignore or neglect might be what we actually need. After that, and several other reasons, I started to try to be nice to everyone.

Is it true he's coming back for Speed 3?
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post #41 of 62
3/15/10 at 10:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SAIRUS View Post
A decent guy who knows his strengths and sticks with them. While his performance in Dracula is always compared to be bad, I do appreciate the effort of an accent since Costner played Robin Hood without one.
I'd read in an interview that Reeves had been working non-stop before Dracula and was about to go on a break. He pushed back his hiatus because Coppola wanted him for the role so Reeves did not want to miss the opportunity to work for the director. Reeves would've probably been inadequate in the role but probably not as bad.

Quote:
Is it true he's coming back for Speed 3?
I hope not but he did play in Hard Ball, The Watcher (holy shit I just noticed he had done The Matrix before that film!) and The Replacements. He's really hit or miss in his film choices.
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post #42 of 62
3/15/10 at 11:40pm
Always have liked him, and agree with everyone else that he has limitations, but at least he knows them. Never really knew about him being such a nice guy, so that's really cool.

Got to also agree with the Constantine and A Scanner Darkly love. those flicks are underrated. Especially Scanner. Reeves RDJ and Woody make for a hilarious trio.
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post #43 of 62
3/15/10 at 11:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus-7 View Post
Constantine is awesome, and it has some of Reeves best acting, while also featuring some of his worst. It's very flip-flop for me from an acting standpoint.
Watched it again last night after a few years. He's much better than I remember, and scenes I remember him being bad in, he's just either a bit... "slow", or overly melodramatic. So yeah, he's rad. Damn I wish this movie had made more, or had cost less. One or the other. I really want another one with the same cast/crew.
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post #44 of 62
3/16/10 at 12:08am
Constantine is one of those movies that Reeves' involvement actually salvages. And yes, I include The Gift in that very small category. As for his being a nice guy, I also remember a story from The Matrix documentaries about him buying a bunch of people motorcycles? Anyone wanna corroborate that? Been years since I watched the Ultimate Matrix Experience extras.

His behind-the-scenes grace reminds me of Viggo Mortenson, another actor who is apparently a total class act.
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post #45 of 62
3/16/10 at 10:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Merriweather View Post
You realise he probably reported you to the cops the moment you were out of his sight, right?
Nah. I got the feeling he had a really great sense of humor.

Besides I was with my girlfriend and a friend of mine that time. I'm sure had I been alone, I could see it weirding him out. But he was totally cool and didn't come across as a moron or idiot like some people think he is, and I'll be honest, I was a little surprised myself.

And say he did report me to the police had I been alone, I have family in SFPD. I'm sure if they're cool taking care of tickets for me, they'll find away around stalking charges. lol

Anyway, it was a cool encounter with a celebrity. Definitely not the most awkward encounter I've had with one...
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post #46 of 62
7/10/10 at 9:59pm
The Gift is on Showtime right now. I forgot how good it was and how good Keanu is in it. This and A Simple Plan might be my two favorite Raimi films.
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post #47 of 62
7/10/10 at 10:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xion View Post
As for his being a nice guy, I also remember a story from The Matrix documentaries about him buying a bunch of people motorcycles? Anyone wanna corroborate that? Been years since I watched the Ultimate Matrix Experience extras.
What I read was that he bought each of his stuntmen a Harley after wrapping photography on the trilogy. Pretty fucking nice if you ask me.
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post #48 of 62
7/10/10 at 10:41pm
I love Bram Stoker's Dracula and I've grown to like Keanu in it. His (admittedly bad) performance adds to the film's overall bugfuck tapestry, I think. It's that much more comic relief. "I know where the bawstard sleeps."

For my money, Winona's performance hasn't aged nearly as well, whereas Keanu sort of fits into the whole camp vibe of the thing.
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post #49 of 62
7/10/10 at 10:47pm
Ok this is driving me nuts, this violin score for The Gift once Ribisi shows up sounds like the Back to the Future theme.
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post #50 of 62
7/10/10 at 11:34pm
Wow. I was not expecting this level of Keanu-love when I opened this thread. I figured that, much as in real life, I'd be a lonely voice defending him.

That said, I have to echo just about everything that has been said here. He isn't the greatest actor of all time, but he seems keenly aware of his abilities, and mostly sticks to a comfortable playing space without repeating the same role time and time again. It's pretty amazing, actually, looking through his filmography, to see the wide variety of projects Reeves has tackled without altering his persona too much. Usually, the only Hollywood types who can do that are the established, "great" actors of an era (Pacino, De Niro) or lesser-known character actors. Keanu is both highly-paid and only moderately "talented" on a technical level.

It helps that even when he's out of place or turns in a bad performance, Keanu is virtually always entertaining. It's kind of a Nic Cage effect.

To those questioning Much Ado, I would suggest it as a legitimately good film, but I wouldn't rank it among Keanu's best performances. It's a period piece with a lot of typical Shakespeare-type actors (Branagh, Thompson), and as such, his accent just doesn't feel right in context. I think he would've worked well in a modernized version, not that I'm particularly fond of those.
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