I have long held the belief that Keanu Reeves’ peak acting performance was in “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” Since that movie, his delivery of lines has become vapid and monotonous - he lost that “Ted fire,” if you will.
Now I’m no Reeves expert. It must be known that I haven’t seen every movie he has been in. I’ve probably seen a half dozen. Perhaps there is a gem out there that I have missed.
The secret behind his fame eludes me. He’s such a bad actor, I am continually astonished that he is still getting acting gigs.
So in order to educate myself as well as others, here’s a poll. Two questions. First, in what movie did Reeves give his greatest acting performance? Second, what movie in which Reeves “acted” is greatest among the lot? For reference, there is a list here.
IMHO,
Reeves’ greatest acting was in “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” as I previously mentioned. Sure he was dumb, but he had enthusiasm.
The greatest movie in which he appeared is “Much Ado About Nothing.” This is my favorite Shakespearian movie adaptation. Well written, beautifully filmed and great actors (Emma Thompson sp?).
best keanu performance:My Own Private Idaho Best Keanu Movie:Much Ado About nothing. But I almost have to disqualify it, since Keanu positively reeked throughout. His performance was a serious mar on an otherwise excellent movie (well, Michael Keeton could have used a bit more control, too – but at least his characte was supposed to by an annoying dolt.) The Matrix and The Gift were both good movies in which Keanu did not reek. Rare gems indeed. In the entertainment world, only the understated Madonna performance is considered more rare. [sub]the melodic Britany Spears hit, alas, remains but a myth[/sub]
Actually, I find Reeves an interesting actor. People mistake his line reading for a lack of acting ability (the same mistake they made with John Wayne). And anyone who knows to pass up SPEED 2 deserves credit.
I suppose his best role was in SPEED, with the best movie MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, but Reeves was quite good in such films as I LOVE YOU TO DEATH, LEAVING MINNESOTA, A WALK IN THE CLOUDS, LITTLE BUDDHA, and MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO.
racerx, your question reminds me of a leader that a reviewer used once. “keanu reeves, genius actor or very lucky moron?”
i first noticed him in much ado about nothing, even though i had seen bill and ted. i guess george carlin overshadowed him. performance…well, let’s see what the future holds.
for big laughs, i’m still hopeful for a steven seagal/keanu reeves epic.
I suspect that Keanu isn’t really a moron, he just sounds like one, and for me that’s all that matters. He’s absolutely dreadful to listen to - and his attempts at giving substance to his voice are about as effective as inflating a crepe.
What’s infuriating is that every role he’s taken might have gone to someone with talent.
Wasn’t it Feeling Minnesota? I loved that movie. Vincent D’Onofrio rocks my world, and Keanu was pretty good, too. Hell, even Cameron Diaz almost acted in that one. River’s Edge was an amazing movie, as was My Own Private Idaho. I think his absolute worst acting performance had to be in Dracula. I’m still scrubbing my tongue to get the taste of that one out of my mouth.
As for best movie, there’s some good ones in the above choices, plus Dangerous Liasons and a few others. The boy might be dumb, he might not be able to act that well, but he’s got a GREAT agent.
The great Keanu question that plaques mankind even today is not, as has been reported, what is Keanu Reeve’s greated acting achievement, but instead WHY, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY, HASN’T SAG REVOKED HIS UNION CARD?
The Matrix is the only film I’ve watched that I knew at the time features Keanu Reeves. I have learned from this thread that he was in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and I have seen that, albeit years and years ago (years and years for an 18 year old, e.g. maybe 6). I liked The Matrix quite a lot, and I vaguely remember liking Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure at least a bit. Aside from that, I probably have seen some stuff with Keanu Reeves in it, but I don’t know what. I am not very able to pass judgement on his acting ability.
(P.S. Please excuse any spelling or VBCode errors, as I’m posting this while drunker than I’ve ever been in my short life [still not all that drunk, I’m rather straight really]… I think the itallic stuff was rather ambitious really, though I am going to preview this, assuming I hit the right button.)
So far a number of posters have mentioned “River’s Edge” as a good Keanu movie. That’s one I haven’t seen. I’m understandibly a bit wary to see it though.
Other than that I’ve seen many of those listed here; Feeling Minnesota, A Walk in the Clouds, My Own private Idaho, and if I remember correctly they were movies that were good despite Keanu, not because of him.
Oh, I haven’t seen Dangerous Liasons either.
Reality Chuck I can see how an actor’s entire career can be tainted by a few really popular movies in which his acting sucks - like Speed, The Matrix and Point Break.
Dangerous Liasons is a good flic despite the scenes he’s in. You keep on waiting for him to say ‘Duuuuuuude’.
Rivers Edge - was one of those movies I found disturbing - because (IIRC) it was based on a true story, and even if it wasn’t, you could see it happening anyhow. Don’t see it, planning on laughing through it.
Wanted to step in and say thanks for using proper capitalization etc. I’ve noticed, and been able to easily read your threads.
In any case, the B&T movies were both most excellent movies, and good showcases of Keanu’s ahem acting skills.