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This article was originally published in 2019 and has been updated to reflect the actors most recent work.
In part, this disconnect is the lingering cultural memory of Reeves as Theodore Logan.
Throughout Reevess career, he has shied away from this.
His characters are often led into new worlds by women of far greater skill and experience …
This is not to say that Reeves hasnt made mistakes.
But its clear that his many memorable performances werent all just flukes.
WithJohn Wick: Chapter 4now in theaters, we revisit those performances from worst to best.
that seems to have been made by people who had never turned on a computer before.
The hackneyed screenplay does him no favors, either.
Disturbingly, Reevesclaimsthat he was forced to do this movie because his assistant forged his signature on a contract.
He received the fifth of his seven Razzie nominations for this film.
(He has yet to win and hasnt been nominated in 17 years.
This is a career low point for both actors, preying on their weak spots.
(Hey, Science, it has been 23 years.
Why havent you solved this yet?)
Also: This has to be the worst wig of Keanus career, yes?
Heres one of them.
Reeves can tap into that slacker vibe if asked to, but he requires much better material than this.
Nonetheless, Reeves is quite accomplished at being very still.
Unfortunately, his performance inMuch Ado About Nothingdoesnt do much to prove his haters wrong.
It is probably just as well his character doesnt have many words.
35.Bram Stokers Dracula(1992)
GIFs are a cheap way to critique a performance.
We suspect if he could revisit this role now, hed be far more commanding and engaged.
But in 1992, he was still too much Ted and not enough anything else.
The accent wasnt that bad, though.
and Real Lolita shit … real Lolita shit,The Neon Demonis the film for you.
Hes barely in it, and we wouldnt blame him if he doesnt even remember it.
The movie wants to be a little quirkier than it is, and Reeves never quite snaps to.
The film just idles on the runway.
The best part about the film?
A 14-year-old Michael B. Jordan.
Is this his wildest sexual fantasy come to life?
Or something far more ominous?
(Squint andhe looks like the front man for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.)
Still, you could see signs of the soulfulness and vulnerability hed later harness in better projects.
Hes very much a big puppy looking for a home.
Other actors have done so more indulgently.
And even though hes heavier than hes ever been in a movie, he looks great.
Plus, come on, this movielooksfantastic: Who doesnt want to hang around these vineyards?
Not necessarily worth a rewatch, but not the disaster many consider it.
He blends into the background quietly, which is probably enough.
This could have been the worlds strangest comedy team!
Imagine if this were the only role Keanu Reeves ever had?
Its sort of amazing.
Were still not sure Meyers got the ending right: Erica should have stuck with him instead of Harry.
And its pretty good!
We wouldnt call him a visionary director by any stretch of the imagination.
But wed watch another one of these, definitely.
He hits the right notes and never overstays his welcome.
As a romantic lead, less is more for Reeves.
But as it turns out, hes a lot kinder and mature than at first glance.
You see this guy and you understand why everyone wanted to make him a star.
This is a very different Reeves from now, but its not necessarily a worse one.
Turns out Keanu Reeves is frighteningly convincing as a guy who can kill many, many people.
The power of Reevess performance is that it works both ways.
But note that Bill and Ted arent jerks watchExcellent Adventurenow and youll be struck by how incrediblysunnyits humor is.
More of this, just.
(Phoenixs death two years afterMy Own Private Idahos release only makes the portrayal more heartbreaking.)
But his performance doesnt work without a doubles partner, which is where Reeves comes in.
And it goes without saying that he has dynamite chemistry with Sandra Bullock.
This was very much who the early Reeves was, andRivers Edgemight be his darkest film.
His vacancy here is not Zen cool … its just vacant, intellectually, ethically, morally, emotionally.
Only in that void could Reeves be this terrifying.
This is definitely a performance, but it never feels like acting.
His magnetism was almost mystical.
Never before had the actor been such a formidable onscreen presence deadly serious but still loose and limber.
Even when the sequels succumbed to philosophical ramblings and overblown CGI, Reeves commanded the frame.
We always knew that he seemed like a cool, left-of-center guy.
TheMatrixfilms gave him an opportunity to flex those muscles in a true blockbuster.
