The terrible movie Keanu Reeves was right about the first time: “I didn’t like it at all”
Keanu Reeves is an actor of such inherent charisma that he can bring something worthwhile into even the most disastrous films. If Reeves isn’t able to redeem it, then there’s something truly wrong.
The question of “Is Keanu Reeves a good actor?” is a difficult one to answer. On one hand, Reeves is known as one of the nicest guys in Hollywood and frequently goes above and beyond to show respect to the members of his cast and crew. He also shows a true dedication to doing the stunts needed to be realistic in his action films, a quality that has got even more attention during the John Wick franchise and its influence on the genre.
On the other hand, Reeves has a means of conveying dialogue that is flat, occasionally dull, and can be awkward, depending on the context. He’s perfectly suited for a character like Bill in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, where he’s playing a goofy high school stoner with aspirations of being a musician, but he’s less effective at delivering a British accent in something like Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a great film in which he sticks out like a sore thumb.
In fairness to Reeves, he doesn’t have that many films on his track record that are completely unwatchable. Even disappointments like The Day The Earth Stood Still and Replicas benefit from how inherently great Reeves is with sci-fi material, and may be enjoyable because of the inadvertent humour of seeing something so cheesy.
However, even Reeves admitted to being confused when he was first given the script for the crime comedy Feeling Minnesota.
“When I first read it I didn’t like it at all,” Reeves said. “I found it very harsh.”
Part of Reeves’ confusion with the film is in regards to the tone, as it didn’t become clear to him until deep within the script that there was a romantic component. Reeves and Vincent D’Onofrio star as low-life brothers who feud with one another while the former’s character is preparing to get married to his fiancée, an ex-stripper, played by Cameron Diaz. It was certainly a bold swing in a new direction for Reeves, who had just starred in Speed, but turned down the opportunity to appear in the sequel, Speed 2: Cruise Control.
Neglecting to be in Speed 2: Cruise Control was probably a good choice on Reeves’ part, as the 1997 action film is often cited as one of the worst sequels ever made. However, Feeling Minnesota was almost instantly forgotten, as it felt too similar to the many other ‘90s crime comedies that had been utilising the style of Quentin Tarantino. If Reeves’ greatest talent is his ability to be winning and likeable in any role, then the decision to cast him as a rambunctious loser in Feeling Minnesota was downright disastrous.
In fairness to Reeves, the clout he earned from Speed and Point Break gave him the freedom to test his skills by appearing in a multitude of unusual films, such as the supernatural courtroom drama The Devil’s Advocate, the romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds, and the coming-of-age story The Last Time I Committed Suicide. Feeling Minnesota may not have done much for Reeves’ career, but it became something that everyone forgot about when The Matrix was released in 1999 and proved why he was one of the biggest stars in the world.
