Keanu Reeves, why so much hate?

[EZ_Mrens]

So I look at an actor like Mr. Reeves, and everyone seems so dead set against him, he is a famous actor he has played nearly every type of person imaginable, he has amazing range.

The Gift
Dracula
Matrix
Much Ado about Nothing
Watchers

All excellent yet every one of them I have seen made into a Bill and Teds refrence.

Whenever a subject of one of his movies pops up people have a reaction of "What that stupid kid in Bill and Teds got the part!"

I am seeing the same thing done with another actor, Ashton Kutcher. He attempted a serious drama and in my opinion did a damn fine job at it, yet in 20 years people will still be making 'Dude Where's My Car Refrences'.

But then their is Will Smith, another acomplished actor, no one ever seems to taunt him for Fresh Prince.

I am just cofused why most of the movie world has a hard on for hating him so?

[EZ_Dahne]

That's the problem with memorable roles. People remember them. To this day, every time a character is voiced by Steven Blum I can't help but think, "Hey, it's Spike!"
Which is funny, since he's about seventeen people in Rurouni Kenshin. He's still not as prolific as Minsc, though. That guy's been in everything.

On another subject, Mrens spelled backwards is Snerm!

[Nimmbull]

i think you're mistaking "accomplished" with "good". There are lots of actors who have made a LOT of movies and played lots of different parts, but still suck at all of them. He is those actors' King.

[Koru]

Oh, you do not want to bring up his Much Ado About Nothing performance around my best friend. She's been known to bring up one line from that movie in which Mr Reeves' acting is more wooden than a forest of redwoods and refer to any acting in which the actor displays zero emotion as 'The Keanu Reeves school of acting'. Still in roles that suit him he's not been terrible. I mean given a choice of him in the Matrix or Will Smith in the Matrix Reeves will win every time in my book.

And hey, who says we don't mock Will Smith?! We're very much equal oppertunity mockers here. I'll wager after that movie based on Asimov's robot trilogy comes out you'll see some quality mocking of him.

[EZ_PandaJoe]

I seem to remember Reeves part in Much Ado to require him to just put on an angsty epression and glare every once in a while. Not too tricky. And he didn't even have to do anything close to an emotion in the Matrices. Will Smith isn't as easily mocked, since he doesn't really take on too many serious roles. MIB and Wild Wild West doesn't compare to Shakespeare.

[EZ_Nyssa Rainwhisper]

Sure he may have played a wide range of roles, but that doesn't mean he was good in all of them.

Personally, he kinda looks like a male version of a dumb blonde to me. He looks ditzy, and just empty-headed. I guess the role that I feel was best suited for him and the way he looks to me is Bill and Ted's.

[EZ_xeras of zeb]

Nyssa had a chance to say it before I posted, but Reeves always has this out of it look. I thought that type of look was perfect for the Matrix but, it gets a bit old fast.

[Meddik]

Perhaps its because his delivery is so wooden, he has to pay Al Gore royalties for every movie hes in?? Trojan Horseshoes
Need Help coming up with arguments against mine?

[EZ_Cokoanutt Munkey]

Few friends and I got in a long discussion about who is the better (or not-as-bad) actor, Ben Affleck or Keanu.

Came down to Keanu being totally awesome, his acting style able to mold to any role imaginable, whereas Affleck = assfleck

[EZ_Nyssa Rainwhisper]

Ben Affleck is like the Backstreet Boys of acting whereas Keanu Reeves is like the Jessica Simpson of acting.

[EZ_Nylluin]

Quote:Ben Affleck is like the Backstreet Boys of acting whereas Keanu Reeves is like the Jessica Simpson of acting.

Umm, that still doesnt explain which is worse.

[EZ_Zulian]

I think she's saying one is good looking and the other's an idiot. But uh, I'm not sure which is which. :P

[EZ_Aurarier]

Both suck and are intolerable, but if s*** is better than f***, then Ben's s***. S*** happens when you party naked.

[EZ_Diabalein Avidyia]

"he has amazing range."


?


have you ever seen his movies? watch a few back to back. if you consider his range amazing then you really REALLY need to see more movies. I dont even see his movies, I dont care what anyone says, whatching this guy get paid to read lines off a teleprompter while stoned out of his mind isnt my idea of acting and thats exactly what it looks like hes doing. 0 emotion 0 talent, hes got nothing but looks and an assload of hype.

"I know kung fu"

ah yeah movie legend that line was.

[Deltar Battlewall]

"If you prick us, do we not get bummed? If you poison us, do we not blow chunks?" -- Keanu in The Merchant of Venice Beach, The Critic

I like Reeves for the most part. He has a VERY good agent. I think the only movie I've ever seen him in that stank worse than moldy cheese was Devil's Advocate. God what a horrible experience that pile was.

[EZ_Dahne]

He was fine in The Matrix, since all he had to do was wear sunglasses and stand there. The second Matrix, though...eyuugh. You know what? I want to be able to go to a single movie with a 100% assurance that I don't have to see anybody's ass. I don't want to see anybody's ass on a movie screen ever. Is that so much to ask?

[EZ_Hindraak]

And the males of the matinee cry out at this declaration of "No bare ass on movie screen".

[EZ_Raith Fennin Ro]

I believe he is a better actor than people give him credit. And he is actually a very bright man. He also has better family values than most of Hollywood. There is a lot of band-wagon hating of Keanu Reeves acting. It is sort of the cool in thing. (I'm not saying he has not done poor work occasionally. Just that people tend not to truly have their own opinion about his acting.) I've seen enough of his work to know he is a better actor than most actors of his genre.

[EZ_Aurarier]

and he's also in a kickass band!

/sarcasm off S*** happens when you party naked.

[EZ_Dahne]

Exceptions made for pr0n, of course. Got nothing against pr0n, just want bare asses out of movies that aren't supposed to be about bare asses.

[EZ_MinionX]

Watch the Gift

however, Dracula

Woooo he sucked in that one

As for matrix 3, didn't suck alot in my opinion

Was decent i suppose

[EZ_Dahne]

Quote:however, Dracula

Woooo he sucked in that one

AUUUGH the puns!

[EZ_Yrion]

Quote:given a choice of him in the Matrix or Will Smith in the Matrix Reeves will win every time in my book.

Oh come on, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as MIB would have wrapped up the matrix plot in the first movie, with the special effects of all three in it too! No need to agonizingly draw it out to three boring movies at all. I would pay to see MIB III: The Matrix As It Should Have Been.

[DarthEnder]

I'm sorry, but I've seen Keanu in alot of movies and you know what, he's only ever played 2 roles. Ted, and Neo.

Every other movie he is in thats not Bill and Ted he has been the same character as Neo.

The same delivery, the same personality, everything. I'm not saying that it wasn't fitting in some of those movies, but I suspect that his delivery of Neo/Jonny Pneumonic/that character he played in Dracula is probably his own personality, and that Bill and Ted was probably his best example of him actually "acting".

[EZ_aandaie]

Whoah....


Aandaie 56 Druid's Magelo

Aaelandri 42 Cleric's Magelo

Prittior 40 Shadowknight's Magelo

[EZ_Halen]

Yea, cos there were no tiresome men in black sequels.

For the record, and and usual, my views are diametrically opposed to the rest of the safehouse, I finally saw the third matrix last night, and loved it. Halen Taz : 65 deceiver : Tholuxe Paells <Tod Und Teufel>
Syrinne Taz : 65 Storm Warden : Tholuxe Paells <Doomed Legion>

[DarthEnder]

I loved it too. It just wasn't as good as the original matrix, but then, almost nothing is.

My only real complaint was the anticlimactic way the Merovingeon thing resolved.

[EZ_Montag McCleaud]

But, But .. he was just so good in Point Break.

He really was. No, really.

[EZ_Meecham AB]

Quote:Every other movie he is in thats not Bill and Ted he has been the same character as Neo.

Bingo. Some of his scenes are just so cringe-worthy it's almost funny. Anyone notice that in all his more popular movies, he basically gets carried by a more talented actor? Al Pacino in Devil's Advocate, Gary Oldman in Dracula, Larry Fishburne in Matrix etc.

Man, he's so bad in Point Break he even makes Patrick Swayze's acting look good.

BTW Raith, wth do his family values have to do with whether he can act or not?

As for Will Smith, he does usually go for the cheesy "live-action cartoon" type of movies, but he can actually act. I thought he was pretty good in Six Degrees of Separation.

[Darkefang]

People get on Keanu because he's an easy target. He did Bill & Ted and Parenthood at the beginning of his career, playing dumb guys in each, so its easy to typecast him. No, he's not a brilliant actor, but not many leading men types are.

Most leading men do play roughly the same character in every movie. There are some pretty obvious exceptions, but in general, the leading man doesn't have the range, or doesn't need to show the range, of a character actor. Think about guys like Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Adam Sandler, Val Kilmer, Arnold Schwartzeneggar, Sylvestor Stallone, Richard Dreyfus, Tom Cruise, Bill Pullman, Mel Gibson, and Michael Keaton. These guys are generally the same basic character in every movie. And they have all played a very different character in a movie or two, with varying degrees of success.

[Gnmish Gearbinder]

Quote:But, But .. he was just so good in Point Break.

Actually, I really like Point Break.

I liked all the Matrix films too.

I also really enjoy all the Bill and Ted films. gnmish.gearbinder.ring.warden.sullon.zek
'Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest... Honestly.'

[Meddik]

You sure about including Michael Keaton in that list?

Even Arnold has done several anti-typecast movies.

Junior != T2

[Darkefang]

That's why I said -
Quote:These guys are generally the same basic character in every movie. And they have all played a very different character in a movie or two, with varying degrees of success.

Pretty much every leading actor at least attempts a completely different character. Some work, like Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love, and some do not, like Sylvester Stallone in Stop, or My Mom Will Shoot.

[Dorla]

Quick story... a good chunk of Chain Reaction was filmed in my home town and in surrounding communities. (the iceboat chase, the scenes in the observatory, etc.) Keanu and Morgan Freeman were seen around town fairly often that winter. Well, my cousin is a bouncer at a local bar, and he swears on a stack of bibles that Keanu Reeves came into his bar dressed in drag. I don't believe it, but he swears it was him, and people started noticing and tittering about it so Keanu left pretty quick.

That's totally off-topic but whenever I think Keanu I think about that story, heh. Oh yeah, and Chain Reaction was a horrible movie, regardless of it being filmed around my town.

[Dragynphyre]

Quote:he has amazing range.

I disagree there. Sure he can read lines, but he doesn't make me belive that he IS the character he is portraying.

When he is trying to portray any sort of emotion, like anger, tenderness, sadness... his face and eyes tend to give me a 'blank' emotional response... which is fine for a 'stoner' movie or an action flick, but not for more dramatic roles.

When an actor can make me forget that they are an actor, and not the character they are portraying, THAT is what I consider good acting. (Back In Black)
Delissandra Splitshadow - Marauder of Clan X
Grandmaster Poisoner (250), Master Potter (195), Grandmaster Lush (200)

Why is it that the last piece I've needed from EVERY armor set, from Ravenscale on up to Stanos' Wicked is the PANTS?
I honestly am beginning to think it's a conspiracy founded by Glip!

[Llabak Tharr]

"Ma'am? CAN YOU DRIVE THIS BUS?"

That totally killed him as an actor for me. Holy cow he was wretched in Speed.

[EZ_Riot Sio Zon]

His range is simple. The exact same thing and add in some sex appeal to the female audience.

The guy gets my vote for current worst actor. Being in good movies doesn't make him good, it just made everyone else work that much harder.

I would definately like to see people get award nominations for having to star opposite of this guy.

He over dramatizes everything, has no feeling otherwise, and thankfully doesn't have to do much acting in most of his movies. That is what helps makes some of them good.

Oh and for some fun (this site is not necessarily work safe) see Maddox site and his Matrix Reloaded write up here maddox.xmission.com/c.cgi?u=matrix2 Riot Sio`Zon 65 Rogue
Fusion of Tunare

Terris Thule!Rydda Dar!Kildrukaun the Ancient!Vyskudra the Ancient!The Final Arbiter!The Protector!Lady Mirenilla!Lord Feshlak!Eashen of the Sky!Carx`Vean!Myga!Nezekezena!Carpin Deatharn!Breddan Rutyl!Advisor Zekuzh!General Kizuhx!Eindride Icestorm!Sralm Noramir!Thangbrand!Alden Koden!Thorolf Sutherland!Riodhr Torrentwind!Dreadlord Dekir!Rite Master Kvimimn!Hsrek!Iri!a Stampeding Piglet!Prime Executioner Vathoch!Sustainer of Nightmares!Vaurien Sticklebush!Elishia Blackguard!Reynold Blackguard!

"The law of Perversity of the Inanimate, suggests that the most frequent time to get 3 procs in a row is immediately after the mob turns on you." - Syldin

[shehab aldean]

Quote:www.gucomics.com/archives...e=20040405

and from woody also

Quote:Agent Smith is saying all the lines because Neo doesn't get it (because he's Keanu Reeves).

[Koru]

He can play some roles ok, so long as they are within his range. His range is smaller than that of say, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman or any of the bigger names.

Will Smith can play his range quite well, and since he doesn't move outside of his range nearly as much it's harder to rag on him. He's the loudmouthed funny semi-tough black comic. That's his range essentially and he does that sufficiently well. I couldn't see him as Neo for instance because well, Neo's supposed to be a guy who gets sort of overwhelmed at all the mindblowing @#%$ that gets thrown at him. The Eddie Murphy routine Will Smith's range includes doesn't really work well in that context, not of the movie is to be taken seriously.

Reeves' range is clueless dude stuck in odd or overwhelming situations trying to figure out what's going on. Which works well in Matrix, not so well in a lot of other movies. Since he's done quite a few movies outside that range it's much easier to notice his limits in acting than for an actor who stays in essentially the same type of character and role forever.

[Brelkor]

He's a very nice and generous guy. He gave a ton of his pay for the last 2 matrix movies to stunt guys and grips that get payed squat and actually do most the work on the set. That gets big kudos in my book.

So what if he acts like wooden doll Brelkor the Blackhammer, The Masta Back Stabba, retired rogue

"And it's lend me ten pounds, I'll buy you a drink
And mother wake me early in the morning "[i]
[i]

[EZ_Dahne]

Quote:His range is simple. The exact same thing and add in some sex appeal to the female audience.

You're kidding about that last bit, right?

[EZ_Peebs]

Reeves isn't a great actor, but Ben is worse. I mean something about him actually irritates me in most of his movies. Reeves I'm fairly indifferent about (I suppose I like the movies Reeves has been in more than Afleck's though, maybe that's it).

[EZ_Vindicor]

Keanu Reeves
Bram Stoker's Dracula
The Matrix
The Devil's Advocate

Ben Affleck
Chasing Amy
Dogma
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
And he was da bomb in "Phantoms," yo!

Both are poor actors that did well in great movies. Just depends on their environment.

[Lilum]

I happen to like Keanu. I know he's not going to be getting any Oscars for his roles, but you know exactly what you're getting from one of his movies. Ninety percent of the time it's going to be bubble gum for the brain, wich isn't always a bad thing for a movie to be.

Has anyone else noticed how fat Afleck looks in Dazed and Confused?

[EZ_nekoken]

Quote:And the males of the matinee cry out at this declaration of "No bare ass on movie screen".

After watching many Hong Kong martial arts movies my friends and I coined a term NDB, Naked Dude Butt. Nothing drags a movie down like NDB unless it is offset by many instances of gratuitous female nudity.

And on the Keanu Reeves thing; I like Bill and Ted's and Point Break is one of my alltime favorite movies.

Narsse Nekoken

[EZ_Raith Fennin Ro]

The family thing was just an aside about his character. He's a good guy. And there are many many big name actors out there that have little more talent than him, yet don't seem to get beat up as much. Sure he's no Sean Penn, /cough /choke er I mean Kenneth Branagh, but he isn't worse than soooo many other narrow ranged Hollywood favorites.

[EZ_Hindraak]

Quote:After watching many Hong Kong martial arts movies my friends and I coined a term NDB, Naked Dude Butt. Nothing drags a movie down like NDB unless it is offset by many instances of gratuitous female nudity.
The female portion is what I was hinting at. Hell, look at the begining of Lost in Translation; even though it's not completely nude, Scarlett Johansens ass was awesome in that movie. Shoulda gotten an oscar.

[EZ_Dahne]

"And the Oscar goes to...

Scarlett Johansen's ass!"