I'm thinking about seeing this but....
Keanu's horrid acting is scaring me away? Am I wrong or not?
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MovieChat Forums > Feeling Minnesota (1996) Discussion > I'm thinking about seeing this but....
Keanu's acting is always very borderline, imo... nevertheless, he is sooo not hard on the eyes, I usually manage to look past it. lol! Actually, his acting isn't all that horrible in this movie. Not to mention, he and Diaz make a very hot couple.
I wouldn't give this movie 4 stars, but most of the acting was fairly enjoyable. There were some entertaining comedic moments, like the man in the phone booth. (can't think of any others at the moment, but I know there were some!)
On a further note, I just saw this movie last night, but missed about the first 15 minutes. Can someone fill me in briefly?
You have to see this movie; it's really good. Keanu's acting isn't that bad at all.
MountainFlower, not sure if you ever got to see the first 15 min. since you posted on 11/13. At what point did you pick up the movie? The opening credits are really cool. But anyway, during the credits, they show a young boy (Jjaks) playing w/ his older brother (Sam); typical boy games - rock, paper, scissors that Jjaks keeps losing so Sam pounds Jjaks' hand, Sam generally beating on Jjaks, pushing him off something, etc. Finally, Jjaks is sent to live with his father. Then the movie starts w/ Cameron Diaz in her wedding dress, running pell mell down the railroad tracks, with a car hot in pursuit w/ the black guy that owns the arcade/strip club & some of his muscle men. Sam found that $10k was missing from the books and blamed it on Freddie, so she was his reward and he was her punishment. The black guy made Freddie marry Sam. They stop at the black guy's club and Dan Akroyd goes up to the car and is making small talk w/ Freddie and it's obvious he likes her too.
Jjaks shows up at the wedding and makes an instant connection w/ Freddie. Sam walks up and makes Jjaks do rock/paper/scissors, but this time Sam loses and Jjaks gets to smash Sam's hand. Sam's trying to get Freddie to kiss him and hold his hand and she keeps pulling away, and looking at Jjaks. After the wedding, she approaches Jjaks and asks him if he's come to take her away. Jjaks tells Freddie that he's Sam's brother and she nearly chokes on her beer. He and Freddie go into the house and have massive sex in the bathroom. When they come back out, Jjaks goes to leave and has words w/ Sam and their mom who are pissed b/c he showed up w/o a gift. So Jjaks steals a car, robs the local gas station and even though he has a hat over his face, the owner reconizes Jjaks' voice and says, "Jjaks? Is that you? You aren't going to kill me are you?" and Jjaks goes, "no" and shoves the guy into the closet, takes the money and leaves. He goes back to the wedding and gives Sam the gift, and as he walks away, the mom drops dead of a heart attack. Sam blames it Jjaks for killing their mom.
Why is everybody saying Keanu is a bad actor? He isn't that bad. He has certainly managed to create enough great characters (e..g Neo) and you don't do that if you are a bad actor. And he even managed to do Shakespeare very well and you couldn't tell much difference between him and the other actors in the film - which included the great Shakespeare actor Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Michael Keaton, Richard Briers, Brian Blessed and the brilliant Denzel Washington to name but a few. He is a good actor. And as far as this film is concerned, I haven't seen it in a long time but it felt a bit stupid to me but I still watched it and enjoyed it. Keanu and Cameron make it worth it.
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But Keanu's characters are alway so flat! At least the expressions and voice are. Actors are supposed to take on a character, change a little with each one in some way, but Keanu is just playing himself over and over again. He smiles, he scowls, he fights, he looks darn sexy, but does he really ACT? I can't remember a time that his voice ever changes. Maybe he yells, but it's the same flat almost monotone voice. I mean, wasn't Johnny Utah, Neo, the doctor in Something's Got to Give, etc, etc, all the same character? Ted (as in Bill & Ted) was as different as we've seen him, but maybe even that wasn't too much of a stretch.
Now take Vincent D'Onofrio. (I can't help but compare.) He's one of the best character actors out there right now. He has a million and one expressions, voices, and characterizations. And he showed it HUGE in this movie. Even when he plays semi-dull, quirky Bobby Goren on Criminal Intent, he adds some serious life to the character. Expression, mannerisms, emotions. All right there on his face and in his movements. That is ACTING, and D'Onofrio is one very talented ACTOR.
I liked this movie, but mostly because of the secondary characters. And the story was cute.
I don't understand why everyone is ragging on his acting I think he is a very good actor. In my opinion I think everyone acts differently and if you dont like the way they act then you dont like there acting.
" Don't push it,Don't push it I'll give you a war you won't believe"
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I usually think Keanu's acting is hit or miss, but I have to give him credit...he acted well in this crappy movie. I watched it solely for D'Onofrio -as always, he did a great job. But this film was stupid. It started off with a Johnny Cash song and cool opening credits. Reminded me a little of the also sucky 3000 Miles to Graceland. A good cast with good actors and strong chemistry couldn't save that one, either. The writer/director of FM seemed to be shooting for quirky and ironic like Fargo or Reservoir Dogs. But none of the characters were even a little sympathetic or likeable. And it just sucked.
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I adore this film. I think the whole cast were great - particularly Keanu and Vincent. Cameron got on my nerves a little but did a good job.
It has some really quirky humour and the fights are hysterical. I totally enjoyed it. I will be the first to say it isnt for everybody but if you enjoy black, offbeat comedy, you should enjoy this.
One of my favourites.
I'm not bad - I'm just drawn that way!
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and it ends in vegas!
Season's Greetings
The reason this movie is so awful has nothing to do with whether or not Keanu Reeves is a good actor and everything to do with its contrived indier-than-thou-ness (oh, the main character's name is Jjaks! Oh, it's named after a Soundgarden song!)
Avoid it like the plague. One of the few movies I've ever considered walking out of. Turned me off Cameron Diaz for years.
*SPOILER*
Speaking of which - when it turns out her character isn't dead after all, half the cinema groaned!
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Worst actor ever? Kidding, right? That sort of complaint instantly devalues any opinion you try to offer, in a very elemental way. Have you seen every actor ever? Course not. Are there worse? Absolutely. Evidenced by the fact that Keanu's been working for a quarter century in nearly every genre, created some iconic characters, given some good performances and received some very impressive reviews for his theater work. Apparantely he was anything but a "bland" Hamlet.
He's not always great, true, those performances tend to be in bad films--which makes sense and can be said of most actors. But when he stretches himself in a meaty part, he'll catch you off guard. Try and find the same performance in Ted and Donnie Barksdale, for instance.
"Why would a banana grab another banana? Those are the kinds of questions I don't want to answer."