MovieChat Forums > Thumbsucker (2005) Discussion > Would have been way better without Keanu...

Would have been way better without Keanu.


Thumbsucker, which was a pretty decent movie, was practically ruined by Keanu Reeves' terrible overacting. He delievered every line as if it was extremely profound, and yet his facial expression remained exactly the same throughout the entire movie. Why they chose Keanu, I don't know.

And heck, maybe it was Lou Pucci and Vincent D'Onofrios' fantastic acting that put him to shame, but the fact of the matter is he was just plain bad.





Following his violent revolution, Gandhi was devoured by his followers.

-Chuck Noblet

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I kind of liked him in this, and I'm no fan of Keanu Reeves. I dont think it's possible to overplay that character, he seemed perfectly akward and spiritual at the same time.

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maybe we were watching different movies...




Following his violent revolution, Gandhi was devoured by his followers.

-Chuck Noblet

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I think he worked well in this movie.. Sure, some of the lines were delivered Neo style.. but still.. It worked.

It is remarkable how similar the pattern of love is to the pattern of insanity.

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I ejoyed Keanu in this movie - I think it was pretty well cast overall. Definitely a great indie film, one of my favorites now. Keanu worked well as his character.

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You people seriously have to be kidding me.
Why does everyone take a sh%t on Keanu Reeves?
He's a great actor, outside of the *beep* hollywood movies he's sometimes in!
Have you people not seen River's Edge?
What about My Own Private Idaho, which was basically and actor-driven movie?!?!?!
Keanu is a great actor.
He is a piece of *beep* in The Matrix, Constantine, and all those other *beep* action movies...
But as a whole, Keanu's acting ability is great.
Especially in this.
His character is memorable as hell.
I just don't understand why everyone gives him so much crap.
Jesus Christ.

I guess it also helps that his final lines in this film state clearly (and nearly word for word) my philosophy of life. I mean seriously, nearly word for word. And I had been saying that a year and a half before seeing this.

DeMented Forever!

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"I had to admit that I thought his delivery was stiff compared to what his character was supposed to be like in the beginning. However, once I realized that his character was never really himself, just trying to project this well adjusted persona, Keanu's performance made a little more sense."

Exactly. It hurts to admit it, but for once Keanu was perfectly cast.

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You're awesome.

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I had to admit that I thought his delivery was stiff compared to what his character was supposed to be like in the beginning. However, once I realized that his character was never really himself, just trying to project this well adjusted persona, Keanu's performance made a little more sense.

Does anyone know what disorder he claimed to get over in that last dentist office scene?

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i was just waiting for him to say most excellent dude

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this movie would NOT of been better if keanu wasnt in it!

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I loved him in this. He was hilarious, and if you would watch the movie again, you could see that Lou's character reacts to Keanu's same way you do. In other words, he was meant to be like that.
As for Keanu being such a bad actor, I always think of "The Gift". He was so scary in that, and no one gave him any recognition for it.

I don't even get why do people love to get stack on Keanu's acting all the time. He is way better than Tom Cruise, and the later one if got an Oscar,...

God, what were they thinking?!?

----------------------------
Pardon my weak spelling, English is not my native language.

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I thought he was awesome too. I was just re-watching it tonight, and laughing my ass off at that line,

"Some dumb babysitter covers your mouth so she can listen to her soaps, and at 40 you wonder why you can't stay married."

That was just funny. And he was priceless in it.

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If you found his line delivery heavy with "profound", then he obviously played the character just perfectly.

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Exactly! And I cracked up when he wouldn't tell what his power animal was.... and there were pictures of wolves all over the place.

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"Some dumb babysitter covers your mouth so she can listen to her soaps, and at 40 you wonder why you can't stay married."


That was one of the greatest lines in movie history. I howled. I Love Keanu. He's a work of art.

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As for Keanu being such a bad actor, I always think of "The Gift". He was so scary in that, and no one gave him any recognition for it.

He got Oscar buzz as Best Supporting Actor for The Gift, but in the end there was no nomination. Basically he was nominated for a nomination. Yeah.

-> www.whoaisnotme.net/articles/2000_1208_osc.htm

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[deleted]

Why anyone ever chooses Keanu is beyond me. D'Onofrio was brilliant, his role in the movie was just flawlessly acted. And the young man who played the main character, I'm not sure of the actor's name, was brilliant too. Lou Pucci, I believe.

Forever Mine:
http://www.freewebs.com/sharanealvarez/index.htm

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I love Keanu's character, he's really not that bad of an actor, he has given some good performances.

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he was one of my favorite characters in the movie. i thought he did great.
the way his and justin's personality changes played off of one another was really funny

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I thought he was beyond perfect in this, for exactly the reasons you disliked. That was who the character was and it works great.

I especially disagree because the absolute best thing in the whole movie was down to him. In the last scene with Perry where he and Justin have both given up their masks, the line "The trick is living without the answer..." ended there as scripted. The added "...I think." was ad-libbed by Keanu. For me, that addition redeems the film; it bumped the whole thing up two stars in my book.

He made the movie. Without those two words, the whole thing becomes preachy and moribund. With them, it feels honest.

"It's that kind of idiocy that I empathize with." ~David Bowie

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That was his improv?? That was great, that was perfect. Yeah, he's a gem. One of the sweeter humans.

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I really liked "euphoric, even?" in the copy shop. A single moment that lets you know all his misgivings about the medication, his concern for Justin, and yet his unwillingness to overstep his boundaries and tell him what to do. IT's good scripting, but subtly delivered. I dunno. I like Keanu Reeves as an actor. He may not be the most versatile, but when he's well cast, he really delivers.

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I liked Keanu in this film. I felt like he was being... Keanu

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Haha. I agree with your testament, but I really just wanted to say how much I love your sig even more. SWC RULED!!

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