MovieChat Forums > Generation Um... (2013) Discussion > Has Keanu just checked out?

Has Keanu just checked out?

posted 11 years ago by matrixmary-theone
24 replies | jump to latest

Is it just me or does it seem Keanu has just checked out? He seems to be in semi-retirement. I realize he has made more money than many people could spend in a lifetime, but is it about the money? He is my favorite actor and I haven't seen him in a movie in a theater since Constantine. Half the time the movies he is in either don't even make it to theaters where I live, or they must come and go before I even know they are playing? Do all of these movies even go to theater or are some of them straight to DVD? I'm so disappointed. After The Matrix he was the hottest thing in town, doing three box office movies in a single year. Now I can't even find the man half the time. Sad.

[–] osimonide 11 years ago

I don't think he ever cared about box office.

He only ever did movie projects that appealed to him ; some were hits and some were not. Some are big budgeted and some are not.

Recently it seems he has mainly done indies and tried his hand at directing.

His last major studio film was "The Day the Earth Stood Still".

But he has "47 Ronin" coming in 2013 from Universal, this is a tentpole film.

You have to remember that some of his smash hits were not predestined to make a a lot of money. "Speed" was a modest thriller and "The Matrix" wasn't a sure thing at the time.

He did them because he liked the concepts and directors.

I've always liked his career path. I think it keeps him fresh and gives him quite a bit of longevity, as he already has had many "comebacks" in the industry.

The only film he purely did for the money was, I think, "Chain Reaction".

[–] Xcalat3 11 years ago

Yeah he has been doing a lot of low budget arthouse flicks some bad some mediocre, I hope he gets out of this funk and stars in a bigger/better movie.

When there's no more room in hell, The dead will walk the earth...

[–] I_Guard_Tanelorn 11 years ago

I like it when Keanu just low key bums around. I think he's wisely distancing himself between the uber-budget projects. It's no good to have people getting sick of you. Just hope that Bill and Ted movie isn't a pipe dream.

"I said no camels, that's five camels, can't you count?"

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] prozac_4all 11 years ago

Keanu does what Keanu wants.....he's where he wants to be. The man walks to the beat of his own drum.

Could never say anything in thirty words or less~~~~Little Conversation by Concert Blonde!

[–] JuiceZee 11 years ago

thanks for the sensible and honest post.

[–] CognitionLoop 11 years ago

He is bumming around low key cause everybody already got sick of him. This is the only thread I found ever where no one is hating him. I like his acting, mostly, but most people don't.

[–] geoh777 11 years ago

I'm not a follower of KR, and neither a hater nor a fan. As for everyone hating him, that seems to be the nattering of a vocal minority of self-appointed movie critics. If he were to make a blockbusting epic movie, they'd all be saying how great he is and that they have been fans of his for a long time.

People could help themselves if they'd realize (from the existing ample evidence) that there's not a lot of top-rate scripts out there and that not all good actors have access to the making of films with good scripts, while not-so-good actors seem to be hired all too often.

Then, there are the confounding factors of agents' varying abilities, actors' and film industry individual preferences, and so on.

[–] CognitionLoop 11 years ago

Is true, You need luck and connection in this biz. Just look at Channing Tatum for example. That door knob.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] CognitionLoop 11 years ago

Well people generally just don't like his acting. I like him in specific films like Matrix and his old sic-fi movies. I can generally like him. But technically he sucks in every other kind of acting. He is not in any big movies because no one is offering him any. People don't like seeing his romantic acting. He is only good when his character is going through unusual experiences where confusion and puzzlement are main expressions. Like Johnny Mnemonic.

[–] reedymicsweety 10 years ago

I so disagree, In the movie "A Walk Through The clouds " He plays a romantic lead and is so fantastic. One of my favorite movies!!

[–] Sparrowhawk 9 years ago

Keanu is VERY good at being funny. In fact, I think that's his best talent. He loosens up both physically and verbally when he's in a comedy. His timing is better, and his energy gets brighter. He really should do more comedies, instead of all these stone-faced morose action movies. Now THERE'S some dull stuff.

[–] CognitionLoop 9 years ago

Haha this is interesting, you said the same thing in your comment just below .. in 2013!! Ah internet..

[–] Sparrowhawk 11 years ago

The problem is most people want to cast him in dramas, and that's not at all where his talent lies. He really shines when he's being funny. He loosens up and doesn't take himself so seriously, and that makes all the difference. When he's trying to be serious, he clenches up and gets that blank look and worries about his timing and it just doesn't work at all. He needs permission to be loosey-goosey and smile and generally mess around. Then it works. But people nowadays associate him with Neo and Constantine and have forgotten how wonderful he was in his early comedy roles.

(I nearly lost it during his part in "Thumbsucker". Most of the people in the audience didn't get the comedy, but I used to live in Santa Cruz, CA, a old-hippie haven, and I TOTALLY knew who he was playing. I must have met at least 20 of him in that town, including a chiropractor who worked on my back - quite successfully - and spouted exactly the same kind of vague New Age nonsense. Keanu got that guy DOWN and was incredibly funny.)

[–] Sofistali 11 years ago

He was very funny in Thumbsucker. He does funny well, charming well (Something's Gotta Give), cute well (Parenthood), honest effort well (Speed)... and he is athletic. But romances and dramas, yes, he's pretty stiff. It worked in the first Matrix because almost everyone in it was acting the same way. But he has to choose his roles very wisely.

[–] Sparrowhawk 10 years ago

He's very good at being bewildered, I gotta say. I saw The Matrix many times in the theaters, and one time I did an experiment. I tallied up all the questions he asked. I was amazed to find that almost EVERY LINE he had was a question. I think perhaps 4 were not. He didn't really get declarative until the very last moment, when he made that speech into the phone. It was very interesting.

[–] manipool 10 years ago

I figured that out about him too, but that's just fine with me.

He also can't do accents, as in Bram Stoker's Dracula". I cringed whenever he tried, but that's also true of Kevin Costner (Robin Hood). I applaud Keanu for making the effort, he knows when he's bad and I can forgive him for that.

The fact that he's good looking made up for his weaknesses in some films I'll admit, though I hated "Johnny Mnemonic", the best line in that is when he says "I can carry nearly eighty gigs of data in my head." the rest was junk.

His new film "John Wick" looks interesting. Let's see how he does in that. Hopefully he won't lose me like he did in "47 Ronin".

[–] Sparrowhawk 9 years ago

I don't think I've ever felt sorrier for an actor than when I heard him do the "I WANT ROOM SERVICE" speech. It reminded me of what Harrison Ford said to George Lucas: "George, you can write this schhit, but you can't SAY it." Just awful, awful, awful writing. I'm amazed Keanu could do as much with it as he did.

[–] JohninVegas 11 years ago

He's made more money than the State of California could spend in a lifetime. Hah-hah!

[–] owen-691-380910 11 years ago

I think he is a crap actor. but i do respect him in his attitude to fame and his *beep* approach to the 'business'. I have little doubt that he is offered and turns down quite a few roles in bigger movies. He clearly cares about his 'art' and chooses to do the films he wants, because financially he is under no pressure to do otherwise. Personally if I were him; id just be smoking weed and chilling, so basically i have to respect him for getting out of bed at all...

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] johnny_amok 11 years ago

he was great in the devil's advocat. the rest not so much.

[–] mfhevey 11 years ago

People will always slam actors with limited range. Robert Downey Jr. plays himself in every role but no one seems to notice since it is high energy. Only John Wayne could outdo KR for "woodenness".