Keanu Reeves is such an underrated actor. Is he the greatest actor that has ever lived? Of course not but I think that some people give his acting a bad rep.
For one, I think he has far more range than people give him credit for. He's dipped his toes in just about every genre from horror to romantic dramas to comedies to action to period dramas. And he has done each so convincingly. His comic timing and delivery is fantastic. Even his dramatic ability has been great. The thing with Keanu is that he has transitioned quite a bit to an action star and I feel like most action movies don't give people the opportunity to flex ones dramatic acting. But I will always contend that roles like Speed or even Point Break has some of his best dramatic acting. He's a convincing action star because of his athleticism. That's also why I feel like he was such a convincing Football QB in The Replacements because of his natural athleticism. Before I had really delved into Keanu's filmography I saw a comment from someone who said that the only convincing romantic connection Keanu has had with someone was with Sandra Bullock. But now having seen more of his movies I totally disagree. When I look at every romantic scene or every kiss Keanu has had... each one is different and unique and honestly very passionate and sexy. There may be a few actors that he had no chemistry with but that's fine. That's only normal but by and large I think Keanu has had amazing chemistry with all the actresses he's played opposite.
Another underrated thing about actors/actresses is the ability to play likable characters. Honestly it's a skill. I've watched maybe 10 of Keanu's films so far and each character has captivated me and stuck in my brain like glue...
First you have the Ted Logan and the Tod Higgins of it all. Keanu played a lot of doofuses in the 80s and it's kind of fun to see his persona shift as soon as the 90s dawned. But I love these doofuses because Keanu brings this innate sweetness to all his roles but especially these ones. I see them as well meaning and sweet dudes who may not be the sharpest knives in the drawer but hey they're trying. They're kind and sweet and so frickin cute! They're different shades of doofus... like you have Ted on the extreme end of doofus and Tod not quite so extreme but they're both there. BTW I mean doofus in the most loving way. Another character that is leaning into the doofus section is his character in The Night Before... Winston. Winston is I think more intelligent and nerdy but even that character Keanu can't help but bring some of his innate likability into it and dash of doofus lol.
You have the Johnny Utah and Jack Traven type of character. Both in law enforcement and both so tenacious. Both very protective of the women they love. Both very morally center when it comes to justice. With Johnny Utah you see that in his determination to bring Bodhi to justice. You especially see it with Jack Traven. That determination that Jack has to save people and to bring the bomber to justice!! That determination to do anything to save people even putting his own life in danger time and again. I don't know about you but a hero complex is very sexy and likable to me lol
His character in The Lake House is just a nice guy. Not a flashy character but I do think what stands out is his romanticism and loyalty. Alex has to wait 2 years for the woman he loves and I believe he does so gladly. There's something so likeable about a sweet, romantic, and loyal man.
Shane Falco!!!! Such a leader!!! Such a good teammate!! He cares about his team, he defends his team and his team loves and defends him. As a Football fan I've seen this time and again with QBs. The special bond between a good QB and his team is unmatched. Shane is just a sweet and kind guy. Very tenacious which is similar to Jack and Johnny but they funneled that tenacity towards law enforcement and Shane funnels it towards the game of Football and also defending his teammates.
Keanu's character Paul in a Walk In The Clouds is another man with a ton of integrity especially in relation to Victoria. The way he protects her from a bunch creeps on a bus and then after she tells him she's unwed and pregnant and scared that her father will disown her or something he offers to pretend to be her husband. The plan is to pretend to be her husband for a day and then leave and he will get the brunt of her father's hatred for "abandoning" her and she will be off the hook. Now all of this may sound archaic but it's a movie set in the 1940s. I mean Paul has just met this woman and in a span of about an hour has protected her or offered himself up as protection twice.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg I'm sure he has many other likable characters but this post is just focusing on the movies I've seen :)
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