‘Outcome’ review: Keanu Reeves puts his nice guy rep on the line

Hollywood actors playing fictionalized versions of themselves is nothing new. George Clooney in Jay KellyNicolas Cage in The unbearable weight of massive talentsBruce Campbell in My name is BrucePaul Giamatti in Cold soulsLarry David in Limit your enthusiasmand damn, the entire cast of It’s the end. Keanu Reeves, widely known as one of Hollywood’s most likable actors, once played a fictionalized version of himself in Ali Wong and Randall Park. Always be my maybeexaggerating his affable, disarmingly wonderful date attributes.

However, in ResultReeves explores a more serious approach to life in Hollywood, relying on the desperation to be seen as a good person — and to maintain that public reputation amid a turbulent private life. Directed, performed and co-written by Jonah Hill (with Ezra Woods), the latest of Hill’s Strong Baby productions, Result sends Reeves on an apology tour through the past, in a setting reminiscent of Noah Baumbach. Jay Kellythat of Jim Jarmusch Broken Flowersor that of Neil LaBute Some girls.

A star-studded affair with opulent production design, Result often swims on the surface of the story he’s trying to tell, while giving a precisely written reflection on what it means to be a famous person in the face of a threat to one’s reputation.

Result sees Keanu Reeves as himself, a little, not really.

Keanu Reeves and an almost unrecognizable Jonah Hill.
Credit: Apple

Reeves plays a fictionalized version of himself as Reef Hawk, a child star who became one of Hollywood’s most beloved movie stars. Unlike Reef, who has been working since the age of six, Reeves made his big screen debut at 21. young blood. But what does connect with Reeves is his character’s reputation as a nice guy, with the John Wick the friendliness of the star well documented on the Internet.

However, as always in public life, there is a private reality. Reef has now been five years clean from a heroin addiction, a period the audience never saw (neither did we), but one where his best friends from high school, Kyle (Cameron Diaz) and Xander (Matt Bomer), helped him through. An actor who began his career before the Internet, Reef is now paranoid about his reputation. He desperately wants to cling to this down-to-earth facade. His friends have to stop him from talking to the set crew, calling him a “MOPing…Man-of-the-People-ing”, and he constantly Googles himself to bask in People titles like “Reef Hawk still loved by fans”.

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And it’s this beloved representative who is threatened in a phone call from his lawyer Ira (an almost unrecognizable Hill): “There’s a video.”

Who is extorting Hollywood’s most beloved star? Nobody hates this guy, right? Well… maybe his first manager (Martin Scorsese!) or his first girlfriend (Welker White), his reality TV star mother (All my children icon Susan Lucci) or maybe former crew members, studio executives, his old trainer, his new trainer, the three shelter dogs he surrendered…

Yes, it’s Martin Scorsese.
Credit: Apple

And so begins an apology tour for the movie star, one that sees him making amends with people from his past. With such a configuration, it is impossible not to compare Result at Baumbach Jay Kellywhich saw Clooney as an actor facing similar realities. As Mashable Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Kristy Puchko writes in her article Jay Kelly critically, this film interrogates movie stardom in “a strange love letter to the industry, one that acknowledges its warts and still declares its dedication.” On the other hand, Result seems to have little love for Hollywood, instead presenting Reeves as a former child star surrounded by yes-men, whose bad behavior has not been excused for now that he is an adult. We never see this behavior – we only hear about it – but it’s clear that his experiences with addiction and substance abuse have burned some bridges.

ResultThe cast is very star-studded.

Cameron Diaz and Matt Bomer are a dream team.
Credit: Apple

Make no mistake, Result is full of names, all of whom know a thing or two about Hollywood. As Reeves’ obnoxious and fast-talking, pop culture-referencing crisis lawyer, Hill is undoubtedly the reason many people will watch the film, after making headlines for his character’s appearance in prosthetics. Like Adam Sandler’s exceptional performance in Jay Kelly as the long-suffering manager of the protagonist, Ron, Hill’s Ira eclipses Reeves’ Reef as the well-connected friend on the payroll who makes everything happen or disappear. Ira is the one who has been there through the ups and downs – and who made sure the downs didn’t make it into the newspapers. Hill understands his own written mission here, rushing Ira through a flurry of unsettling one-liners. If you need clarity on Ira’s moral compass, his office is filled with portraits of former clients Kanye West and Kevin Spacey, and the sticker on his car reads: “Honk if you can separate the art from the artist.”

And then there’s Cameron Diaz and Matt Bomer. As Reef, Kyle and Alex’s best friends, it’s entirely possible that they deserve the biggest apology of all. These two actors seem to be having the best time, bringing heart and hilarity to these literal supporting roles. “I love extravagant humor with my friends!” Kyle laughs, pretending to smoke on the highway with Alex. This is the basis that Reef often overlooks, although the film doesn’t, giving the couple many heartfelt and memorable scenes.

Meanwhile, the list of names scrolling here gives The Workshopanother Apple industrial satire, a run for its money. Scorsese (who also appeared in The Workshop) is simply wonderful as Reef’s first manager, Richie “Red” Rodriguez, who convincingly reflects on the golden days of Hollywood – after being almost eclipsed by Weapons” Cary Christopher as a straight-talking child star. Comprising Ira’s team of lawyers (“Reef Unit”) who cover what could featured in the video is the all-star lineup of Laverne Cox, Roy Wood Jr. and Atsuko Okatsuka. Whether it’s racist behavior or sexual misconduct, The Reef team is prepared for all eventualities. They witness perhaps the film’s most jaw-dropping dialogue, a disturbing satirical monologue about “victim capitalism” from Cox’s character that is sure to spark opinion pieces. Plus, Drew Barrymore makes a fitting appearance as himself, in a frankly missed opportunity for the film. Although Barrymore briefly talks with Reef about being a child star and growing up in Hollywood, Result does not exceed a moment here at surface level.

Result has sublime production design.

Lush. And also Susan Lucci!
Credit: Apple

Result is extremely beautiful to look at. Designer and frequent collaborator of Sofia Coppola/Spike Jonze KK Barrett (She, Lost in Translation, being John Malkovich, Adaptation) works with artistic director Jourdan Henderson (Madame Web) to create a kaleidoscopic aesthetic for Result this seems to be a degree removed from reality. Every scene in Result it feels a bit like it’s taking place on a set, or actually turning out to be a set. Everything is bathed in saturated light, with backgrounds that are often look as backgrounds, emphasizing the perpetual nature of Hollywood’s conflict with the real world.

“Just because it’s performative doesn’t mean it’s not the truth,” says reality TV star Reef’s mother, Dinah. “Why can’t it be both?”

The film is a bath of iridescent hues, all magnificently captured by Gaspar Noé’s essential cinematographer, Benoît Debie, whose Enter the void energy works strangely well in Result. Every scene in Reef’s house or Ira’s office seems infused with golden glows or neon gradients, making them feel a little unreal.

Through this living aesthetic, Result dabbles in matters of fame, recognizing the village of people it takes to support (or protect) a movie star, as Reeves plays a man full of grudging apologies. It’s a crowded space, films in which big stars explore fictionalized versions of themselves, and Reeves playing on his reputation as a nice guy makes for a strong draw card. While the film could have delved even deeper, it’s a glistening pool to consider.

Result premieres on Apple TV on April 10.