Keanu Classic (91-94)

I feel like the term “Keanu Classic” here is pretty self-explanatory. Just look at the list.

Side note: I had included, but then eliminated, Keanu’s uncredited role in Freaked (1993). That one was co-written, co-directed, and stars his Bill & Ted longtime companion Alex Winter. But since Keanu’s role is uncredited, and there are already so many Keanu Reeves movies, I thought it appropriate to let that one go.

Besides, this group of eight has a nice feel to it. You’ve got two collaborations with Gus Van Sant. Two breakout Keanu roles, some Shakespeare, some Tibet, a marriage to Winona Ryder, and Bill and Ted playing Death.

Really, it’s perfect as is. No need to throw in a wrench with some extraneous fare like Freaked, although it is precisely that kind of weird extraneous fare that would become a delightful Keanu hallmark in later years. That weirdness is exactly why there is a Keanu Reeves movie for any mood.

But maybe not today. Let’s just stick with the mainstream fare for now — remembering, of course, that some of these, like My Own Private Idaho, were once less-than-mainstream, but have since become beautiful icons of the Keanu filmography.

December 2023