Hollywood actors playing fictionalised versions of themselves isn't new. George Clooney in Jay Kelly, Nicolas Cage in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Bruce Campbell in My Name Is Bruce, Paul Giamatti in Cold Souls, Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm, and hell, the entire cast of This Is the End. Keanu Reeves, widely known as one of Hollywood's nicest actors, already played a fictional version of himself in Ali Wong and Randall Park's Always Be My Maybe, exaggerating his affable attributes as a disarmingly wonderful date.
However, in Outcome, Reeves explores a more earnest approach to a life in Hollywood, leaning into a desperation to be seen as a good person — and to maintain that public reputation amid a turbulent private life. Directed, starring, and co-written by Jonah Hill (with Ezra Woods), the latest of Hill's Strong Baby productions, Outcome sends Reeves on an apology tour through the past, in a framework reminiscent of Noah Baumbach's Jay Kelly, Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers, or Neil LaBute's Some Girl(s).
A star-studded affair with opulent production design, Outcome often swims on the surface of the tale it's trying to tell, while still giving sharply written consideration of what it means to be a famous person looking down the barrel of reputational threat.
Outcome sees Keanu Reeves as himself, kinda, not really.
Keanu Reeves and a a near-unrecognisable Jonah Hill. Credit: Apple
Reeves plays a fictionalised version of himself as Reef Hawk, a child star who's grown into one of Hollywood's most beloved movie stars. Unlike Reef, who has been working since he was six, Reeves made his big screen debut at 21 in Youngblood. But what is relatable to Reeves is his character's reputation as a nice guy, with the John Wick star's congeniality well-documented on the internet.
However, as always with public life, there's a private reality. Reef is now five years sober from a heroin addiction, one the public never saw (nor do we), but a time his high school best friends Kyle (Cameron Diaz) and Xander (Matt Bomer) helped him through. An actor who began his career pre-internet, Reef is now paranoid about his reputation. He's desperate to cling to this down-to-earth facade. His friends have to pull him away from talking to set crew, referring to it as "MOPing… Man-of-the-People-ing," and he's constantly googling himself to luxuriate in People headlines like "Reef Hawk still beloved by fans."
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And it's this cherished rep that's threatened in one phone call from his lawyer Ira (a near-unrecognisable Hill): "There's a video."
Who is extorting Hollywood's most beloved star? No one hates this guy, right? Well…maybe his first manager (Martin Scorsese!) or his first girlfriend (Welker White), his reality star mother (All My Children icon Susan Lucci) or perhaps former crew, studio executives, his old trainer, his new trainer, the three shelter dogs he returned…
Yes, that's Martin Scorsese. Credit: Apple
So begins an apology tour for the screen star, one that sees him making amends with people from his past. With a set-up like this, it's impossible not to compare Outcome to Baumbach's Jay Kelly, which saw Clooney as an actor facing similar realities. As Mashable entertainment editor Kristy Puchko wrote in her Jay Kelly review, that film interrogates movie stardom in "an odd love letter to the industry, one that recognizes its warts and still declares devotion." In contrast, Outcome seems to hold little love for Hollywood, instead presenting Reeves as a former child star surrounded by yes people, whose bad behaviour has gone unapologised for now that he's an adult. We never actually see this behaviour — we only hear about it — but it's clear his experiences with addiction and substance abuse have burned some bridges.
Outcome's cast is heavily star-studded.
Cameron Diaz and Matt Bomer are a dream team. Credit: Apple
Make no mistake, Outcome is brimming with names, all of whom know a thing or two about Hollywood. As Reeves' obnoxious, fast-talking, pop culture-referencing crisis lawyer, Hill is undoubtedly why many people will watch the film, having made headlines for his character's appearance in prosthetics. Like Adam Sandler's exceptional performance in Jay Kelly as the protagonist's long-suffering manager Ron, Hill's Ira upstages Reeves' Reef as the well-connected friend on the payroll who makes everything happen or go away. Ira is the one who's been there through the ups and the downs — and making sure the downs don't hit the papers. Hill understands his own penned assignment here, hurtling 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 bumper sticker on his car reads, "Honk if you can separate art from the artist."
And then there's Cameron Diaz and Matt Bomer. As Reef's besties Kyle and Xander, it's entirely possible 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 outlandish humor with my friends!" Kyle chuckles, pretend-smoking on the highway with Xander. They're the base Reef often overlooks, though the film does not, giving the pair plenty of heartfelt and meme-able scenes.
Meanwhile, the parading lineup of names here gives The Studio, another industry satire from Apple, a run for its money. Scorsese (who also appeared in The Studio) is straight-up wonderful as Reef's first manager, Richie "Red" Rodriguez, who convincingly muses on Hollywood heydays — after being almost upstaged by Weapons' Cary Christopher as straight-talkin' child star. Making up Ira's crack team of lawyers ("Reef Unit") that cover what might be on the video is the all-star lineup of Laverne Cox, Roy Wood Jr., and Atsuko Okatsuka. Whether it's racist behaviour or sexual misconduct, Reef's team is prepared for every possible outcome. They sit through probably the most jaw-dropping dialogue in the film, an unsettling satirical monologue about "victim capitalism" by Cox's character that's sure to spark opinion pieces. Plus, Drew Barrymore makes a fitting cameo as herself, in a frankly missed opportunity for the film. Though Barrymore briefly connects with Reef about being a child star and growing up in Hollywood, Outcome doesn't move beyond a surface-level moment here.
Outcome boasts sublime production design.
Lush. And also Susan Lucci! Credit: Apple
Outcome is extremely beautiful to look at. Production designer and frequent Sofia Coppola/Spike Jonze collaborator K.K. Barrett (Her, Lost in Translation, Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) works with art director Jourdan Henderson (Madame Web) to craft a kaleidoscopic aesthetic for Outcome that feels one degree removed from reality. Every scene in Outcome feels somewhat like it takes place on a set, or is revealed to actually be a set. Everything is drenched in saturated light, with backgrounds that often look like backgrounds, hammering home the perpetual nature of Hollywood's conflict with the real world.
"Just because it's performative doesn't mean it's not the truth," declares Reef's reality star mother Dinah. "Why can't it be both?"
The film is a wash of iridescent hues, all beautifully captured by Gaspar Noé's go-to cinematographer Benoît Debie, whose Enter the Void energy works strangely well in Outcome. Every scene in Reef's home or Ira's office seems permeated with golden glows or neon gradients, which make them feel just a little bit unreal.
Through this vivid aesthetic, Outcome dabbles in questions of fame, acknowledging the village of people it takes to support (or protect) a movie star, as Reeves plays a man full of reluctant apology. It's a crowded space, movies seeing major stars explore fictionalised versions of themselves, and Reeves playing on his nice guy reputation makes for a strong drawcard. Though the film could have dived even deeper, it's a shimmering pool for consideration.
Outcome premieres on Apple TV April 10.
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