OUTCOME
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jonah Hill , Cameron Diaz, Matt Bomer, Ivy Wolk, Laverne Cox, Roy Wood Jr., Atsuko Okatsuka, and Martin Scorsese
Director: Jonah Hill
NICK
I've never particularly been a Jonah Hill fan, but his directing has been well-received. That's why despite a lacklustre trailer, I checked out his latest film, Outcome. I wish I didn't. Not only is this film largely unfunny, but it often feels misguided and out of touch. Instead of offering something authentic, its commentary on things such as “wokeness" and cancel culture feels like something your uninformed uncle would post on Facebook. Even the notable cast can’t salvage this, especially Keanu Reeves, who has his worst attributes as an actor spotlighted here. I don’t know who this film is for but it certainly isn’t me.
AMARÚ
Outcome is a weird film. It pits my unabashed love for Keanu Reeves and how devastated I’d be if he was a secret dick with how annoyed I was at the Hollywood archetypes that writer/director Jonah Hill included and portrayed in the film. I think Hill is trying to say something about cancel culture, about the real human beings behind their mistakes (using Reeves to portray that humanity is genius), and about the extremes social media yells into echo chambers. The film’s one-on-one dialogues reflect the tangible consequences that social media often disregards. Everything else (especially when Hill is on screen) is an unfunny embellishment.
ROBERT
For an 84-minute movie, Outcome tries to apply meta commentary on numerous subjects, predominantly on celebrity in the social media age. The weird thing is that not very much happens, as the relation we have to Reef Hawk’s (Keanu Reeves) drug addiction and sobriety is only what we are told; we don’t see much as it’s hyper-focused on stuff that seems rather silly in context. Some of the dramatic beats hit, and I am happy to see Reeves stretch a little in this light, but the “funny” parts don’t inspire laughs, outside of one bit with pictures.
