Keanu Reeves is touching the retirement age but his stardom and ability to shine in action sequences is not showing any signs of fading. Earlier this year, his retired assassin John Wick once again left viewers in awe with his exceptional combat skills in John Wick: Chapter 4.
In fact, the fourth installment managed to surpass the earnings of all its previous chapters, grossing $440.1 million at the box office globally. For stars like Reeves, it’s very easy to sell tickets while headlining legacy franchises. But at the same time, the actor, who likes to keep a balance between starring in high-profile commercial movies and doing indie films, has a few acting credits to his name that never managed to draw any real attention.
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A Keanu Reeves Movie That Barely Anyone Saw Found Its Second Chance Due to Streaming Service
Ironically, the first name that comes to mind when one thinks about Keanu Reeves‘s biggest disappointments is Generation Um… The story about three friends, John (Keanu Reeves), Violet (Bojana Novakovic), and Mia (Adelaide Clemens), and their after-party meeting, where they share their deepest secrets, came to the fore in 2012 and went into the shadows in no time.
However, Reeves still treasures the experience from this movie and hopes his fans discover the drama that has an approval rating of 0% based on 15 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. While speaking on The Nerdist podcast, the 59-year-old said:
“The thing that lasts is really my experience making it and the film that got made. For me a film that I did called Generation Um…, I think there’s eight people who have seen it but I love that film and I love the work that’s in it from myself and the other actors, the director, and everybody. Pieces like that you’re like oh, I wish people would watch Generation Um… It’s a nice movie. But they didn’t and that’s a drag.”
Needless to say, the movie never made any mark during its theatrical release. But thanks to many streaming services, Reeves still encounters people who discover the film which sheds light on subjects like s-x, drugs, and indecision from the perspectives of the three leads. The Matrix star continued:
“That’s the thing. It’s one of the cool things about digital exhibition and distribution that’s happened over the past eight years. Films are having a different life but they have the opportunity of being seen. So you will get that response on the street of ‘Oh, I saw Generation Um… That was weird.’ You’re like, ‘Yeah, cool, you saw it? Yeah.’”
In the same interview, Reeves recommended his fans to watch Private Lives of Pippa Lee, A Scanner Darkly, and Man of Tai Chi. The three movies combined collected less than $15 million at the box office, but if Reeves thinks they are good, maybe his fans should give them a second chance on streaming platforms.
Keane Reeves Was Once Forced to Do a Movie Which He Didn’t Like
The aforementioned movies, including Generation Um… didn’t work but at least Reeves can be happy with the fact that it was his decision to do them. However, there was one movie that he only did due to fear of getting sued.
Reeves starred as serial killer David Allen Griffin in The Watcher at the turn of the century. The Joe Charbanic-directed horror was so bad that many were puzzled by the decision of the actor, who had delivered the critically acclaimed The Matrix just a year ago.
Explaining his decision to star in The Watcher to The Calgary Sun (via FarOut Magazine), Reeves revealed that he never found the script interesting but one of his friends forged his signature on the agreement, making it very tough for him to back out of the project without risking a legal action.
Read more: “I don’t know, maybe…”: Keanu Reeves Never Wants to Be in a Tom Cruise Movie as a Villain
