Keanu

Lili’s Pick: The Devil’s Advocate

Lanie’s Pick: Chain Reaction

Another week, another double feature night dedicated to an underrated actor—or rather, another actor whom we believe, doesn’t receive enough praise. This week was all about the man, the myth, the unapologetically understated, Keanu Reeves. While he may be a fairly beloved star, Keanu has been famously branded as a bad actor for his breathy, somewhat aloof portrayals of his roles—but here at lililabens.com, we will always celebrate him. There is an undeniable charm to his “regular guy” aesthetic and the idea that he is immortal only seems preposterous until you realize how little he’s aged physically, and in spirit. No matter what role he’s playing—hero, villain, vigilante—Keanu comes across as a lovable and precocious skater boi who somehow wandered onto a film set and just kinda went with it, and we love him for that. That being said, I was disappointed by this week’s Keanu-fest, as neither of these films were particularly riveting—despite Mr. Reeves’ presence. Chain Reaction and The Devil’s Advocate represent a dark period in film history that took place in the nineties, an era of odd and noticeably cheesy actions and dramas that everyone saw because they were truly the only things playing. Sure, we’d like to associate this era with Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, and one of Keanu’s best, The Matrix, but these flop films still remain. Chain Reaction had Keanu aptly cast as a surprisingly intelligent himbo machinist who is also amazing at doing death-defying stunts, but The Devil’s Advocate lost me with its choice to portray Keanu as a high-powered lawyer with little to no conscience. I had heard nothing but excellent things about this movie, but The Devil’s Advocate doesn’t even fall into the category of lovably-cheesy for me, as it spent more time allowing Al Pacino to chew the scenery, the crew, and craft services, than it did with creating an intriguing story. I don’t think I could ever hate a Keanu character, but his snarky attitude and Florida drawl was about as flattering as Charlize Theron’s perm. I’m gonna need a Keanu palate cleanser after these two messes, so any suggestions are allowed and encouraged!