--

A Walk in the Clouds:

"This is his most engaging performance yet. While his character is anything but complex, he finds and projects a decency that fills him out a bit and adds to his appeal." - Boston Globe

"Keanu Reeves in one of his off roles, sleepwalking dutifullly but seeming to share the audience's bewilderment over how he wound up in this awkward, slow-moving story." - New York Times

"[Keanu has emerged as a] mature, charismatic movie star... Reeves' face is the movie's locus of kindness and decency - and he stands up to scrutiny. There's not just sweetness there but depth." - San Francisco Chronicle

"[Keanu's performance was like] a flat root beer" - USA Today

"Keanu was great in "A walk in the Clouds" and many other films, so I'm not especially worried that he's playing Klaatu." - Bassthang

The Devil's Advocate:

"I have just watched The Devil's advocate and his performance in it was so poor that I could not stop laughing with embarassment all the way throught. His voice doesn't help either. I am not sure who is worse, him or Stallone." - friendsforever2000

"Anybody doubting Keanu's acting skills, watch him in The Devil's Advocate, that remains to be HIS BEST ACTING PERFORMANCE EVER!! You truly believe his sadness and feel his pain in that flick. That's an awesome movie." - koffeenkreame41-1

"KR is a big time crap actor and his acting in devil's advocate was flat and boring. I have watched some of his movies and at best he can pull off some semi-decent action film." - petitprince-3

On thread entitled 'keanus best performance is in ...": "devil's advocate" by far. he showed the most range in that role." - daddio_rc

"I’m sorry, I can’t take anybody seriously who says that his performance in Devil’s Advocate was anything but atrocious." - Digglahhh

"10/10 this film is to me, it should be in the top 250 its definetly hugely underrated, all the cast members give brilliant performances, Keanu Reeves should got an oscar for this." - screamingforscream

"The acting in this movie was a joke. Keanu was his usual deadpan self and even Pacino seemed overly excited." - antisthenes45

"this movie had a great script and superb acting!! I can't see why people are saying it's OVERRATED!! The acting of Reaves and Pacino take the cake." - Anjie98

"I loved this movie too but I don't think it's overrated. For the only simple reason - Keanu's acting is AWFUL. Really, he's a total tragedy imho. I thought Lomax's role isn't an easy one so I don't get why the *beep* did they give it to one of the most talentless hollywood actors? While Pacino and Theron act really great here that gay *beep* it up with his crappy accent and laming. He was fine as Neo but as a 'ruthless hotshot unbeatable lawyer'.... - give me a break plz. I can name at least 10 other actors that would've filled this role better and would've made this movie a 10/10 work." - wolfelemental

"I really liked it too, despite all the negative stuff I'm reading on this board. Pacino just appears to be having a ball with this character and this was definitely one of Keanu Reeves' strongest performances." - Isaac5855

The Lake House:

"Goddamn that movie sucked so much ass. Man, he was horrible in that. Like more horrible than usual." - Quesazilla

"the only movies i liked of his where The Lake House (best chick flick ever) and the first Bill and Ted movie." - FairyGirl2003

Much Ado About Nothing:

"In terms of good acting though, how about his role in Branagh's "Much Ado About Nothing"? He played Denzel Washington's brother and I thought his monotone delivery was a perfect accent to the part." - uacton

"This has probably been said before, but whoever told Keanu Reeves that he should do Shakespeare, and a villain, no less, needs to meet bundles up in a bag of quick dry cement and sent down the river. He's just terrible. Don John is not Richard the Third. He's not Iago. He's not evil incarnate. He should not try to emanate the kind of wickedness he doe. It's bad enough that Keanu tries to give the villain a caliber that is not appropriate, but the fact that he does it so badly. He doesn't clarify most of lines, but we know they're evil because he glares during it all. The most genuine line of his (thankfully reduced) number of lines is "I thank you. I am not of many words but I thank you." His performance is a good example of what future Don Johns (like myself) ought not to do." - joestank15

"Keanu Reeves, much mocked at the time for his lacklustre performance in "Bram Stoker's Dracula", is surprisingly effective as the scheming Don John, and is a really hissable villain." - Alain English

"Only Michael Keaton (in a role that he could have excelled in had he been directed differently) and the bland Keanu Reeves as Don John, mar this perfect cast. I have been involved in 2 productions of "Much Ado" (once as Don John) so I disagree with those who say that Reeves way was the only way of portraying the villian.His performance lacks any fire,fun, or energy.No venom!" - peacham

"Keanu Reeves, the film star who I reckon NOBODY would have expected in a film such as this was surprisingly very good as the schemingly dark Don Jon, he suited the hiss-hiss villain's role deliciously. - angel_de_tourvel

"The negative reviews of Keanu Reeves are earned: he struggles with the language, and never once sounds like the words he speaks convey anything from inside. They're laminated to his lips and emerge with difficulty." - tonstant viewer

"Keanu Reeves is really good in the part of grim, villainous Don John, notwithstanding opinions of many reviewers here." - Olga Levina

"With exception to the idiotic casting of Keanu Reeves, this is a perfect film version the classic Shakespeare romantic comedy." - Tim Cox

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee:

"Alan Arkin delivers a good performance but the real surprise amongst the actors is undoubtedly that of Keanu Reeves. Oh believe me, he's not broody and mean looking through this film for nothing, he shows emotion well and seems like a real person, something that is often lacking from his emotionless performances."
- Filmstalker

"Reeves has all the vigour and charisma of a stoned turtle." - Camden Gazette

Good reviews for the Razzie nominated performances...

"This is the only film that I've ever thought Keanu was any good in. He actually acted in this." - lanna on The Watcher

"Like for example if you watch Dream to believe, some of his acting in it, in my opinion, is cringeable, like some of the things he says. And then you watch, for instance, Hardball and I think he did really well in it, and The Gift too. Perhaps it's just the characters, who knows but whatever I love seeing Keanu's journey. My Own Private Idaho is my favourite movie by him, well actually I don't know if it is, I just love that movie though... Him and River were brilliant actors, especially when together. "
- mintxphoenix

Multiple films:

"I believe that Kenau made his best performance in "the gift", he was really awesome in that movie." - Mini___Me

"IN terms of best role I think after watching it yesterday it was in A Walk in the Clouds was Keanu best role and today I just finished Little Buddah and also found him a little awkward as Siddartha (maybe too orange but Im not really familiar with Siddhartha except for this movie and a review on the book about him.)" - Pulp_Lacoste18

"I'm not really a huge fan of Keanu's acting. My friends and I are always mimicking his bad english accent in Bram Stoker's Dracula. I Also thought it was a funny choice to cast the pasty white skinned Keanu as an Indian man. However, despite this I thought he was damn good in this film. Am I alone in thinking this may be some of his best acting? The Matrix films were great but the Neo character isn't much of a stretch for him. I think Keanu proves his versatility in this role." - kaguth27 on Little Buddha

"Cool Breeze Reeves isn't the cinematic poison you all seem to think he is. He is by no means a great actor, but put him in the right role and he's pretty damn solid (see THE MATRIX and CONSTANTINE)." - Finding Forrestal

"He's such a film-to-film kind of actor. Like every time I watch the first Matrix I can't believe how corny he is, yet he can pull off a character like Constantine so well and seemingly so effortlessly. Guess it depends on the direction, idk..." - mrandolph83

"I don't really want to bash Keanu cause i already went through that debate but he dissapointed me here, He actually changed my mind of him when i saw him in Constantine a while back where he was actually quite good." - juelz-kidd

"He sucked as John Constantine, he sucked in The Gift, he sucked in The Devil’s Advocate but he showed dramatic weight in The Lake House and was fun in Point Break." - Matt Holmes

"Keanu Reeves, as the actual bad guy [in Much Ado About Nothing], has less to do than anyone else, and he seems a little uncomfortable at times, but this actually works for the socially awkward 'bastard John', and he finds the character's intensity in a way more obvious actors probably wouldn't (he always seems a little on edge). The much maligned Reeves is probably the single most critically mocked actor working today, but he always gives his best performances as repellent characters (see also 'The Gift'), although his endearing doofishness in the 'Bill and Ted' films and unexpected charm in 'Something's Gotta Give' suggests untapped range, and a much-wasted talent that doesn't deserve to calcify in action films (all that stony-faced action in the Matrix trilogy can't be good for an actor so frequently compared to balsa wood). 'Thumbsucker' bodes well." - laika-lives

--

Feel free to add - alternating good and bad reviews of Keanu's performance in films, or anything else that goes against the usual: those who declare The Gift his worst acting ever, those who insist that he should stick solely to romance, those who insist he should do anything but romance, those who claim that he's emotionless and monotone, those who claim that he definitely can't pull off playing an emotionless and monotone alien...

Mike "Chef BashYoHeadIn(like a HOOLIGAN)" P.: Just finished watching "Hardball" with Keanu. good movie, horrible acting. it made me cringe when he walks into a bar singing "Big Poppa"..he does a lot of talking with the same hand gestures.
however..
i must admit that he was born to play the role of John Constantine. it fit him to a tee. that was a great movie

Joseph "Deafy" L.: keanu's best performance??? hmmm... i forget the name of the movie, but it's the one where he coaches these little kids' baseball and he has a gambling problem. one of the kids dies and keanu, as the coach, delivers the eulogy and loses it. he starts ballin' and i have to admit it kind of got me goin too. he was really in the moment and it was my favorite scene with him.

and well... those two reviews come to reinforce the conclusion that people's reaction to K's acting will always be polarized. always

put it on the wall of shame... have you guys heard that one?