Critics are singling out Keanu Reeves in Outcome, and Toronto audiences know exactly why, Canada Reviews

Keanu Reeves is one of the nicest guys in Hollywood, and his new dark comedy Outcome is the latest reminder that critics may be split on a movie, but can still recognize a good performance when they see one. The Jonah Hill-directed flick is now streaming on Apple TV and follows Reef Hawk (Reeves), a movie star forced to confront his image after a mysterious video threatens to blow up his life.

The film’s reception has been somewhat mixed overall (OK, not exactly glowing), with a 27% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 4.6/10 rating on IMDb. Still, Reeves’s performance keeps coming up as one of its strongest elements. Critics are saying the 61-year-old has become “a deeper, simpler, more resonant actor” with age, bringing “sincerity” to a comedy that’s otherwise glib.

High praise, yes, but perhaps not much of a surprise for Torontonians, since the moment also comes with an extra layer of hometown pride. Long before he was Neo, John Wick or the villain in a Weezer mockumentary, Reeves was just a Toronto kid moving through local schools and hockey rinks. He was born in Beirut, but arrived in Canada as a child, grew up in Toronto and became a naturalized Canadian citizen. He attended multiple schools in Toronto, including Jesse Ketchum Junior and Senior Public School, North Toronto Collegiate Institute, De La Salle College and Etobicoke School of the Arts. He was serious enough about hockey that NHL.com still describes him as a goalie prospect who grew up in Toronto and even tried out for the Windsor Spitfires as a teenager.

But acting won out, and Reeves eventually headed to Los Angeles to pursue it full-time. During his Canada’s Walk of Fame acceptance speech in 2021, he gave a heartfelt shoutout to Hazelton Avenue in Yorkville, calling Toronto the city and culture he remains deeply grateful for.

You can catch Reeves in Outcome on Apple TV.