With millions in his account, he sits down with a homeless man, who he not only pays for food and drinks, but also starts a long conversation with. On the subway he gives up his seat for an older woman – and he passes on part of his fee for “The Matrix” to the special effects crew (who later won an Oscar for their work). Such and similar stories about Keanu Reeves’ good nature and down-to-earth nature have been circulating for a long time. Even in interviews, the unassuming Hollywood star always appears modest, which only makes him even more likeable. Surely no one would wish him any harm – or would they?
For this very reason, the title character of the “John Wick” series was the ideal choice for Jonah Hill (“Mid90s”) for the lead role in his Hollywood satire, which revolves around a blackmail attempt and which can also be understood as a metaphor for the desire for attention on social media. But although many tongue-in-cheek gags about the depths of show business in his script for “Outcome” prove to be quite accurate, the Apple TV production sometimes lacks pace and substance despite a short running time and a top-class cast.
The one on the left is Keanu Reeves, who never ages anyway. But honestly, would you have recognized Jonah Hill straight away?
Five years after his last film, Hollywood star Reef Hawk (Keanu Reeves) lives in seclusion in his villa on the beach in Malibu. He was able to successfully keep his heroin addiction secret with the support of Kyle Applebaum (Cameron Diaz) and Xander Alexander (Matt Bomer), his best friends from childhood.
When Reef is blackmailed with an ominous video, his star lawyer Ira Slitz (Jonah Hill) suspects an act of revenge behind it. That’s why Reef should go after all the people he might have upset in the past – and apologize to them as a precaution. The apology endurance run turns out to be a surprisingly effective form of self-therapy…
A whole wall full of sex scandals
Jonah Hill’s filmography (“Moneyball”, “The Wolf Of Wall Street”) is already populated by all sorts of over-the-top characters. In “Outcome”, despite a completely different appearance (bald head with a full gray beard), he has written another of these parts that are potentially quite strenuous in the long run. As an ultra-busy star lawyer, he gives the unsettled Reef serious, good advice during “big business” in the toilet.
Or, in the style of boxing announcer legend Michael Buffer, he introduces his commission’s experts for (possible) racist or misogynistic crimes. That’s an offensively silly joke. It’s all the more worth taking a look at the furnishings in his huge office: there are framed posters of celebrities who have also had sex scandals – and a car sticker calls for “separating art from artist”. The much more subtle gags are hidden in the background.
Cameron Diaz, who recently returned from acting retirement, is just one of many high-profile guest stars in “Outcome”.
Especially when it comes to the portrayal of the overheated lifestyle in Beverly Hills and the many high-profile guest appearances on Reef’s apology marathon, “Outcome” often hits the mark humorously. The mixing of reality and fiction in particular always provides subtle amusement. Before the start of her talk show, Drew Barrymore, who impersonates herself, offers Reef that she actually doesn’t like him at all.
In reality, of course, that’s not the case at all: Barrymore and Reeves have known each other since the filming of “Adventures in Toyland” (1986), when he went on a motorcycle tour with her for her 16th birthday. Also, former child star Reef meets with his mother (Susan Lucci) to discuss his lost youth while the television cameras record everything for their personal reality show. The mother-son team is once even asked to repeat a scene again.
Even Martin Scorsese does the honors
The reunion with his former manager Red Rodriguez (filmmaking legend Martin Scorsese, who has signed a multi-year exclusive deal with Apple TV with his production company Sikelia Productions) is also memorable when, in the course of the conversation, the seemingly self-evident superficiality and fast-moving nature of the entertainment industry is critically discussed.
However, director Jonah Hill lacks a sense of timing, especially in the more soberly staged dialogue passages: With the lack of background music, these scenes become a bit too drawn out and not very productive. A dense atmosphere never arises in the attempted calm. Luckily, Keanu Reeves, who recently demonstrated his comedic talent again in “Good Fortune”, makes the difference here: he plays the thoughtful and sometimes somewhat naive Hollywood star as authentically as he is endearing, which elevates “Outcome” above average despite the occasional idleness.
Conclusion: In its best moments, “Outcome” takes a refreshingly tongue-in-cheek approach to the dark side of fame and holds up a mirror to Hollywood. Overall, the episodes, some of which are only very loosely connected, lack substance despite a great line-up of stars – the series parody “The Studio”, also produced for Apple TV and blessed with a guest appearance by Martin Scorsese, simply has a whole lot more to offer.