Keanu Reeves' Best Movies, Ranked by Metacritic
Explore the best Keanu Reeves movies and where to watch them.
Keanu Reeves in 'The Matrix Resurrections'
Warner Bros. PicturesKeanu Reeves has been known to grace the big screen with a wide range of characters.
Although the Canadian actor's very first feature film role was in the 1986 feature Youngblood, he dabbled in television as well before breaking out in 1989's Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. The buddy comedy, which also stars Alex Winter, launched a cult-classic franchise that includes a 1990 animated series (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures), a 1991 sequel (Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey), and a return to the characters almost three decades later in 2020's Bill & Ted Face the Music.
Reeves went on to star in other, standalone comedies, including playing a version of himself in Ali Wong's Always Be My Maybe, as well as dramas (both of the action and romantic kind). But franchises have proven to be extremely lucrative for him: He also stars as the title character in the John Wick series, for which he has two more films already scheduled, and as Neo in The Matrix series, the most recent installment of which (The Matrix Resurrections) was just released in 2021.
In addition to the next two chapters in the John Wick saga, Reeves is voicing Batman in DC League of Super-Pets, starring in the big-screen adaptation of the comic he co-created (BRZRKR), and will star in Hulu's series adaptation of The Devil in the White City.
If you are a fan of Reeves, be sure to check out all of his best films before you dive into his new releases. Here, we rank the Top 12, based on Metascore.
Toy Story 4
Metascore: 84
Best for: Animation fans, families
Where to watch:
Runtime: 100 minutes
Toy Story 4 follows the adventures of beloved toys, Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and the rest of the Toy Story gang from the Pixar franchise. When their owner Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw) brings home a new toy, Forky (Tony Hale), Woody immediately takes him under his wing, but that is easier said than done, as Forky doesn't feel like a toy. They end up on a road trip and meet new toys, including Reeves' Duke Caboom. And Woody also runs into a long lost friend, Bo (Annie Potts), which makes him soon remember the feelings he had for her and is faced with some difficult choices to make for the sake of his own happiness.
"Toy Story 4 achieves that something that eludes most sequels, especially this far into a series: a near-perfect balance between familiarity and novelty, action and emotion, and joyful hellos and more bittersweet goodbyes." — Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post
Parenthood
Metascore: 82
Best for: Comedy fans, families
Where to watch:
Runtime: 124 minutes
Ron Howard directed this '80s family movie in which Gil Buckman (Steve Martin) is a relatable man trying to find the perfect work-life balance. He strives to be the best spouse, parent and employee and faults himself for his children being less than perfect. In the end, he learns that his ideals of perfection are not realistic, and to accept himself and his family as is. Reeves plays Tod Higgins, Gil's daughter's boyfriend who ends up moving into his house.
"A delicate balancing act between comedy and truth, a movie that contains a lot of laughter and yet is more concerned with character than punch lines." — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Side by Side
Metascore: 82
Best for: Film geeks
Where to watch:
Runtime: 99 minutes
This documentary delves into the history of moviemaking as it analyzes the use of film versus digital processes. It features interviews from actors, directors, and even scientists. Interviewees include Christopher Nolan, Danny Boyle, James Cameron, and others, while Keanu Reeves also produced for this documentary.
"No side overwhelms the other in the back-and-forth; you feel more like a profoundly uncertain moment is being marked, with little concrete sense of the outcome beyond mankind's enduring hunger for moving pictures."— Keith Uhlich, TimeOut
Much Ado About Nothing
Metascore: 80
Best for: Fans of rom-coms and Shakespeare
Where to watch:
Runtime: 111 minutes
In this playful Shakespeare adaptation, Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard) and his soon to be wife, Hero (Kate Beckinsale) devise a plan to get two rival friends to wed as well. In the midst of playing matchmaker, their own relationship is targeted by Claudio's brother, Don John (Reeves).
"He has taken a Shakespearean romantic comedy, the sort of thing that usually turns to mush on the screen, and made a movie that is triumphantly romantic, comic and, most surprising of all, emotionally alive." — Vincent Canby, The New York Times
Speed
Metascore: 78
Best for: Thrill seekers
Where to watch:
Runtime: 116 minutes
Reeves stars in this action-packed blockbuster as Los Angeles S.W.A.T. specialist, Jack Traven. After Jack stops a bomber's plan to blow up an elevator, the bomber (Dennis Hopper) then rigs a city bus to explode if it drives below 50 mph. It is up to Jack to save the day, with the help of passenger Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock), who circumstantially becomes the driver of the bus.
"We've seen this done before, but seldom so well, or at such a high pitch of energy." — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
My Own Private Idaho
Metascore: 77
Best for: Fans of drama
Where to watch:
Runtime: 104 minutes
Loosely based on Shakespeare's Henry IV, this film follows the story of two young friends striking out on their own. Mike Walters (River Phoenix) is a narcoleptic hustler, and Scott Favor (Reeves) is the son of the mayor. Together, they leave their hometown in search of MIke's long-lost mother. Throughout their journey, they must rely on their street smarts, and ultimately face turmoil as well as self-discovery.
"Beautifully wrought, darkly funny and finally devastating, My Own Private Idaho almost single-handedly revives the notion of personal filmmaking in the United States." — Dave Kehr, Chicago Tribune
John Wick: Chapter 2
Metascore: 75
Best for: Fans of action
Where to watch:
Runtime: 122 minutes
In this second installment of the John Wick series, Reeves' eponymous character is forced out of retirement to pay a favor to Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio). His mission is to assassinate Santino's sister, Gianna (Claudia Gerini) so that he can take her place in the crime bosses' counsel. John faces both danger and betrayal and in the end has to fight to save his own life.
"A more audacious film, bolder and more violent than its predecessor. It's also surprisingly hilarious, wringing humor from physical pratfalls and dry wit in unexpected moments." — Angelica Jade Bastein, RogerEbert.com
Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
Metascore: 74
Best for: Fans of period dramas
Where to watch:
Runtime: 119 minutes
This period piece directed by Stephen Frears is one of love and scandal. Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil (Glenn Close) asks her ex-lover Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich) to seduce the fiancee (Cécile de Volanges, played by Uma Thurman) of another ex-lover. This is her act of revenge towards her ex, but Vicomte has plans of his own. Even with all the plotting and scheming, things do not go as planned. Reeves plays Cécile' suitor, Le Chevalier Raphael Danceny.
"A delectably naughty experience. This sort of wit and immediacy is extraordinarily rare in a period film." — Hal Hinson, The Washington Post
John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum
Metascore: 73
Best for: Action fans
Where to watch:
Runtime: 131 minutes
The titular character is back and on the run in this third film in the franchise (but it's not a trilogy; two more are already planned). With a $14 million hit out on him by international mob bosses, assassins and bounty hunters from all over are looking for him. He meets with the Director (Anjelica Huston), head of a crime syndicate and former alley in an attempt to flee to safety. In his passage, he has to fight for his life as danger comes to him at every turn.
"It doesn't just maintain the momentum built in the previous chapters but further ramps up the emotional stakes and physical complexity. It's like gorging on candy for two hours, only you get to walk away from the theater without a stomachache." — Barbara VanDenburgh, Arizona Republic
The Matrix
Metascore: 73
Best for: Fans of science fiction and metaphors
Where to watch:
Runtime: 136 minutes
The first installment in the Wachowski siblings' dystopian franchise sees computer programmer Thomas Anderson, aka hacker Neo (Reeves), trying to get to the bottom of what the titular matrix is. He is contacted by superpowered Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) at the same time the police comes knocking on his door. Trinity takes Neo to the mysterious Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who gives him the choice of learning the truth or just wiping his memory so he can return to his previous life without fear of being chased. It shouldn't be a spoiler to say he wants to learn the truth, which really kicks off the events of the film: He becomes part of the rebellion against matrix, which is using human bodies as an energy source, trapping consciousness in a fake reality.
"The Matrix slams you back in your chair, pops open your eyes and leaves your jaw hanging slack in amazement." — Shawn Levy, The Oregonian
River's Edge (1986)
Metascore: 73
Best for: Fans of crime dramas
Where to watch:
Runtime: 99 minutes
Daniel Roebuck stars as a teenager named John who kills his girlfriend and confesses it to a few other friends. They don't believe him at first, he shows them the body, which forces them to confront what he did and what they will now do about it. The ensemble cast also features Crispin Glover, Ione Skye, Dennis Hopper, and, of course, Reeves. Reeves plays Matt, who is bothered by what John did and later ends up in danger himself.
"One of the blackest, funniest, most disturbing and annoyingly lingering American films of this or any other year." — Jay Scott, The Globe and Mail
A Scanner Darkly
Metascore: 73
Best for: Fans of mysteries and animation
Where to watch:
Runtime: 100 minutes
Set in the future, this unconventionally animated movie follows a cop by the name of Bob Arctor (Reeves). While he is undercover working on a drug investigation, he becomes an addict himself. While working a deal with his drug dealer Donna (Winona Ryder), he is simultaneously ordered to spy on his roommates. Twists and turns take place, possibly leaving him worse off than he was before.
"Rotoscoping makes certain sense for a film about cognitive dissonance and alternative realities, though both the vocal and gestural performances by Mr. Reeves, Mr. Harrelson and, in particular, the wonderful Mr. Downey make me wish that we were watching them in live action." — Manohla Dargis, The New York Times