By Dan Skip Allen

I’ve been a fan of movies that take place in or parody the Hollywood lifestyle. Sunset Boulevard, Hail Caesar, The Producers are just a few that deal with this. There are a lot more. Hollywood has made fun of itself for decades now. Even the phenomenal Emmy Winning successful Apple+ series, The Studio, from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, parodies Hollywood. From the big sign in the Hollywood hills to everything in between It’s been great fodder for writers and directors. The latest film that takes the Hollywood lifestyle and points the finger at it is “Outcome” once again from Apple+. It deals with the perceived persona of a big world famous Hollywood star. It’s a funny film that takes no prisoners regarding how it makes fun of the lifestyle of a Hollywood movie star.

Reef Hawk (Keanu Reeves) was once a child prodigy. He sang and danced a song from George M. Cohan on the Johnny Carson Show. This signaled the beginning of his career. Since then, he won 2 Oscars, starred in three big franchises, and had a 40-year, very successful career, but like a lot of Hollywood stars, he also had a heroin addiction. He’s clean and sober  and has two close friends, Kyle (Cameron Diaz) and Zander Matt Bomer) who are there for him, and they keep him grounded in his celebrity. He has an agent/lawyer, Ira Blitz (Jonah Hill), as Hollywood stars usually do, and he tells him that there is a video that has leaked that is being used as blackmail to get money from him. This sparks a contemplation on the behalf of Reeves’ character. He wonders who he has done wrong in his lifetime that would be willing to do this to him.

Jonah Hill is also the director of the film. He made himself a parody of old Jewish agents or lawyers in Hollywood. He was so funny in the movie. He took no prisoners regarding his character within the concept of the film. He picked at all the things that agents and Hollywood people say. Hill has directed films before, “Mid90s” and “Cut-Off,” which will come out in July. He has been around the business for a while now. Ever since his childhood success in “Superbad” from Judd Apatow. He shot to stardom at a young age. He worked with a lot of great directors like Martin Scorsese. It makes sense that he would want to direct films himself. He has learned a lot about the craft of making films and Hollywood as a whole. This film is like a culmination of that fame and experience. 

He has assembled a big cast of comedians, character actors, and celebrities for this movie. Even famous soap opera stars like Susan Lucci. People like Laverne Cox as the leader of the Reef Team or rather Crisis Unit to deal with the issue at hand. Martin Scorsese plays Red Rodriguez, an old agent of the Reeves character who works out of a bowling alley. He is a very stereotypical character. Similar to his funny role in “The Studio,”. He’s making fun of these people in the business. Diaz, Bomer Ivy Wolk, David Spade, and Drew Barrymore, as a very realistic version of herself, are all fantastic in their own respective roles in the film. The supporting cast does just that. They support the Reeves character quite well in this movie. I got a laugh out of a lot of them in these roles.

Reeves is the key to why this film works so well. Lately, he has been doing movies that make fun of his persona in the industry. Films like “Good Fortune” which make people laugh at him like back when he did the “Bill and Ted” movies. Since then, he’s become a very serious actor who has chosen projects like “Speed” “Constantine” and the “John Wick” franchise. Those films have shoehorned him into an action star. He’s very believable in these roles, so it hasn’t been a problem for him. He gets made fun of a lot because of his serious voice and other things he does in these roles. It’s nice to see him realize that he’s become a stereotype in Hollywood and that he can take roles like this that make fun of his persona. This character has everything you’d think of in this regard. It’s funny the things he says and does in the movie. I hope he does more of these kinds of comedic films.

As a film about Hollywood, this is one of the better ones I’ve seen. It shows a scenario that happens a lot in show business. Celebrities deal with a lot that they don’t know about. There are a lot of extenuating circumstances that go on in Hollywood. People want a piece of the success that is happening to actors, directors, and executives in the business. In this day and age, we all have a phone in our pocket, and we can record things. Take pictures and so forth. The news media cycle is so short today because so many different things are going on all the time. People want to exploit this for monetary gain. This happens all the time nowadays. This movie gets this right. Reeves and Hill combine for a funny take on what goes in the film business and sports and music as well. It’s not nice, but it goes on all the time. That’s why it’s important to watch every move you make as a celebrity, athlete, or musician. 

“Outcome” is a funny film. It deals with something that happens all the time in this world now. It’s not a good thing, but it goes on because people want to get theirs as they say. Even if they have to exploit another man or woman’s existence to do that. This film gets that right. Hill combines with Reeves and the rest of this amazing cast to make something that is very relevant in our society.  Reeves does a great job of taking his persona as a star and putting it aside and making fun of himself. These are the kinds of roles I’d love to see him do more of. This will be a movie that people will and hopefully like when it comes out. Reeves will get back to his big action roles, but he’ll have these types of films that can show his range as an actor.

4 stars