Keanu Reeves is surfing the zeitgeist in a major way these days. I hadn’t paid much attention to the guy beyond his occasional action movie success (Point Break, Speed) but recently he’s ascended to the level of a pop culture deity. Don’t get me wrong. I really like the guy. But I think this recent adoration is not coming from his acting.
My theory is Keanu’s ascendance is the result of nostalgia for our youth combined with the fact that he’s just a really decent dude. Think about it. He came on the scene when a good bunch of us were in high school. We grew up with him. Keanu was that goofy stoner that said dumb stuff in class who got his act together and became a cop (excuse me, F-B-I AGENT!) in his twenties. And he could surf.
As we aged into our thirties, Keanu matured into the champion of public transportation and then the nerd messiah of the internet. His turn as Neo, premiering at the eve of the new millennium, helped address our growing techno woes. For example, every time we were bored at work, we could now ask ourselves if it was really just a glitch in the Matrix. Now as we all stare down middle age, here comes John Wick proving that we can still kick ass after 50.
And he really loves his dog.
Basically, Keanu is a reflection of our lives on film. He reminds us of good times and younger days, but also that we aren’t too old to take care of business. Our admiration comes wrapped in what he represents, which is 30 years of our collective life experience. We were watching his movies while our lives happened. His movies have seeped into our brains to help trigger one long sense memory. The nostalgia and affection are intertwined. He’s our cinematic wingman.
Plus, in this day of constant information, we know more about this guy than some of our own family. Here he is entertaining passengers on a delayed plane flight. That’s him smiling with the happy couple when he accidentally crashes their hotel wedding reception. And did we just learn that he’s been secretly donating to children’s hospitals? See that cell phone photo of him giving up his seat on the subway?
“You are breathtaking.” – Keanu Reeves
Keanu acts the way we want our celebrities to really be in the real world: kind, generous and humble. Whether it’s true or just public relations, who knows? Keanu is a hero for our time. Real or imagined, the thought of him cuddling puppies is just comforting. In an age when famous people continue to disappoint us and everyone just seems so darn disagreeable, it feels nice to think that there’s someone out there kinder than the rest of us.
And he knows kung fu.
NERDSPRESSO 