Editing Keanu Reeves (section)

===1991–1994: Breakthrough with mature roles===

In 1991, Reeves starred in ''[[Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey]]'', a sequel to ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'', with his co-star [[Alex Winter]]. Michael Wilmington of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that the sequel was "more imaginative, more opulent, wilder and freer, more excitingly visualized", praising the actors for their "fuller" performances.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wilmington|first=Michael|date=July 19, 1991|title=Movie Review : Bill & Ted's Excellent Sequel|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-19-ca-2271-story.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420190930/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-19-ca-2271-story.html|archive-date=April 20, 2019|access-date=April 18, 2020|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> Film critic [[Roger Ebert]] thought it was "a riot of visual invention and weird humour that works on its chosen sub-moronic level&nbsp;[...] It's the kind of movie where you start out snickering in spite of yourself, and end up actually admiring the originality that went into creating this hallucinatory [[slapstick]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bill-and-teds-bogus-journey|title=Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey movie review (1991) {{!}} Roger Ebert|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|website=www.rogerebert.com|language=en|access-date=April 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412150712/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bill-and-teds-bogus-journey|archive-date=April 12, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> The rest of 1991 marked a significant transition for Reeves's career as he undertook adult roles. Co-starring with [[River Phoenix]] as a street hustler in the adventure ''[[My Own Private Idaho]]'', the characters embark on a journey of personal discovery. The story was written by [[Gus Van Sant]], and is loosely based on [[Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Henry IV, Part 1]]'', ''[[Henry IV, Part 2]]'', and ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]''. The film premiered at the [[48th Venice International Film Festival]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kennedy|first=Harlan|date=1991|title=Venice Film Festival – 1991 – By Harlan Kennedy|url=https://www.americancinemapapers.com/files/VENICE_1991.htm|access-date=October 21, 2020|website=American Cinema Papers|archive-date=May 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517034942/https://www.americancinemapapers.com/files/VENICE_1991.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> followed by a theatrical release in the United States on September 29, 1991. The film earned $6.4&nbsp;million at the box office.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0102494/?ref_=bo_se_r_1|title=My Own Private Idaho|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-date=October 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027180053/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0102494/?ref_=bo_se_r_1|url-status=live}}</ref> ''My Own Private Idaho'' was positively received, with [[Owen Gleiberman]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' describing the film as "a postmodern road movie with a mood of free-floating, trance-like despair{{nbsp}}[...] a rich, audacious experience".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/1991/10/11/my-own-private-idaho-3/|title=My Own Private Idaho|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|author-link=Owen Gleiberman|date=October 11, 1991|website=EW.com|language=EN|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009123549/https://ew.com/article/1991/10/11/my-own-private-idaho-3/|archive-date=October 9, 2019|access-date=April 12, 2020}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' complimented Reeves and Phoenix for their insightful performances.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Canby|first=Vincent|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/27/movies/reviews-film-festival-a-road-movie-about-male-hustlers.html|title=Reviews/Film Festival; A Road Movie About Male Hustlers|date=September 27, 1991|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 18, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620132229/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/27/movies/reviews-film-festival-a-road-movie-about-male-hustlers.html|archive-date=June 20, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Reeves starred alongside [[Patrick Swayze]], [[Lori Petty]] and [[Gary Busey]] in the action thriller ''[[Point Break]]'' (1991), directed by [[Kathryn Bigelow]]. He plays an undercover [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agent tasked with investigating the identities of a group of bank robbers. To prepare for the film, Reeves and his co-stars took [[surfing]] lessons with professional surfer Dennis Jarvis in Hawaii; Reeves had never surfed before.<ref>"''Point Break'' DVD Liner Notes". ''Point Break: Pure Adrenaline Edition''. [[20th Century Fox]]. 2006.</ref> Upon its release, ''Point Break'' was generally well-received, and a commercial success, earning $83.5&nbsp;million at the box office.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0102685/?ref_=bo_se_r_1|title=Point Break|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-date=October 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027180054/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0102685/?ref_=bo_se_r_1|url-status=live}}</ref> Reeves's performance was praised by ''The New York Times'' for "considerable discipline and range", adding, "He moves easily between the buttoned-down demeanour that suits a police procedural story and the loose-jointed manner of his comic roles".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Maslin|first=Janet|author-link=Janet Maslin|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/12/movies/review-film-surf-s-up-for-fbi-in-bigelow-s-point-break.html|title=Review/Film; Surf's Up For F.B.I. In Bigelow's 'Point Break'|date=July 12, 1991|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 12, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626231827/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/12/movies/review-film-surf-s-up-for-fbi-in-bigelow-s-point-break.html|archive-date=June 26, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Writing for ''[[The Washington Post]]'', [[Hal Hinson]] called Reeves the "perfect choice" and praised the surfing scenes, but opined that "the filmmakers have their characters make the most ludicrously illogical choices imaginable".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hinson|first=Hal|author-link=Hal Hinson|date=July 21, 1991|title='Point Break' (R)|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/pointbreakrhinson_a13f81.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313121517/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/pointbreakrhinson_a13f81.htm|archive-date=March 13, 2020|access-date=April 12, 2020|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> At the [[1992 MTV Movie Awards]], Reeves won the Most Desirable Male award.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Movie Awards 1992 – MTV Movie Awards|url=http://www.mtv.com/movie-awards/1992|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910144741/http://www.mtv.com/movie-awards/1992|archive-date=September 10, 2019|access-date=April 19, 2020|website=MTV}}</ref>

In 1991, Reeves developed an interest in a music career; he formed an [[alternative rock]] band called [[Dogstar (band)|Dogstar]], consisting of members [[Robert Mailhouse]], Gregg Miller and Bret Domrose. Reeves played the bass guitar. A year later, he played [[Jonathan Harker]] in [[Francis Ford Coppola]]'s [[Gothic horror]] ''[[Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992 film)|Bram Stoker's Dracula]]'', based on [[Bram Stoker|Stoker's]] 1897 novel ''[[Dracula]]''. Starring alongside [[Gary Oldman]], [[Winona Ryder]] and [[Anthony Hopkins]], the film was critically and commercially successful. It grossed $215.8&nbsp;million worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0103874/?ref_=bo_se_r_1|title=Bram Stoker's Dracula|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-date=June 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622073458/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0103874/?ref_=bo_se_r_1|url-status=live}}</ref> For his role, Reeves was required to speak with an English accent, which drew some ridicule; "Overly posh and entirely ridiculous, Reeves's performance is as painful as it is hilarious", wrote Limara Salt of [[Virgin Media]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.virginmedia.com/movies/features/top-10-worst-accents.php|title=Top 10 worst movie accents – Movies – Virgin Media|last=Salt|first=Limara|date=February 23, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223142140/http://www.virginmedia.com/movies/features/top-10-worst-accents.php|archive-date=February 23, 2014|access-date=April 12, 2020}}</ref> In a retrospective interview in 2015, director Coppola said, "[Reeves] tried so hard&nbsp;[...] He wanted to do it perfectly and in trying to do it perfectly it came off as stilted".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/2015/10/06/francis-ford-coppola-remembers-dracula/|title=Francis Ford Coppola remembers 'Dracula,' firing his special effects crew, and Keanu Reeves' accent|last=McGovern|first=Joe|date=October 16, 2015|website=EW.com|language=EN|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205234734/https://ew.com/article/2015/10/06/francis-ford-coppola-remembers-dracula/|archive-date=February 5, 2020|access-date=April 12, 2020}}</ref> ''Bram Stoker's Dracula'' was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning three in Best Costume Design, [[Academy Award for Best Sound Editing|Best Sound Editing]] and [[Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling|Best Makeup]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1993|title=The 65th Academy Awards {{!}} 1993|website=Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|date=October 4, 2014 |language=en|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416091028/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1993|archive-date=April 16, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> The film also received four nominations at the [[British Academy Film Awards]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1994/film|title=Film in 1994 {{!}} BAFTA Awards|website=awards.bafta.org|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413005349/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1994/film|archive-date=April 13, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1993, he had a role in ''[[Much Ado About Nothing (1993 film)|Much Ado About Nothing]]'', based on [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s [[Much Ado About Nothing|play of the same name]]. The film received positive reviews,<ref>{{Citation|title=Much Ado About Nothing (1993)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1045992_much_ado_about_nothing|work=Rotten Tomatoes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920123820/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1045992_much_ado_about_nothing|language=en|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-date=September 20, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> although Reeves was nominated for a [[Golden Raspberry Award]] for [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor|Worst Supporting Actor]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/02/07/Sliver-Indecent-Proposal-favored-for-Razzies/8740760597200/|title=Sliver,' 'Indecent Proposal' favored for Razzies|website=UPI|language=en|access-date=April 19, 2020|archive-date=June 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623084811/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/02/07/Sliver-Indecent-Proposal-favored-for-Razzies/8740760597200/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The New Republic]]'' magazine thought his casting was "unfortunate" because of his amateur performance.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last= Kauffmann|first=Stanley|author-link=Stanley Kauffmann|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/63767/stars-dance|title=Stars Dance|date=May 10, 1993|magazine=[[The New Republic]]|access-date=April 17, 2020|issn=0028-6583|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430141233/https://newrepublic.com/article/63767/stars-dance|archive-date=April 30, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In that same year, he starred in two more drama films, ''[[Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (film)|Even Cowgirls Get the Blues]]'' and ''[[Little Buddha]]'', both of which garnered a mixed-to-negative reception.<ref>{{Citation|title=Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1994)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/even_cowgirls_get_the_blues|work=Rotten Tomatoes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228005723/https://rottentomatoes.com/m/even_cowgirls_get_the_blues|language=en|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-date=December 28, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Little Buddha (1994)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/little_buddha|work=Rotten Tomatoes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506185858/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/little_buddha|language=en|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-date=May 6, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The Independent]]'' critic gave ''Little Buddha'' a mixed review but opined that Reeves's part as a prince was "credible".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Johnston|first=Sheila|date=April 29, 1994|title=Film / And Buddha makes three: Little Buddha: Sheila Johnston on the conclusion of Bernardo Bertolucci's 'oriental trilogy', Little Buddha, a film that treads the 'Middle Way'|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-buddha-makes-three-little-buddha-sheila-johnston-on-the-conclusion-of-bernardo-bertoluccis-1373156.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506190347/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-buddha-makes-three-little-buddha-sheila-johnston-on-the-conclusion-of-bernardo-bertoluccis-1373156.html|archive-date=May 6, 2019|access-date=April 18, 2020|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref> The film also left an impression on Reeves; he later said, "When I played this innocent prince who starts to suspect something when he has the first revelations about old age, sickness and death, it hit me. [...] That lesson has never left me."<ref name=":6" />

He starred in the action thriller ''[[Speed (1994 film)|Speed]]'' (1994) alongside [[Sandra Bullock]] and [[Dennis Hopper]]. He plays police officer Jack Traven, who must prevent a bus from exploding by keeping its speed above 50&nbsp;mph. ''Speed'' was the [[List of directorial debuts|directorial debut]] of Dutch director [[Jan de Bont]]. Several actors were considered for the lead role, but Reeves was chosen because Bont was impressed with his ''Point Break'' performance.<ref name=":5" /> To look the part, Reeves shaved all his hair off and spent two months in the gym to gain muscle mass. During production, Reeves's friend [[River Phoenix]] (and co-star in ''My Own Private Idaho'') died, resulting in adjustments to the filming schedule to allow him to mourn.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/1994/06/10/keanu-reeves-next-action-star/|title=Keanu Reeves, the next action star?|last=Gerosa|first=Melissa|date=June 10, 1994|website=EW.com|language=EN|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111045051/https://ew.com/article/1994/06/10/keanu-reeves-next-action-star/|archive-date=November 11, 2018|access-date=April 18, 2020}}</ref> ''Speed'' was released on June&nbsp;10 to a critically acclaimed response. [[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' lauded Reeves, calling him "absolutely charismatic&nbsp;[...] giving a performance juiced with joy as he jumps through elevator shafts&nbsp;[...] and atop a subway train".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-06-10-9406100069-story.html|title='Speed' gets rolling quickly and never starts to slow down|last=Siskel|first=Gene|author-link=Gene Siskel|date=June 10, 1994|website=chicagotribune.com|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412185313/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-06-10-9406100069-story.html|archive-date=April 12, 2020|access-date=April 12, 2020}}</ref> [[David Ansen]], writing for ''[[Newsweek]]'', summarized ''Speed'' as, "Relentless without being overbearing, this is one likely blockbuster that doesn't feel too big for its britches. It's a friendly juggernaut".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/goodbye-airhead-189266|title=Goodbye, Airhead|last=Ansen|first=David|author-link=David Ansen|date=June 12, 1994|website=[[Newsweek]]|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412185313/https://www.newsweek.com/goodbye-airhead-189266|archive-date=April 12, 2020|access-date=April 12, 2020}}</ref> The film grossed $350&nbsp;million from a $30&nbsp;million budget and won two Academy Awards in 1995{{snd}}Best Sound Editing and [[Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing|Best Sound]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0111257/?ref_=bo_se_r_1|title=Speed|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228212614/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0111257/?ref_=bo_se_r_1|archive-date=February 28, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1995|title=The 67th Academy Awards {{!}} 1995|website=Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|date=October 5, 2014 |language=en|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510075255/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1995|archive-date=May 10, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>