« Keanu Grieves: Caught In The Matrix Of A Meme »

Blogging is the world’s newest forum; blogs are where we can rant, praise, inform, question and answer. Here we discuss pitbulls, coffee, Keanu Reeves, and the 2011 earthquake.

Still of Keanu Reeves in Constantine. Photo by David James, © 2005 Warner Brothers. All rights reserved. 14 February 2005Keanu Reeves is better regarded by critics and audiences than I previously suspected. He is as known for his acclaimed performances in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), Speed (1994), and The Matrix (1999), as he is for his less well-received endeavours The Watcher (2000), The Replacements (2000), and The Lake House (2006). Perhaps what draws people to Keanu the most is the pervasive air of mystery that surrounds him. Despite his success and celebrity, he has maintained a relatively private existence.

Recently, an internet meme referred to as “Sad Keanu,” which originated from a paparazzo photo that depicts Keanu eating a sandwich by himself on a New York City park bench, has been spreading across the web. Keanu’s moping figure has since been photoshopped into countless different scenarios.

Moreover, the meme has resulted in June 15 being coined among fans as unofficial “Cheer-up Keanu Day” and has just lately spawned a related meme known as “Happy Keanu.”

In January 2011 Keanu appeared on the BBC Breakfast Show to talk about his new movie Henry’s Crime (2010), but when the conversation derails onto the topic of “Sad Keanu,” he becomes noticeably uncomfortable. During the interview, he is quoted as saying:

“Do I wish that I didn’t get my picture taken while I was eating a sandwich on the streets of New York? Yeah.”

Keanu insists that there is no validity in the meme, but considering his history it seems fair to argue that the meme makes an interesting assumption: When Keanu was three years old, his father abandoned his family; growing up, Keanu moved around a lot with his mother, who was subsequently married and divorced three more times; in 1991, Keanu starred in the film My Own Private Idaho alongside his good friend River Phoenix (Stand by Me, 1986), who only two years later, in 1993, died of a drug overdose; then, in 2001 Keanu’s former girlfriend, who had given birth to their stillborn baby in 1999, died in a car accident.

Still of Keanu Reeves in A Scanner Darkly. © Warner Home Video. 14 December 2010

Despite these things, Keanu has done well for himself with his acting career. While he has made his fair share of unimpressive films, he has also played a number of great roles which have put him on a steady track to A-list stardom and have allowed him to rake in some rather fat pay cheques over the years, including a whopping $15 million plus 15 percent gross for each of the two most recent Matrix movies.

So, is Keanu sad? Probably not. I think the guy was just trying to eat a sandwich.

Also, this is very timely: Nic Cage as Sad Keanu.