“Outcome”, from director and co-star Jonah Hill, opens with a six-year-old boy named Reef Hawk who goes on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and does a performance. We flash forward many years later and he’s an adult (played by Keanu Reeves) — a two-time Oscar winner who has starred in three of the biggest franchises in the world and is considered one of the nicest people in Hollywood. Of course, while he hasn’t won two Oscars, Keanu Reeves has starred in three big franchises (“The Matrix”, “John Wick” and “Bill & Ted”) and is considered one of the nicest actors in the business.
I was on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” when I was 12 and 13 years old, so I related to this idea of a young person getting started in the entertainment industry and what’s gonna happen. It’s a great concept and start to “Outcome”. And then it gets rocky and all over the place from there. Hill wanted to have it both ways — creating an over the top, in your face, crazy, wacky satire and attack on Hollywood (a lot of obvious material)… and he also wanted an introspective drama about a guy looking to make amends, apologizing to people from his past for his behavior, on the eve of a video that may come out that may expose him doing something terrible and might end his career.
Unfortunately this clash doesn’t make for a smooth experience. “Outcome” is often unpleasant, unfunny and uneven. Hill’s character, a crisis manager for Reef Hawk, is so manic. He needed to tone it way back. Also embarrassing moments from Matt Bomer, Cameron Diaz, David Spade and (as herself) Drew Barrymore. And Reeves never fully ‘owns’ his role.
This film would’ve worked much better simply as a drama, like 2017’s “The Hero”, starring an outstanding Sam Elliott as an actor looking back on his life and making repairs to his relationships. There are effective scenes here with the great Susan Lucci and Martin Scorsese, and I chuckled a couple times. But as a whole, “Outcome” just isn’t that satisfying. Overstuffed, even with a short runtime.
LCJ GRADE: C-
Running Time: 84 min.