Outcome

I was not at all prepared for how much of a meta story Jonah Hill had put together with Apple TV's Outcome. On paper, we find a comedy flick following a Hollywood star, played by Keanu Reeves, who is returning to the limelight after years away, dealing with all of the complications that brings. You take this basic premise, add the star power of Hill and Cameron Diaz, with a few cameos from icons like Martin Scorsese, and tie it all up in a little bow that's around 80-minutes long, and looking at it from a distance, it seems like the rather regular comedy formula. However in practice, Outcome is an at-times funny but flawed riff on the actual life of Keanu Reeves.

You see, Outcome is about more than just following a star returning to the spotlight, as it's actually about said star dealing with the realisation that he's not likeable. Despite being Hollywood's golden boy for three decades, he's alienated more people than he has made friends, and I know what you're thinking, "that doesn't sound like Keanu at all...", and from our perspective as fans of the legendary actor I'd tend to agree. But most of us don't actually know Reeves so making that judgement is impossible. Witnessing his character in this film, a protagonist known as Reef Hawk, desperately searching the web to find any hint that his loyal fans have discovered a crack in his otherwise perfect façade, while simultaneously getting control over a leaker who is blackmailing him about something he has no recollection of, it all shapes up to become a very meta and shockingly familiar take that feels like it could never be a reality without having the seemingly spotless Reeves at the helm. Again, it's not a direct example of Reeves' actual life, but it does come across as shockingly familiar.

So anyway, we find a plot premise that is rather unique and has its moments of brilliance, but it's weighed down by a bunch of other creative decisions that simply don't connect with me. For starters, Hill plays a crisis lawyer called Ira who is just insufferable for most of the movie. There's a brief moment midway through where Ira becomes more authentic and human, but for the rest of the film he stands out as simply dislikeable, loud, and perhaps most importantly, not very funny. Then, as much as I do like Reeves, he's not exactly the most charismatic of actors, seeing his performance as Reef Hawk leave some to be desired. Also, the additional stars and icons used as either key characters (like Diaz) or cameo-like roles (Scorsese) never leave a huge impression, ultimately making for a film that when the credits roll, you find that you haven't experienced much or been affected emotionally at all. It's simply a bit flat from start-to-finish.

One of the few strengths is how it pokes fun at current events and trends, with hilarious nods to the implosion of Kanye West or to the eccentric and bewildering lifestyles of "Real Housewives". There's elements of this film that stand out and Hill even plays with a few interesting transitions and set choices to deliver quite striking scenes from a visual perspective. But at the same time, for a film that is made to be a comedy first-and-foremost, Outcome doesn't feel like it quite understands the assignment.

A natural point of comparison for Outcome would be The Studio, as while one is a movie and another a TV series, both are designed to give an insight into modern Hollywood while also being hilarious. For the latter, Seth Rogen and the gang thrive, serving up witty and memorable comedy matched up with storylines and sequences that feel more real and charismatic. Outcome doesn't have that. It's because of this that I'm once again questioning why Apple TV, despite its pedigree for truly excellent and standout television, can't seem to reach the same standards for feature-length projects... And Outcome is barely feature length as I've seen TV 'episodes' that run longer than this movie.

It may sound like I'm being very critical of this film - and I am disappointed by it because of the potential it has - but this mostly comes from the fact that I've grown to expect great things from Apple TV. This film isn't great. It's perfectly watchable, but it doesn't match up with the other remarkable efforts that this streaming platform has pushed out in the past. For some reason, Apple TV just can't seem to crack movies and Outcome is another example of this.