Everyone makes mistakes, and unless it is something that causes undue harm or removes the dignity of another being (or frankly just unacceptably breaks the law), everyone deserves a second chance. We all get away with certain misdeeds, granted they are within the realm of reason, which is something that has been consolidated in both legislation and the unspoken rules of human behaviour. However, it seems that the more prominent someone is in the public eye, the further they have to go to prevent any kind of wrongdoing from being uncovered, since it seems that celebrities are expected to hold themselves to an even higher standard than anyone else. This is what propels Outcome, the third directorial endeavour for Jonah Hill (who has been riding the wave of acclaim he received for his wonderful debut, Mid90s, but has yet to match the charm of that lovely little film), in which we are introduced to Reef Hawk, the world’s most beloved movie star. Despite being universally adored, Reef has been holding onto some deep secrets, concealing a drug addiction, as well as having fraught personal relationships with many friends and family members, who aren’t quite as enamoured with him as the rest of the world. When his crisis lawyer informs him that a video has been unearthed that could potentially derail Reef’s entire life, they have to scramble to find the culprit. This leads Reef on a wild goose chase through his past, visiting a range of people who he believes could be behind this prospective leak, and in the process, he learns that box office success and critical acclaim mean nothing when the people who got you there have been left behind. It all forms the foundation for a film that may not be perfect, but at the very least offers us a fascinating glimpse into the behind-the-scenes machinations of contemporary Hollywood, made by several people who have decades of collective experience, lending their insights into what is not likely to be a revolutionary work, but one that still piques our curiosity with its promise of looking beneath the surface of an industry that is often very difficult to entirely comprehend.

As Andy Warhol once famously said, which just about every tabloid and discussion on the nature of celebrity will undoubtedly reference, everyone is bound to have their fifteen minutes of fame. It is a prerequisite that we acknowledge fame as being fickle and unpredictable, and that no one is ever able to anticipate who will be able to succeed in ascending to worldwide recognition. Outcome is built from the premise of someone who has far surpassed the peak of his fame, and instead exists on what he seen realises is the other side of it, one where he has achieved just about everything, to the point where all that he has left to experience is to fall out of favour and ascend from the ashes, which has become part of celebrity culture in ways that we sometimes can struggle to understand, almost as if having a comeback can be as triumphant and satisfying as becoming famous in the first place. Cancel culture has become a contentious subject, and while no one would argue that it should be eradicated (in fact, the movement towards forcing people in power to pay the consequences for their actions is one of the most positive developments over the past decade, and one that continues to hold influential people accountable), it is also something that should be treated with some degree of sensitivity, especially considering it has the potential to spiral out of control and ruin more lives that it improves. What we find guiding Outcome is a story about a man who is forced to reckon with his past – Reef Hawk is not positioned as someone who has done anything to intentionally harm others (had he been written as someone whose immoral behaviour is unambiguous and purposeful, the film would have been a much harder sell – it may have been a more interesting film, but not in the way it was intended to be), but rather has allowed himself to become so consumed with his status that he loses sight of the world around him, a realisation that only dawns on him once this small but influential internal empire he has built for himself is under threat of collapse. Hill uses this to make some interesting observations on how fame truly is a double-edged sword, taking Outcome from a wacky, off-the-wall comedy into something slightly more serious.

So much of Outcome is built around the Reef Hawk character, who is positioned as inarguably the world’s most beloved movie star, the likes of which we can’t even fathom since someone with his degree of success simply does not exist, which is all part of the film’s intentionally heightened tone. However, to bring life to the character, the role has to be played by someone who is about as close to a universally beloved icon as we can get, while still fitting certain criteria. The part is ultimately played by Keanu Reeves, who continues his ongoing career renaissance, showing that despite not always having the strongest dramatic skills, he’s still a captivating screen presence. He’s undeniably successful in the action genre, but it is often his momentary sojourns, where he is forced to leap out of his comfort zone, that we see the true bursts of potential. Despite his best efforts, Reeves is never going to be some wildly versatile actor who disappears into every role – but there is a place for him in the industry, and he’s built a respectable career out of his good-natured efforts to push himself. The outcome doesn’t contain a perfect performance from him, but it is more than sufficient in reminding us why we fell in love with him in the first place. It does help that he’s surrounded by a strong cast – the structure of the film lends itself to highlighting many of these actors, giving some of them quite strong monologues. It is fascinating how the best work comes from the places we’d least expect – Matt Bomer and Cameron Diaz are predictably solid, but the best work is coming from Martin Scorsese (whose late-career pivot into a respected character actor has been fascinating, especially since he has started to take on roles that aren’t merely him playing himself), Susan Lucci and Welker White, all of whom have thrived in their own specific fields, but who had rarely had the chance to show their skills on film in this way. The only questionable performance is Hill himself, but he still puts in the work and takes a gamble, even if it may not work out perfectly at the end. 

While I do veer towards the positive when it comes to this film, it is difficult to overlook the fact that Outcome is not a perfect work at all, and a lot of that has to do with the approach Hill takes to this story, which leaves a lot to be desired. The first obstacle is that the film doesn’t seem entirely sure of what it wants to be – on one hand, it is trying to be a wacky, irreverent satire that bounces off the walls with a ferocity that is almost impossible to follow, while on the other, it’s a pitch-black satire that attempts to plumb the emotional depths of the human condition through the story of a man reckoning with his poor choices throughout his unusually successful but ultimately hollow life. Neither of these is inherently a bad choice – if anything, they’re both exceptionally good approaches – the challenge is that Hill wasn’t sure which one to focus on, and while a combination is not impossible, it does struggle to find cohesion between these two extremes, which does prove to be a bit of a challenge when it comes to telling this story. One scene could be relentlessly funny, filled to the brim with slapstick, while the next is a sobering, intense moment of introspection or a tense confrontation which causes the comedy to come to a screeching halt. Hill isn’t entirely sure of the film he wants to make, and as a result, Outcome never fully develops its own identity. It is competently made, but outside of a couple of solid setpieces, the film is a relatively conventional, glossy studio comedy without any particularly dynamic elements that help compensate for its tonal instability, which may not be enough to entirely derail the film, but it does become one of the reasons it struggles to pay sufficient tribute to its premise, which may have been more suitable in the hands of someone who had a bit more delicacy in how they approached the core themes that exist at the heart of this otherwise very interesting project.

Outcome is not a perfect film, and some could even argue that it is too flawed to actually be entirely effective. It is indeed quite self-obsessed with its own supposed ingenuity and struggles to actually form a cohesive argument beyond its very obvious premise. Perhaps the problem isn’t the concept (which is indeed quite intriguing on the surface) but rather Hill himself, since while he has shown some prowess as a filmmaker, he’s also too inexperienced to actually offer too many complex insights into celebrity culture. He’s simply too young and not someone who has shown particular aptitude for the kind of sensitivity required for this story (or at least not enough that he can get away with offering too many strong observations), even if he has been a witness to some of the more unwieldy sides of celebrity culture over time. However, it is still worth noting that Outcome has some positive qualities – it is anchored by a very charismatic performance from Reeves, who is as likable and sympathetic as ever (and also proves that he has impeccable comedic timing, proving that he is someone who can handle humour quite well, despite those who consider him too overly wooden or stilted in his delivery), and a solid cast who support him exceptionally well. It’s difficult to say where the film is going to land as far as its cultural cache is concerned – it will likely fall somewhere between a cult classic, rediscovered after a few years as a well-meaning but flawed satire, or a mostly forgotten comedy that had good intentions but faltered in a few key areas. Nevertheless, it does still prove to be compelling enough, and at only 84 minutes, it is a welcome return of the kind of brief, rapid-fire comedy that we used to see in the past, never overstaying its welcome while still making a strong argument in favour of its core themes. It may not be perfect, but Outcome is a perfectly respectable attempt at a satire, and while it doesn’t always land, it has enough merit to at least be worth the time to seek out, even if it may not always live up to the very high expectations.