Keanu Reeves plays some variation on his Zen-space-cadet persona in this light caper, as a man sent to jail for a bank robbery he didn’t commit who decides upon his release to rob the same bank, for real this time. (Credit to the trailer for not uttering the words “double jeopardy.â€) Providing heist assistance is clink-mate James Caan and love interest Vera Farmiga, who meets Keanu cute by hitting him with her car. (An image of Keanu getting run down is sure to shortly appear alongside sad Keanu.) Because the route to the bank is through a theater, Reeve’s character gets to act in a performance of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, meaning speeches about acting and love are intercut with slapstick tunnel digging. There’s a nice jangly tone throughout, but the most memorable thing by far is the resplendent, puffy goatee Reeves wears while onstage, much fuller than his natural chin scratch.
