"Young Again" is such a refreshing and startling contrast to the roles Keanu played in his early career, that it really stands out. For those fans unfamiliar with this movie, it was the first in a series of six TV dramas Keanu played in 1986. It starred Robert Urich as 40 year old Michael Riley, Lindsay Wagner as his lost love, Jessica Stern, who also worked with Keanu in "Dream to Believe", and Keanu as 17 year old Michael Riley. The opening credits claimed that the film was "introducing Keanu Reeves" though this was Keanu's third film. He failed to mention, to the producers, his involvement in two movies filmed in Toronto: Youngblood and Dream To Believe.The end-credits listed Keanu as "K.C. Reeves." This was during the period Keanu experimented with pseudonyms.

It was the first of several movies in which Keanu was paired romantically with older actresses (let's see, there was "Tune In Tomorrow", "Dangerous Liasons", Prince of Pa., and I am sure others.) It was the first in a film genre, which found success later in the 1980's, of "body-swap" comedies, such as "Peggy Sue Got Married" (1986), "Vice Versa"(1988) and "Big (1988), all of which represented a second chance to make things right or a wish to be big or,...young again. It even continues to be a popular theme today. On the schedule for the new TV season is "Do Over" on the WB network and "Try, Try, Again" on ABC. He's always ahead of the game... "Young Again" was produced by Disney's TV division in 1985 and was broadcast in May, 1986.

Do you believe in synchronicity? Then you're going to love this! In 1983, Keanu, age 19, attended every Sunday a community theater school called Leah Posluns. Its Senior production was "Romeo and Juliet" in the spring of 1985, with guest director...(dramatic pause) Lewis Baumander, and with Keanu in the part of Mercutio. As all Keanuphiles know, this collabaration led to Keanu's performance in "Hamlet" in Winnepeg in 1995. Director Steven Stern of "Young Again" was in Toronto looking for actors for the secondary roles in his upcoming movie. He had dinner with his sister who was the Artistic Director at....(drum role please) Leah Posluns. She excited mentioned the extraordinary performance of one of the actors in the school's play...that would be Keanu. He decided to ask Keanu to audtion for a small part in the movie, but upon meeting him, told him to study the script...for the lead! This, despite the fact that Disney was only interested in casting well-known L.A. actors for the leads. Coincidence? Timing? Luck? Who knows?

Stern recalled that "there was something about [Keanu] I liked as a person.
Funny, yet a serious side." Stern personally paid for Keanu to fly to L.A. to meet with the skeptical Disney executives, who were still hesitant after viewing Keanu's screen test. Stern then asked Michael Eisner to intercede and the rest is history, or fate, or whatever you want to call it. The director fought hard to get the star he wanted because Keanu "reminded me a lot of myself at that age, wanting to be something and hoping and wishing that someone would give [me] the opportunity."

So what's to like about a movie that starts off as a so-so TV-movie about a 40 year old man griping and moaning about his lost youth? Nothing for the first 20 minutes and then Keanu enters the picture and its magic in more ways than one (besides the appearance of the angel, I mean.) Keanu arrives on camera on a transit bus (insert your own Speed joke here.) Then, as one critic noted, he "captures the born-again teenager's energy, euphoria, and delight brilliantly." From his mean boogie in front of the mirror to the song "Shout" (Tom Cruise, eat your heart out. Forget about "Risky Business"),
to his skateboard odyssey through the Mall, to his disco fever on the dance floor (John Travolta, you've got nothing to worry about), to his basketball montage, he is pure energy and it's a pleasure just to be along for the ride.

Stern summed it up best: "he had an enormous, excessive energy level...he was funny and full of life, and there was a sweet innocence about him."
And then there is a shift that makes the movie a step above the usual light fare of TV movie comedy. Sheila Johnston (Keanu Biographer) credited Keanu with a "layered performance, suggesting maturity, sensitivity, and life experience that set him apart from his schoolmates." It starts with his discomfort over "cow-tipping" and leads to his lectures on high cholesterol and the treatment of women. Eventually, Michael chooses to eat at the faculty table at lunch and we're happy to be there with him.

"Young Again" was the first film in which Keanu was noticed by critics. Variety remarked that "teenager K.C. Reeves steps in with terrific success as Urich the youth. Reeves' open-faced, exuberant study...goes along way towards keeping the fantasy in the realm of reality." Not a bad start, huh? When Michael finally tells Laura that he is really 40 years old, and she believes him, the audience accepts her acceptance of his story. Of course it ends happily, except for Stern. He called Keanu in the summer of 1986 to offer him another role. But Keanu was in Munich (Babes in Toyland) and on his way to international fame and superstardom.

The balcony is now open.

[thank you to POTD club and this site for pictures--krix]