In a recent sit-down for Good Fortune, Keanu Reeves and Aziz Ansari shared their “Four Favorites” — not just any movies, but the ones they had the good fortune of experiencing in a theater. What followed was a warm, funny, and surprisingly emotional conversation about the power of watching films on the big screen.

Keanu began with a vivid memory from his early days in Toronto. “I was riding my bike one afternoon and saw that the Bloor Street Cinema was screening Eraserhead by David Lynch,” he recalled. “I just chained up my bike, went inside, and my mind was expanded.”

He then reminisced about seeing the trailer for Star Wars at one of Toronto’s largest cinemas. “I was only a little boy,” he smiled. “And I saw that trailer — ‘What is that?!’ It just blew my mind.”

Another unforgettable experience came years later when Keanu attended a screening of Abel Gance’s Napoleon at Roy Thomson Hall, complete with a live orchestra and multi-screen setup. “It was pure cinema,” he said with quiet reverence.

Aziz, meanwhile, shared his own cinematic milestones. He remembered being a kid visiting family in Albany, New York, when his uncle and aunt took him to a drive-in double feature. “First was True Lies — amazing. Then came Speed. I didn’t even know what it was about; I thought it was a drug movie,” he laughed. “And then Speed started, and it just killed. Could you imagine someone tapping that little Indian kid on the shoulder, saying, ‘One day, you’ll be in a movie with that guy!’”

The two bonded over how transformative certain movie trailers could be. For Aziz, it was seeing The Matrix for the first time: “You see bullet time and you’re like, ‘What is this?!’” Keanu grinned, recognizing the same awe he once felt for Star Wars.

Aziz went on to describe seeing Blade Runner at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, accompanied by a live synth score — a truly immersive experience. Keanu wrapped up by recalling a screening of Harold and Maude at a repertory theater as a teenager: “There’s a scene where he pretends to chop off his arm with a hatchet, and I’ve never laughed so hard in my life. It was sublime.”

What began as a simple “Four Favorites” game turned into something deeper — a celebration of how movies can shape us, move us, and stay with us long after the lights come up.