Diane Keaton’s Favorite Film Let Her Lock Lips With Keanu Reeves — And Another Hollywood Legend
Annie Hall made her an Oscar winner and a fashion icon, but Diane Keaton’s favorite role is the 2003 rom-com Something’s Gotta Give.
When people think Diane Keaton, they think Annie Hall. Oscar win, turtlenecks and ties, the whole vibe. But if you asked her which role she loved most, she didn’t point to the one that made her a fashion icon. She picked the 2003 rom-com Something's Gotta Give. Her reason? It’s wonderfully simple and very Diane.
Why her heart belongs to Something's Gotta Give
In Nancy Meyers’ beach-house romance, Keaton plays Erica Barry, a sharp, successful playwright who ends up in a love triangle with Jack Nicholson and Keanu Reeves. The movie was a legit hit, got Keaton another Oscar nomination, and reminded everyone why her brand of charm never goes out of style.
She once explained to the BBC (as relayed by Express UK) why it’s her personal favorite. It boils down to sharing the screen — and some kisses — with two very different Hollywood legends:
It’s the best of all possible worlds for me. Not only do I get to kiss Keanu Reeves and have a big romance with him, but I also get to have the same experience with Jack! He’s the original bad boy so that’s about as exciting as it gets.
You can see the appeal. One movie, two iconic leading men, maximum swoon factor. No notes.
- Director: Nancy Meyers
- Main cast: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Frances McDormand, Amanda Peet, Jon Favreau
- Rotten Tomatoes score: 72%
- Runtime: 2h 8m
- Currently streaming in the US: Prime Video, Apple TV
The funniest career goal she ever shared
Keaton had a running joke about her on-screen love life that feels perfectly in line with her free-spirited, slightly mischievous personality. On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she said she wasn’t gunning for the most awards — she wanted the record for most kisses with men in movies. Her target number? 50. At the time, she’d tallied 18, and she was unapologetically ambitious about it:
What I’ve decided that I would like as my goal in life is to be the woman in films who has had the most kisses with men on film. I’m thinking that maybe 50 is what I’m going for... I have done exactly... more like 18. I have a long way to go.
Was she serious? Half and half. But it says a lot about how she approached her career: with joy, curiosity, and a willingness to laugh at the job even while doing it better than almost anyone.
Off-screen: no wedding, plenty of life
Despite playing romantics for decades and dating some of the biggest names (Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, Al Pacino), Keaton never married — by choice. In her 50s, she adopted two children, Dexter and Duke, and often said motherhood gave her a new kind of love and purpose. She was also candid about stepping away from dating later in life; as she told AARP, it just wasn’t happening anymore and she was fine with that:
I don’t date. Highly unlikely. I don’t remember anyone calling me, going, 'This is So-and-So. I’d like to take you out.' They don’t happen. Of course not.
She consistently emphasized that she enjoyed her independence and didn’t feel lonely.
A note on her passing
As reported, Diane Keaton passed away on October 11, 2025, at the age of 79. The cause of death has not been shared publicly. The body of work — and the unapologetically Diane way she moved through the world — speak for themselves.
Where do you land on Something's Gotta Give? Team Keanu, Team Jack, or just Team Erica Barry forever? And how do you rank Keaton’s performance among her best?