Review: Keanu

Synopsis:

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, a.k.a. the hugely popular comedy duo Key & Peele, star as Clarence and Rell, two cousins who live in the city but are far from streetwise. When Rell’s beloved kitten, Keanu, is catnapped, the hopelessly straight-laced pair must impersonate ruthless killers in order to infiltrate a street gang and retrieve the purloined feline. But the incredibly adorable kitten becomes so coveted that the fight over his custody creates a gang war, forcing our two unwitting heroes to take the law into their own hands.

What We Thought:

I was really looking forward to Keanu. I am a big fan of Key & Peele and I find both guys really funny outside of that show as well. The concept of the film is funny itself and the trailers always made me laugh. After seeing the film, it’s not quite what I was expecting, but I still really, really enjoyed it.

For their sketch show, skits were short and punch lines very frequent. Because this is a feature length film, they were allowed to pace their jokes so the comedy was a bit different. I was expecting more punch lines, but instead got situational comedy. Instead of laughing at joke after joke, I was laughing at the situations/events going on and laughing at their reactions to those situations/events. I know that sounds like a complaint, but it really isn’t. I still had a lot of fun with the movie.

Both leads, Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key, have different abilities. They are both physical comedians and have great chemistry together, but they have different deliveries, different ways of expressing themselves with facial or body movements. They have a natural back & forth because of those similarities and differences. Years of working together has helped, but you can tell these guys have great comedic timing especially with one another. You can also tell they grew up watching buddy action comedies like Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys and Beverly Hills Cop.

Plus there’s that kitten. Whoever discovered the kittens that play Keanu should be handed an award. To quote Key in the film, “That’s the cutest cat I’ve ever seen in my life.” It is so ridiculously cute. The addition of a cute cat, in over the top action sequences, with two of the best comedic actors going equals a really funny film.

What I also liked about the movie is that it brings up social issues without being super heavy handed about them. As you watch the film, you might not even realize it’s happening. The pair, using comedy, talk about things like being “black” enough, gangster enough, tough enough. They have to change their personas for the gangsters to take them seriously. They make jokes about their speech patterns, sounding like John Ritter and the use of the N-word. There’s a joke about driving a minivan and Keegan-Michael Key introduces the gangsters to the music of George Michael. It’s so funny that you don’t even realize there are lessons being taught. That’s how you do social commentary properly.

If you like Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key, their show Key & Peele, cute cats and buddy action movies, you’ll love Keanu. I did. I clapped and laughed out loud. It’s up there with Deadpool as the funniest films of the year.

Cast & Crew:

• Jordan Peele
• Keegan-Michael Key
• Method Man
• Will Forte

Recommended If You Like:

• Key & Peele
• Buddy Action Movies like Bad Boys/Lethal Weapon
• Adorable Kittens!