Review of Keanu (2016) by Patrick L — 29 Jan 2017

"There is nothing here that's remotely funny, "Keanu" is a complete wash-out.".

DVD Movie Review: Keanu.

Date Viewed: August 9 2016.

Directed By Peter Atencio.

Written By Jordan Peele and Alex Reubens.

Starring: Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key, Method Man, Will Forte, Nia Long, Tiffany Haddish, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Jason Mitchell, Jamar Malachi Neighbors, Rob Huebel and Luis Guzman.

The new comedy "Keanu" doesn't do any favors because it centers on just one joke, a cute little kitten gets kidnapped by gangsters and the pair of stoner friends who want their kitty back. The main actors here are Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, the comedic duo who are widely known for their Comedy Central skit show "Key & Peele". I never watched the show but I heard it's pretty funny, as for their comedic vehicle together, it's a complete wash-out. There is nothing here that's remotely funny.

I really wanted to laugh at this movie, I really did but the only thing missing here is the comedy. Where is it in "Keanu"? Oddly enough, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele got their start on the comedy scene on another sketch show MadTV. When "Key and Peele" took off, it seemed obvious that they were going to have future movie careers. "Key & Peele" are not on the road to Hollywood success yet but I believe that these guys can be funny, they just need to find scripts that suit them well.

The movie starts with a cute little kitten running away from a shootout between a Mexican drug cartel and a pair of assassins named the "Allentown Boys". After everyone inside the drug factory gets killed by the boys, the cute little kitty runs for dear life and finds a new owner in Rell (Peele), a stoner and movie-buff who just got dumped by his girlfriend. When his best bud and cousin, Clarence (Key) comes over to comfort him, he sees that Rell is feeling better and is astonished by the cute sight of Rell's kitten who he names Keanu.

Rell takes care of his new pet and he even takes pictures of Keanu in various famous scenes from classic movies and puts them on monthly calendars. One night, when Rell and Clarence go out to see a Liam Neeson movie, they go back to see the house ransacked and no Keanu in sight. They learn from their weed dealer and next-door neighbor, Hulka (Will Forte) that Keanu was catnapped by a crime gang led by Cheddar (Method Man).

In order to infiltrate the gang, Rell and Clarence adopt "gangsta" personas and pretend to be gang members named "Tectonic" and "Shark Tank". While being technically part of the gang, they encounter Hi-C (Tiffany Haddish), Cheddar's second-in-command who gets skeptical of the two but decides to let them meet the gang leader. Rell and Clarence see Keanu but Cheddar has now named him New Jack (obviously because Cheddar is a fan of the 1991 Wesley Snipes movie "New Jack City").

Meanwhile, the Allentown Boys (who are weirdly played by Key and Peele in a dual role) are searching for the kitty as well and we learn that the cat's former owner was Mexican drug boss King Diaz who was killed by the boys. Now King Diaz's cousin, Bacon (Luis Guzman) wants to find and keep the cat for himself but Keanu really belongs to Rell because a cute little kitty like him shouldn't really be around drug enforcers or gang members for that matter. Oh yeah, Clarence also has a wife (Nia Long) and daughter but they are off on vacation with the husband and daughter of a family friend and have little screen time with nothing to do so let's get them out of the way.

This premise might've worked as a sketch on Key & Peele's show but as a movie not so much. The screenplay by Peele and Alex Reubens had plenty of room for the story and characters to develop but we are stuck with lame jokes involving gangster stuff and George Michael. Don't get me wrong, the little kitten is cute and there is a game comedic cast on display here but "Keanu" ends up being a missed opportunity for everyone involved.

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele are funny actors, I'm sure they'll have a better comedic vehicle in the future but "Keanu" is a comedy that feels tired and uninspiring.