Review of Keanu (2016) by Mark L — 01 May 2016

A sketch nearly stretched to the breaking point, some of Keanu's comedy comes on like a lion and some of its comedy comes on like a, well, kitten but moviegoers never lose sight of the undeniable talents of funnymen Key and Peele. Having kept audiences in stiches via the small screen with hilarious sketches like "Obama's Anger Translator" and "Substitute Teacher," they now focus their comedic powers on the big screen with an overlong, er, longer sketch with mostly successful results. The remise - in politically correct terms, two white collar suburbanites go full gangsta' to rescue a cute pet - involves a lot of the twosome fronting a pronounced 'hood rat stereotype. This, they accomplish beautifully, switching between "gee whiz" soccer dad talk and Crips/Bloods street slang with scary ease. It's their gags, however, that prove more hit and miss.

In this R-rated comedy, two friends (Key, Peele) hatch a plot to retrieve a stolen kitten by posing as drug dealers for a street gang.

Though you can't take your eyes off of this ridiculously funny comedy team, some of the bits that they're performing end up in a chalk outline. Others, meanwhile (the name of a strip club continually gets belly laughs and Key's love of George Michael makes for some side-splitting business), achieve a bullseye. For all of these good graces, the predictable and overblown climax smacks of recycling. Overall and despite this, however, this duo makes you want for more. It took four years for them to bring their A-Game to the big screen and one somehow feels cheated that their act hasn't hit cinemas sooner. Hopefully, Keanu is just a warm-up.

Bottom line: Mew Jack City.