[yasr_overall_rating]
Friends hatch a plot to retrieve a stolen kitten by posing as drug dealers for a street gang.
“Keanu,” the new offering from comic duo Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key, takes viewers back to the heyday of 80s buddy action-comedies such as “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Lethal Weapon.” The differences lie in the time period and the simple fact that “Keanu” is a lot more funny than those classics. After two invincible gangsters shoot up a local drug operation, they take the dealer’s cat, an impossibly cute kitten who escapes and ends up finding Rell Williams (Jordan Peele), a down-and-out stoner depressed about losing his girlfriend. The two immediately bond, and life is better. Until, that is, the local drug kingpin, Cheddar (an excellent turn by Method Man), breaks in and takes the cat, who’s been given the name Keanu by Rell. Rell enlists the help of his “way too white,” people pleasing, George Michael listening friend Clarence Goobril (Keegan-Michael Key). Chaos ensues as the duo attempts to “go gangsta” in their quest, all while driving a mini-van.
While acting isn’t the point in comedies like this, Key and Peele, along with a good supporting cast, amp up the laughs and even keep the plot somewhat believable until the final 40 minutes or so. Tiffany Hadish delivers as gangster Hi-C, a dangerous woman with a few big secrets to hide. She’s a perfect straight woman to Key and Peele’s bumbling middle class men, who are in way over their heads. Rounding out the group, and providing some of the funniest moments, are gangsters Trunk (Darrell Britt-Gibson), Bud (Jason Mitchell) and Stitches (Jamar Malachi Neighbors). Without the interplay between these actors and Key, much of the film becomes just another stupid attempt at comedy. Will Forte as weed dealer Hulka and Louis Guzman as Latino kingpin Bacon offer some nice moments as well. Nia Long (playing weekender Hannah Goobril) makes the most of her few comic lines. Much of the comedy works, not because the jokes are great, but because the timing and delivery hit the mark time and again.
Director Peter Atencio, working from a script by Jordan Peele and Alex Rubens, holds the story together well until absurdity takes over in the last 45 minutes. His direction is successful because he takes a script full of completely unbelievable plotlines and creates a fun, funny night at the movies. Anyone going into a film like this looking for believable plot and highly intelligent dialogue will be disappointed. “Keanu” is tailor made for the masses and should be a great success in that department. Sometimes the jokes seem obvious or just plain simple minded, but we laugh anyway because the entire atmosphere of the film lends itself to fun. The fact that this film entertained me so much is a testimony to Atencio’s skill as a director and Key and Peele’s ability to deliver over and over again until you just have to laugh.
While the general plot is pretty absurd, the characters themselves pull the audience into the film. The script offers some attempts at touching on issues such as “blackness” and whether or not George Michael is a great artist. The issue of “blackness” fails to resonate as it gets lost in a chaotic mess of gang-banging. However, “Keanu” make the best use of George Michael’s music in a very long time. In fact, the film’s best moments surround Goobril’s attempts to convince his newfound thug friends that George Michael is a visionary.
“Keanu” delivers a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed it overall. It’s not perfect by any measure, but films like this rarely are. The point is to laugh, enjoy time with your friends and come out of the theater feeling better than when you went into it. In these areas, “Keanu” succeeds.
In theaters April 29th
