If nothing else, that's what I took away from Keanu, the new buddy comedy from the Key and Peele comedy duo. And it sure feels like an extended Key & Peele sketch, written by Jordan Peele and fellow Key & Peele writer Alex Rubens, also directed by Key & Peele director Peter Anencio. Needless to say, if you enjoy Key & Peele, you'll enjoy Keanu.
The premise of the movie is simple enough. Rell (Peele) is depressed over a bad breakup. His cousin, Clarence (Key) is trying to cheer him up. Rell finds an adorable kitten he decides to keep and name Keanu. One day, Rell's house is broken into and Keanu is taken by a local gang leader. So, Rell and Clarence infiltrate the Los Angeles criminal underworld in order to get Keanu back.
The exact beats of the story aren't all that original or surprising. This is a comedy and the jokes carry the movie. Key and Peele are a fantastic comedy duo. It's rare that you get two performers as familiar with working together as these two and it shows. They know exactly how to set each other up and to punctuate the other's jokes. Comedians simply don't work together this much and this closely, which makes them special. Their perspective is fairly unique too. They're black nerds, basically. The soundtrack is all hip-hop, but there's still room for endless George Michael callbacks. The N-word is used a lot, but that also never look comfortable saying it. I think that sums up the tone. Like their show, the jokes in Keanu are hit or miss with a lot more hits than misses. I had numerous belly laughs and even the worst jokes were at least amusing. The story doesn't get in the way of the comedy, which is all I can ask for in something like this.
But, really, what we all want to talk about is the cat. That thing is cute. A lot of that must've been computerized, in which they did a great job. It looks quite believable. I was surprised by that. While Keanu gets the name in the movie, he's really not in that much of the film. His abduction is what sets the movie off, but this is much more the story of two men infiltrating a gang than it is an odyssey to reunite a man and his pet.
I really enjoyed Keanu for what it was. It is very funny, filled with as many big slapstick moments as throwaway zingers. Key and Peele play off one another so well and naturally. There's a cute cat too. What more do you need? The only downside I can find is that the story is completely insignificant and at times it is written more like a sketch show than a feature. So funny though.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
No comments:
Post a Comment