MOVIE REVIEW: “KEANU” (R)
How much entertainment value you get out of the new comedy “Keanu” will most likely be dependent on how you feel about its stars, Key and Peele. If you dig this hilarious, energetic, and undeniably likeable duo, chances are this crazy, loose, and irreverent fusion of “John Wick” and “New Jack City” with a cute kitty thrown in for good measure should be right up your alley.
Unlucky in love, Rell Williams (Jordan Peele) finds solace in the form of an adorable kitten he finds on his doorstep. Unbeknownst to him, this sweet little feline, whom he affectionately names “Keanu,” has ties with a negative inner-city element. No matter, though, because Keanu gives Rell an entirely new outlook on life.
Shit gets real when Rell returns home from an evening on the town with bestie Clarence Goobril (Keegan-Michael Key), and discovers that Keanu has been kidnapped. Rell and Clarence immediately spring into action in an effort to find the little guy and return him home to safety. Their inner-city adventure brings them face to face with a nutty pot dealer, a gang of lovable drug-slinging hoods, and a mythical pair of cold-blooded killers (played by two actors you may or may not recognize).
If you hadn’t guessed already, “Keanu” is a Key and Peele vehicle in every sense of the term. This is a loosey-goosey movie, to say the least, and it doesn’t so much as coast along by way of a solid plot structure (there really isn’t much of a script to speak of) as it does on sheer star appeal and the genuine rapport between its immensely likable leads. Seriously, even when Rell and Clarence are throwing each other under the bus, you’ll never doubt their love for one another.
As a happily married, George Michael-loving goofball, Clarence is a supremely nice — if a tad clueless — guy, but when it comes to helping his best friend, he has no problem going full-on gangster. Peele is a bundle of infectious energy here, and he’s a joy to watch. As love-torn lost soul Rell, Peele is equally hilarious, and where his Keanu is concerned, he gives entirely new meaning to the word “unhinged.”
The idea that these two nerds could successfully infiltrate the seedy, crime-plagued underground of the city is a patently ludicrous one, but Key and Peele are so engaging, so energetic, and so appropriately goofy that the last thing a viewer will want to do as they watch the absurdity of it all is question the lack of realism at the heart of this outlandish inner-city adventure.
This is a comedy, but it’s punctuated by spontaneous bursts of violence and scenes of drug use that would be perfectly at home in a movie like “Pineapple Express.” There are certainly scenes that lull and a handful of jokes that fall flat, and a weird and seemingly unnecessary revelation during the climax sort of cheapens a surprisingly ballsy moment that happens earlier in the film. Still, there are plenty of jokes that stick (a 2-for-1 lap dance and an all-you-can-eat buffet at the same classy joint? Sign me up!).
More importantly, though, a lively Key and Peele are charming and have chemistry to spare. They pepper “Keanu” with a ton of film references, and their love for the likes of all things Keanu Reeves proves to be pretty darn irresistible. This creative duo have the same sort of love for geek culture that takes the wonderful collaborations between Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz,” “The World’s End) to such colorful heights. “Keanu” isn’t as clever or as cohesive as those particular films, but it bristles with the same sort of affection. In short, Key and Peele are a ton of fun to watch, and they manage to rise above most of whatever shortcomings this film might have. Translation: Bromance conquers all! Of course, the inclusion of an adorable little furball goes a long way to help make the movie more appealing, too.
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