Keanu (2016)
Action, Comedy
Directed by: Peter Atencio
If you haven't already watched the five seasons of Key & Peele, a brilliant sketch comedy show that aired on Comedy Central until its completion last year, then you are missing out on some of the best comedy of the modern age. What at first looked like a rip-off of Chapelle's Show quickly blossomed into the most ground breaking comedic show on T.V. Its two stars, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, being the entire reason for that have since left the show behind to move on to greener pastures, and by that I mean movies.
Anyone who watched their show knew from the start that these two guys love movies, plain and simple. From simple sketches like the valet parking guys who love to go on about their favorite action stars to the way the show was actually made you could tell these guys had film on the mind. So when they announced the show would end last year so they could focus more on that side of their career, no one was that surprised. That brings us to today, when their first feature flick has hit theaters, a wacky action comedy by the name of Keanu.
When I first heard they were making the leap to the big screen I knew whatever they came out with was going to be something cool and original, and in those respects this film succeeds perfectly. Keanu is what Jordan Peele calls their "dream action comedy" and you can see that right from the opening frames. The movie focuses on two cousins, played by Key & Peele, the latter of which has just gone through a tough break-up. His spirits are only lifted when a mysterious kitten shows up on his front door. Peele's character instantly embraces the small animal, naming it Keanu and letting it engulf his entire life.
He's had the kitten for just two weeks when his apartment is broken into and the cat goes missing. With it being the one thing that is keeping him holding on the two cousins immediately set out to find the lost animal. What they thought would be a simple task turns them onto a path of destruction the two never thought they'd find themselves on.
Much like last years Spy, this film is everything we want out of a summer action comedy. These two guys understand comedy as good, if not better than anyone around right now and their unique style allows them to break taboo and address all of the crazy nonsense going on in our society today. From start to finish these two guys have you laughing hysterically and you are never without a smile on your face.
Being a truly funny movie is a tough enough task these days as is, but to go the extra mile and work legitimate action into it as well is even more difficult. If you have watched their show you know they have done this in numerous sketches, some of which looking better than half of the movies you see each summer so this wasn't too big of a stretch for these guys. Keanu opens and closes with two wonderful action sequences that aren't just impressive for a comedy but are exactly what we look for from R rated carnage.
It's no secret that Key & Peele have some of the best chemistry around and it is apparent throughout the entirety of this movie, but you cant carry a ninety minute film on just chemistry alone. This is where Peter Atencio comes in, the guy responsible for directing this wonderfully charming movie as well as most of your favorite Key & Peele episodes. He has seamlessly made the transfer from T.V. to movies and I can only hope he continues to work with these two in the future.The script was also co-written by Alex Rubens who is a veteran writer of the show, his writing partner being Jordan Peele himself and the two did a great job writing a tight script that rarely drags.
Despite how much I have mentioned their sketch show, and the numerous jokes within the film that call back to fan favorite sketches, this movie is totally accessible for someone who has never even heard of these two guys. If you have a taste for absurd comedy there is no reason you cant enjoy this flick with the rest of us. They also populate the rest of the cast with familiar faces like Method Man, Will Forte, Luis Guzman, and Jason Mitchell (Who you may remember form last years fantastic film Straight Outta Compton).
When you go into a summer action/comedy like this there are a few things to look for to decide if it has done its job. First and foremost the jokes have to land and the action has to be impressive, both of which this movie nails. Secondly the film needs to have a solid story and characters the audience can relate to and care about. Not only is this script wonderful and heartfelt but by the end of the film you are right there with the two main characters, you care about what happens to them. To put it simply, they succeeded with this film to the point where I didn't have to spend most of this review talking about how damn cute that kitten is, because it is the cutest animal you have ever seen.
As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!
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