Keanu (2016)

Friends hatch a plot to retrieve a stolen kitten by posing as drug dealers for a street gang. (Source-Imdb.com)

Keanu Official Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_zLEi_Sk3Y

Key & Peele, formally known as Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, is the most recent comedy duo in current entertainment to be getting the limelight in their own feature film. Their creative minds amused audiences with their first collaboration work, their sitcom show Key & Peele. Now they've surprised their fans with their first movie Keanu, a story of heart and sacrifice and two friends risk their lives to get back what is theirs: that in particular, is their adorable kitten who is named, as the title reads, Keanu. 

Having a movie being made by well-known and arguably funny comedians can be a risky business. Even the funniest people don't end up making the most graceful transitions onto the big screen. So did Key & Peele end up being no exception and have its viewing audience want to claw their eyes our or did they bring their A-game and make the purr-fect movie? 

Personally, I found Keanu to be a hilarious piece of work. The theater was laughing boisterously to a lot of the jokes made and the story was simple enough to follow and funny enough to have me grinning ear to ear, yet there were a few issues that I couldn't help but notice. 

I felt like there were a few plot twists that came literally out of nowhere, there was no clue how this twist could have happened and I feel like it was thrown into the movie at the last minute. Also, they leave very few but still noticeable things unexplained by the end of the movie, so I was confused about what exactly happened to certain characters or what happened during a scene. 

In addition, I felt like some scenes were trying too hard, even for the circumstances the characters were in. For example, the main character must be apart of a gang to get their cat back and they have to act tough in front of them. They are not normally very outspoken or swear often, so it makes sense why they behave strange when around the gang members. However, there was a part of me that was thinking that a couple scenes went on for too long and they went from being funny to obnoxious. 

Aside from that, I don't have many complaints with Keanu. I think Key & Peele's acting ability shows but doesn't shine in this movie, however, that's something that can be easily strengthened with time. Considering that this is their first movie, Key & Peele did an excellent job.

Again, it was easy to follow and the jokes were mostly a hit and very laugh-worthy. A lot of the jokes were about the characters behaving awkwardly or they try to pass off as being a gangster, so if you don't mind awkward-humor, this movie is up your alley. 

Overall, I would consider this to be a 6/10, not the greatest film in existence, but definitely not horrible. It can be a funny movie to watch with your friends (and family, if you're comfortable with the swearing and minor nudity) about characters going through outrageous lengths to save a kitten. Its humor is great, can be a bit obnoxious, but it doesn't ruin the fun. I wouldn't consider buying the DvD because this feels like a movie you'd watch a couple times and then forget. I would recommend renting or watching online instead. 

Great job Key & Peele, you made your fans proud and I personally didn't leave the theater unhappy. Keep up the great work!

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

.

.

.

.

.

I hated the Clarence's daughter. Point blank. They only gave the kid one line, which was said after her father was saying his final words before she went off to her friend's house. All she says is, "Clarence, please stop talking" which automatically made me hate her. I get that that was the intention (that or we were supposed to find it funny) but I can't stand disrespectful children. 

Even so, this wasn't the problem with her character, the problem was that she got no sort of redemption. When Clarence grows a pair and is strong enough to act like how he wants, they should have gotten the daughter to face her father and have her get chastised, smacked, or even a small apology could've sufficed. But nope, we just get the daughter talking that one time and we never hear from her again.

The story behind Clarence's wife being uncomfortable around their friend seemed out of nowhere because they didn't explain what exactly happened that made her upset. Yes, I could assume that the friend was flirted with her, but I wanted to see it happen instead of them just saying it happened. Plus, I feel like it would've made the movie stronger if they used this side story as a way to incorporate the family friend into the gang violence; he could have been a secret gang member or the mastermind behind the whole 'kidnapping Keanu' scandal. 

Hi-C's reveal as a cop confused me too, it was another one of those moments that came out of nowhere. I may've missed some valuable information because I really didn't buy that she could've been a real cop that whole time. 

That's all.