'Keanu' A Review

Keanu is an action comedy about two cousins in search of their lost cat. The film opens on two black clad assassins shooting up a drug processing facility, the kitten of one of the criminals escapes the carnage and finds his way to Rell(Jordan Peele). Fresh off a break up Rell falls hard and fast for the kitten naming him Keanu. Rell's cousin Clarence(Keegan-Michael Key) is an up-tight family-focused man who consider's going to a movie with his cousin a night out. When Rell's apartment is broken into and Keanu stolen Rell and Clarence set out to get the kitty back whatever the cost.

Key and Peele smoothly transition their sit-com chemistry to effortless big screen magnetism. They convey the emotional honesty of their characters while periodically ramping up into into delightful absurdism. The two actors have a short hand and a rapport which you just want to watch, their's is clearly a joyful collaboration and you can't help but get caught up in that energy. There are some great supporting turns Will Forte as rinky-dink drug dealer Hulka, Method Man as pet-loving gangster Cheddar, an insane cameo by Anna Faris, Nia Long as Clarence's wife Hannah, and Tiffany Haddish as HI-C a gangster and Rell's love interest. Haddish gives a grounded performance with sharp edges and heart, a nice balance to some of the other broader turns. Both Long and Haddish are refreshingly age-appropriate.

There is a propulsiveness to both the low-key percussive comedy and the increasingly large action sequences. The story mines identity politics and the increasingly heightened(almost parody) violence for comedy and ultimately provides a satisfying transformation for its two leads. But it never sells out the story, the action, or the humor. The film plays all the notes, all without pretense or fakery. It would probably be a mistake to call a film like Keanu authentic given its somewhat ridiculous plot but even so there is an honesty and commitment throughout that make the big and small moments not only believable but incredibly fun.

Infectious and playful, thrilling and smart.

See It.