From 5 minute sketches to a feature length film, Key and Peele prove they’re more than just skit-stars.
“From the visionary minds of Key & Peele”, one of craziest and funniest films of the year not only gets you to watch a film about two men joining a drug war to save a kitten, but also love it.
Keanu follows cousins Rell (Jordan Peele – Key and Peele, Wanderlust) and Clarence (Keegan-Michael Key – Key and Peele, Let’s Be Cops) as they test how far one would go for a pet. When Rell’s girlfriend breaks up with him, he thinks that his life is over and that nothing makes sense. However when a stray kitten arrives at his door he finds new meaning in his life. Deciding to name it Keanu, Rell’s void is filled with affection and adorably fluffy reasoning, until everything goes South. Again. Upon returning from a trip to the cinema with Clarence – who is dealing with his own marital problems – he discovers that his house has been robbed and Keanu is missing. Once again feeling like his world has been taken away, he and Clarence go to crazy lengths (such as becoming part of a gang) to find Keanu and bring him home again.
Considering the fact that the majority of people only know of one person on this planet with the name ‘Keanu’, your mind probably went straight to Keanu Reeves (if not then you need to watch more films). This acknowledgement then goes hand in hand with the similarities that this film holds to one of Reeves’ latest hits, John Wick, a film in which he plays John Wick, a retired hitman whose recently deceased wife leaves him a puppy as company, however when a cocky mobster steals his car and kills his dog he polishes off his equipment and hunts him down. Considering how similar this sounds to the plot of Keanu, as well as Key & Peele’s comedic style, it would be reasonable to assume that they took some inspiration from it. Although, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Key and Peele stated that they were already writing Keanu before John Wick was released and were ‘kind of like, “Oh, my God. This is crazy. There’s a movie that has a very similar process that stars Keanu.’ This does seem like a huge coincidence, and the two never explained why the cat is called Keanu, but the likelihood is that we are unlikely to receive further confirmation of this fact, especially if it was genuinely based on said film.
The main concern with this film was the concept of it being a ‘show-to-film’ transformation and how they are risky investments, a very reasonable assumption given the recent example of Absolutely Fabulous. However this time is a perfect example of when risks payoff significantly. Instead of feeling like an over-exaggerated episode that’s been stretched out to 100 mins, it felt like an extended Christmas special with all of the best bits. It’s narrative structure and pacing easily stands up against and above a lot of other films, adding to the feeling that they’ve written and made feature films before.
Naturally, Key and Peele were both on top form, both delivering perfect performances which both humorous and serious as and when it was required. As this is an action comedy with a fairly dark narrative, they both portray slightly feminine and non-masculine characters to set the comedic tone for the film. On top of that, it also leaves a lot of comfy room for character development. As the third and most enticing cast member, the cat (whose real name has not been announced, I imagine there are more than one) is extremely well trained and potentially the most adorable kitten I’ve ever seen. Personally I’m a dog person and am not a huge fan of cats, but every time this cat is on-screen you can’t help but go “Aaaaaaaaaaw!”.
One of my personal favourite moments outside of the film is within its marketing. Upon getting closer to its release, many ‘variant’ posters were released, and by variant I mean parodies of other films. Whether these are official or entirely fan made I am unsure, but either way they were very popular and equally hilarious. Some examples are:
As for the film however, there are so many funny moments that it’s almost impossible to choose a favourite moment. In true Key & Peele style, they deliver humour consistently without it being overdone or becoming tedious. They also manage to mix it up smoothly in terms of the type of humour, i.e. one liners, contextual, etc. It is genuinely one of the funniest films of the last few years, and will have you laughing even when you least expect it!
To make sure that they’re style was delivered in Keanu, it was directed by Peter Atencio (The Rig, The Last Man on Earth) who has also directed all of Key & Peele’s shorts and skits, basically being the secret third member of the duo. This also means that upon being formatted as a film, it wasn’t over dramatized but instead managed to maintain the same feeling and atmosphere associated with their show.
For some added tension and cinematic style, the score was created by Steve Jablonsky (Transformers, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands) and Nathan Whitehead (The Purge: Anarchy, Transformers: Dark of the Moon). At first I was expecting a light-hearted soundtrack to ease off the weight of the action and tension (before I that they were behind it), but what was delivered was far better. Potentially one of the most effective soundtracks this year, it is full of dramatic and atmosphere setting songs that add to the action, authenticating the adrenaline pumping scenes and engaging dramatic moments.
Overall, Keanu is a hilarious action-comedy that finds the right balance between the two. With all jokes delivering perfectly, you will be engaged and in fits from start to finish, providing you are not offended by explicit and racially specific language!
8.2/10
P.S. Not only should wait until the credits have finished rolling, but make sure to watch out for a very perfectly placed voice!
Watch the Red-Band trailer here (explicit language):
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