#peteratencio

In the wake of Chappelle’s Show ending its run at Comedy Central, I found myself wary of the self-perceived ‘opportunists’ that took advantage of the vacuum created by Dave Chappelle’s absence from the scene he reigned over.  Among these acts that I shunned were Key and Peele, a comedy duo with whom I was halfway familiar (as Keegan-Michael Key has made numerous TV and independent film appearances I am aware of).  I was late to the party, but over time, I began to recognize the now obvious genius of Jordan Peele, and the movie that really brought it all together for me was Keanu.   

A pair of mysterious men walk into the Diaz Church, home of King Diaz (Ian Casselberry) and his cartel, and murder everyone and (nearly) everything that moves.  The only survivor is Iglesias, a small kitten with a huge personality that the mysterious Allentown Brothers (Key and Peele) immediately take a liking to.  The connection is short-lived, however, as the police arrive, momentarily distracting the Brothers while Iglesias takes off on his own.  He ends up on the doorstep of Rell (Peele), fresh off of a breakup and looking for consolation, where he is re-dubbed Keanu.  Two weeks later, on a weekend where Rell plans to spend time with his cousin Clarence (Key), a mysterious break-in results in the kidnapping of Keanu, much to the dismay of Rell, who immediately shakes down his drug dealing neighbor Hulka (Will Forte) for answers.  Hulka leads the pair to HPV, a strip club run by Cheddar (Method Man), leader of the 17th Street Blips and drug kingpin in the making, where the pair find Keanu.  Cheddar enlists the duo, who he mistakingly assumes to be the Allentown Brothers, to mentor Hi-C (Tiffany Haddish) and her crew so that they can run the streets, and in exchange, he promises to return Keanu to them.  In over their heads, Rell and Clarence must see things out in order to safely bring Keanu home.

This movie feels like someone pulled an old, dusty script off the shelf and allowed Key and Peele to go to town with the red pen.  Lots of aspects feel extremely familiar, dare I say trope-esque, but the duo (and the rest of the cast) brilliantly breathes new life into these old forms.  The observations that the duo make on black middle class versus black criminal class are mined to their infinite depths for laughs, with many coming at the voluntary expense of Key and Peele as target.  Some of the meta-humor that jumps out of nowhere is both shocking and perfectly played, complete with cameos by Anna Farris and Keanu Reeves that will not be forgotten.  Clarence’s trip via the drug Holy Shit is easily, hands down one of the best drug scenes ever committed to film, and almost a beat-by-beat re-creation of what it feels like to be high and lost inside your own mind.  Even the George Michael ‘father figure’ joke and the team building through-line come back to pay off.

We’d also be remiss if we did not focus on the star of the show, Keanu himself.  This may just be the most adorable cat that has ever graced the silver screen.  Whether he’s in standard cat form or gangstered up, Keanu is easily by far the cutest thing on the screen at any given point.  When the cat has his hero moment, it will simultaneously make you cheer and possibly explode from the cuteness overload.  Plain and simple, if you see this film for no other reason, see it for the titular character.

For a comedy, the action set pieces truly do stand out.  The gunfights alternate between extremely raw and highly stylized, some of the action beats come from out of nowhere, and even the car chase at the end of the film provides both thrills and laughs.  The narrative is open enough to allow a malleable story, as well as open enough to let everyone with comedic chops to flex their muscle, which gives the film the dynamics it needs in order to keep audiences connected and entertained.  While everything grows in terms of ridiculousness, nothing goes so far off base that you lose interest in the movie.

Keegan-Michael Key plays uptight and wound up quite well, which makes his transitions to Shark Tank work well, as his caricature mode plays perfectly opposite.  Jordan Peele has a quiet confidence that he exudes, creating an easily palatable connection between himself and the audience, and his jokes land the most consistently of everyone in the film.  Tiffany Haddish brings a strong performance as Hi-C, setting aside her normal over-the-top goofiness for more precisely delivered comedic beats.  Method Man ramps up the intensity for his character, eschewing his normal boisterous personality for that of a coiled snake ready to strike.  The group of henchman, comprised of Jason Mitchell, Darrell Britt-Gibson and Jamar Malachi Neighbors, play closer to realistic than comical, but each has a believably funny moment or two that they can relish in.  Appearances by Nia Long, Will Forte, Rob Huebel and Luis Guzman, plus a cameo by Anna Faris and a voice cameo by Keanu Reeves, round out the affair.