Lightning Review: Keanu

Synopsis
After Rell (Jordan Peele) goes through a rough breakup, he finds a kitten outside his door and names him Keanu. One night, he comes home to find his home burglarized and Keanu kidnapped. Together with his cousin, Clarence (Keegan-Michael Key), they go to get Keanu back from the Seventeenth Street Blips gang.

Review
I am a huge fan of the show Key & Peele. I have seen every episode of seasons one through three multiple times each and most of seasons four and five. To say I was excited for a full length movie starring the show’s two leading men, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, is an understatement. You might say that I had high expectations for Keanu but thankfully it was able to live up to those expectations. The reason their show is so great is because of the chemistry Key and Peele have. Sure, the sketches are pretty funny but it wouldn’t matter if the two leads didn’t work well together. Watching Keanu was like watching an extended Key & Peele sketch. Their charm, wit, and comedic timing translate well from five minute skits to a ninety minute feature. It felt like Keanu was written similar to one of the show’s sketches where it was focused on the two main characters. There aren’t any extra subplots, there aren’t any extra scenes, there isn’t anything to detract from Rell’s (Peele) and Clarence’s (Key) story to get their kitten back. It concentrated on exactly what the audience wanted to see. And of course there was a cameo from Keanu Reeves, or at least his voice anyway. How fitting!

I thought Keanu was GREAT :-D. It is just as absurd and entertaining as anything Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have done together before. If you are a fan of their show, or them in general, you’re going to have a great time with this film.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Peter Atencio – Director
Jordan Peele – Writer
Alex Rubens – Writer
Steve Jablonsky – Composer
Nathan Whitehead – Composer

Jordan Peele – Rell Williams / Oil Dresden
Keegan-Michale Key – Clarence Goobril / Smoke Dresden
Tiffany Haddish – Hi-C
Method Man – Cheddar
Darrel Britt-Gibson – Trunk
Jason Mitchell – Bud
Jamar Malachi Neighbors – Stitches
Will Forte – Hulka
Nia Long – Hannah
Rob Huebel – Spencer
Luis Guzman – Bacon