Hot Take: Keanu

Hot Take: If you didn’t laugh your ass off watching Keanu, I don’t think you and I can be friends.

Full disclosure: Keanu was our most anticipated release of 2016.

Have you had a bad week? Do you need a laugh? Keanu has plenty. And a cute kitten to go with those laughs! What more could you ask for?

Key and Peele’s first feature film together is a non-stop laugh riot. I have to be honest, I don’t know how good the plot was. I was too busy laughing at the ridiculous antics of the stars and even if neither Key nor Peele were on screen, I could have watched that kitten on screen for 100 minutes without hesitation.

I was late to the Key and Peele party. Having never seen an episode of their Comedy Central sketch comedy show, it wasn’t until the trailer for Keanu that I became familiar with their comedy. Since then, I’ve devoured about 1/3 of their segments available on YouTube. From what I’ve seen, if you love their brand of humor, you won’t be disappointed in Keanu.

If there’s one criticism, it’s the fact that the trailer and marketing oversells the kitten who plays a major role in the first and third acts of the film but is relatively invisible throughout the second act. This is a Key and Peele movie and the kitten is the catalyst (get it?) that drives the story forward. Even though it might not have worked, finding more ways to crowbar the titular cat on the screen would not have been unwelcome.

Keanu is so obviously ridiculous, it’s easy to let go of being overly analytical toward it’s plot points. The last film to pull this off with such a flair was probably The Hangover. It’s one of those movies that you’ll likely never turn off when it find it’s way to cable television. You’re going to buy that calendar, too.

“Spoiler Free” Pros

• The Chemistry of Key and Peele
  The comedy duo are dynamic and dynamite on the big screen. There’s always a fear that it won’t translate to the big screen but the pair knows just how long they can stretch out a joke and the exact moment when it’s time to move forward.
• That Cat
  Okay, so that cat was played by many cats but whenever that cat is on screen it’s enjoyable. He’s adorable and his talents of running and jumping and meowing and napping are front and center.
• There’s Some Smart Humor Sprinkled In
  The spoofing of the action genre that takes place is as much a send up of the genre as it is an homage.
• The Cameos
  There are a few cameos in the film. Unfortunately, there’s no Liam Neesons but the other cameos are extremely funny.

“Spoiler Free” Cons

• I’m Sure There’s One But I Can’t Think of One Right Meow
  Maybe I’ll go see it again and let you know? Sounds good!