This was the movie I was really excited for last week and I finally got to see it. Key and Peele is the best sketch comedy show that Comedy Central has ever had. Chappelle had some great skits and some of them are still quoted to this day, even years after the show went off the air. But Key and Peele had a wider variety of skits that ran the gamut of topics from the Inner City substitute teacher to the Valets and even the best President Obama impression ever. Did they transfer that comedy genius to the big screen? Well here’s my review.
This wasn’t a straight comedy so don’t expect one. It was funny though but it was more like there was a real gang movie with two suburban guys thrown into the mix. There were a lot of funny moments but there were also some nice action packed scenes too. So sure, it was a comedy, but just not a nonstop one. The jokes were funny but this movie had only a few notes that they hit time and time again. Lucky for them, they were solid notes. What really impressed me was the character growth. Comedies usually just have a character learn a lesson as a plot device and then they’re magically changed. That’s not always a bad thing, but Keanu had set the bar as a comedy set in a serious world so a crescendo of growth helped the movie feel honest.
As usual, Keegan-Michael Key was the flashier more over the top one where Jordan Peele played a subtler character and even though it’s a far fetched and ridiculous concept, I still believed them. Their characters were honest which sucked me into the movie. They weren’t Key and Peele playing roles, they really were Clarence and Rell pretending to be hardened criminals. I’ve heard that comedy is hardest genre to do and if that’s true then these men are a master of their craft. Method Man, former member of the Wu Tang Clan, played Cheddar, the leader of the gang that stole Keanu and he did a solid job. Cheddar, just like the Wu Tang Clan, ain’t nuthin to f… wait, I can’t say there here, can I? The actors who played the other gang members did a good job and I realized this because I liked them and sympathized with them. They even felt redeemable. I think the writing had a lot to do with that, but if the actors can’t make me believe it, then the best writing in the world can’t save them.
The only gripe I had about Keanu was that the climax felt like deus ex machina had a baby with a movie trope. I’m more willing to forgive this because of the movie’s comedic nature. Had this been a straight drama/action film then this would have been a deal breaker, but the disarming quality of the comedy softens the blow. I also would have liked to have seen the interaction between Rell and Clarence and Cheddar’s gang to be played out more, but that could have pushed it into a two hour running time which wouldn’t have been bad for the audience but it probably would have cost them more to make and release.
Keanu was good overall but not great. Even though I hardly had anything bad to say about it, it didn’t blow me away. Maybe I’m comparing it too much to their show, but I wanted it to be a little funnier. I saw Jordan Peele and Alex Ruben’s vision but I just wish there was a little more comedy in it. I still enjoyed it and I’m glad I could show my support for Key and Peele. I hope they make more movies. I do believe this is worth a watch by anyone who’s in the mood for a comedy or any fans of theirs, but this isn’t the kind of movie that needs to be seen in theaters. If you want to kill time and let the crowds for Captain America: Civil War calm down, then sure, see this movie. It’s worth a matinee price or, better yet, wait for it to be released on DVD/Blu-ray so you can buy it once and watch it whenever you want.
Keanu gets a 8.5 out of 11.