Undercover brothers
BY JONATHAN KANE
“Keanu,” the ghetto/action/buddy parody that pokes fun at its namesake (who also makes an appearance in the film), will delight fans of their critically praised and highly successful and now defunct Comedy Central show, Key and Peele.
Unfortunately, I never saw the show, so I was left to take it in with a more critical eye. Surprisingly, the film succeeds and stands on its own, delivering laughs that sometimes can be hit or miss, and relying on the considerable talents of its two leads and writers of the film – Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key.
The main problem with the film, though, is its thin plot that stretches on a bit too long. But Peter Atencio directs its two stars admirably, perhaps because he directed all 55 episodes of their TV series. Key and Peele’s chemistry, though, is the rock that holds things together and is finely tuned going all the way back to their years on Mad TV.
In “Keanu,” they play two cousins from the suburbs, distinctly lacking in street cred. Peele, a stoner, is recovering from a bad breakup when an adorable kitten arrives at his door. The surprise is that the cat once belonged to a gang leader. When the cat is kidnapped, the journey is on for the duo to find him. It first leads to a very funny Will Forte, as a weed dealer, that leads the pair to Cheddar (Method Man), leader of the 17th Street Blips, formed by former members of the Bloods and Crips.
The funny moments come in the sharp look at black culture, especially as it’s imagined by Hollywood. Especially noteworthy is Key’s very funny transformation from suburban dad to full-throttle hood and gang member. Overall, it’s entertaining, but certainly never rises to great.