That Darn Cat!

Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele and a kitten in "Keanu." Image courtesy Warner Bros.

What surprises most about “Keanu” from the outset is the violence. A parody of films such as “John Wick,” “New Jack City,” and a plethora of crime/revenge films from the last 25 years, the movie opens with a bloodbath and maintains its violence streak. The shock comes from the involvement of stars Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key, two very funny people whose sense of humor is rooted more in absurdity, silliness, and racial analysis than showing guys get shot in the head in the middle of a drug den. Even the last bit of a joke at the end of the opening sequence sets the tone though for what's to come, a movie that will indulge in a little silliness but stays a little too close to what inspired it. “Keanu” centers on a milquetoast suburban father (Key) and his cousin (Peele), who infiltrate a local gang after the latter's cat, Keanu, is kidnapped. Doing so requires them to pretend to be Omar-esque killers, the Allentown Boys, to meet with local drug lord/cat thief Cheddar (Method Man) and his main bruiser, Hi-C (Tiffany Haddish). Despite being very far out of their element, the two manage to pull it off for awhile, even as the people they're pretending to be (also played by Key and Peele) come searching for that cat. Everything comes to a head when an additional party also fights for little Keanu as blood and bullets rain down upon everyone and Will Forte is nearly eaten by a snake.

It’s worth mentioning the eponymous cat in “Keanu” is the most adorable MacGuffin in cinematic history. That kitten is so cute it explains why a cadre of drug dealers, murderers, and people with felonious intents would go out of their way to keep/steal him. It also happens to be the most clever gag the film has to offer, a running joke that a kitten could cause mayhem in a manner befitting Helen of Troy. It's a really weird joke that fits with the sense of humor Peele and Key offered in their Comedy Central program “Key and Peele,” but it works on another level too. There's an old screenwriting trope in which writers have characters save the cat (or some other little act of kindness) as a shortcut to establish heroic tendencies, the logic being a person decent enough to protect a helpless animal can't be too bad of a person. Except, in this case, in which everyone but Peele's geeky stoner Rell Williams – whose morals loosen as the film progresses – is a villain who acts in stereotypical villainous ways. With Keanu, their actions gain a hint of sweetness to them, as their intention shifts from killing wantonly to murdering to protect the cutest kitten imaginable. They become heroic by default, effectively proving the notion that saving the cat grants some heroic qualities to the worst of people; after all, nobody who saves a cat can be an evil man.

If all of “Keanu” were as smart and clever as this central joke, and if the film had probed a little deeper with its analysis of black identity that picks up in the second half before fading , it would be one of the funniest and smartest films in recent memory. For some reason though the film skirts away from the truly scary stuff, happy to revel in wanton violence but afraid to commit to the intelligence it flashes otherwise. It takes the easy route in dealing with the crisis of manhood Key's nebbishy Clarence Goobril faces concerning his wife (played by Nia Long), following the path forged by films like the atrocious “Malibu's Most Wanted” than finding anything interesting to say. The resolution to Peele's romantic subplot with Haddish's Hi-C has a similarly convenient vibe to it, an issue worsened by an overly truncated relationship between the two. Even the humor gets a little too simple from time to time, including one sight repeated gang that is inspired heavily from the film “Neighbors.” For two guys known for comic ingenuity, that comes as a severe letdown.

But there are a few moments when “Keanu” follows through with its bizarre potential and hits some pretty great comedic highs, like a terrific drug trip Key's Clarence undergoes involving an old George Michael music video and a conversation with Keanu's namesake. It’s a strange non sequitur befitting the stars’ sense of humor, as well as an indicator of what the film could be if it was a little less accessible. Then again, it’s impossible to hate a film featuring a cat as sweet as little Keanu.

Review: Three and a half out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: R

Run time: 98 minutes

Genre: Comedy

Ask Away

Target audience: People who enjoyed “Key and Peele.”

Take the whole family?: Considering how many dudes get shot up, along with a few scenes at a strip club, it's best to keep the kids at home.

Theater or Netflix?: You can wait to stream it.

Seriously, how cute is that cat?: It is seriously unfair how adorable little Keanu is. Michael Keegan-Key and Jordan Peele released a video in which they evaluate cats for the role, and while the nature of it is silly, the point remains that casting the correct animal is vital to selling the ridiculous premise. Compare that to a film like “A Talking Cat,” whose cat is so uninspiring the movie uses a different cat on its cover.

Watch this as well?: Visit Youtube to catch some clips from “Key and Peele.” Some of the highlights include the “East/West College Bowl” shorts, “Continental Breakfast,” “Substitute Teacher,” and, my favorite because of how bonkers the entire premise is, “Aerobics Meltdown.”