Director:Â Peter Atencio
Cast: Jordan Peele,  Keegan-Michael Key,  Tiffany Haddish, Method Man,  Darrell Britt-Gibson,  Jason Mitchell
Rating:Â 15
Running time:Â 100 mins
Release Date:Â 15/07/2016
As a massive fan of Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele (aka Key & Peele), the bar was set high for the dynamic duo’s first big screen venture. Peele and co-writer for KEY & PEELE Alex Rubens penned KEANU, so I had high hopes that this wasn’t going to be another generic action comedy.
Much like Schrodinger’s cat, I didn’t know if this film would be alive until the cinema curtains opened. The main trailer for KEANU was extremely promising, but like many trailers these days, I feared the rest of the film would not live up to the hype.
KEANU half succeeds in creating something original, but it wavers and ultimately struggles to break through to the next level. The film is stuck in limbo between having the potential to have been a smash hit and just being that film that made you chuckle a few times.
The premise of KEANU is sound; Key & Peele team up whilst pretending to be legendary killers ‘The Allentown Boys’ to get back adorable catnapped Keanu from the clutches of hardened gangster Cheddar (Method Man). The movie consists of them running around from one mess to another and training thugs as payment for Keanu. In fact you could put Key & Peele in almost any situation and they would be able to churn out a laugh riot, at least in theory.
Whilst KEANU is by no means a hairball, taking into consideration the talent involved I was hoping for something that was more tightly constructed and would leave me laughing throughout. Instead there was more grinning than breathless laughter and I feel like they are capable of so much more.
In the U.S they are lauded for their short sketch based comedy that launched them to new heights of fame. I would go as far to say that they are two of this generation’s finest comedians and proof of that is in almost every KEY & PEELE sketch produced.
The racially charged humour the film exudes may struggle to translate at times but for the most part it is the milk and cheese of the film. Key & Peele’s comedic intuition shines through in many scenes, but it never quite gains the traction it needs.
The first half of KEANU is much stronger than the second, and it is in the second half that the plot and flow of the film becomes more disjointed. Without giving anything away, loose ends are wrapped up awkwardly and although this was done for comic effect, it just seemed to miss the mark by a whisker.
Despite some of my misgivings, KEANU is assuredly better than most of the other low budget action comedies I have seen. Overall, it is a fun watch that delivers a healthy dose of action comedy.
Verdict:Â
