Keanu (2016)

This is not usually my cup of tea. For me, "action-comedy" translates to "eye roll", and I didn't grow up watching Key & Peele, so their names didn't change my perspective. Despite my hesitation, my partner convinced me to give it a shot with an argument along the lines of "it's about a baby cat! Who doesn't love a movie about a kitten!?".

Screenshot from trailer

Don't let the film poster deceive you, this is not about a kitten who can talk or any other form of personified nonsense (except in one dream sequence, which I'll get to later). This kitten is a totally normal, adorable kitten who just happens to be caught up in a lot of bad situations.

We open on a scene somewhere in Mexico, at the headquarters of a drug cartel doing its work. Enter two scary looking dudes, known as the Allentown Boys, who shoot the lot of them and take all of their money. The only living thing spared is a tiny kitten.

The tiny kitten ends up wandering its way into Rell's (Jordan Peele) life, right when he needs it most: his girlfriend just dumped him, and he has been a mess ever since. Rell loves Keanu, as the kitten has been named, dearly, so when he comes home from hanging with his buddy Clarence (Keegan-Michael Key) to find his apartment trashed and his kitten gone, he is devastated, but quickly turns that devastation to determination to rescue Keanu.

The movie takes many turns; it had the pacing of an action movie, a strong central story line, well-placed recurring gags, and a sense of urgency on the part of both Rell and Clarence that was ridiculous but believable. It had laughs for everybody and, like my boy said, who doesn't love a movie about a kitten? The film kept my attention and continued to build upon itself until its conclusion, never letting a boring minute go by.

There were a few stand-out scenes and performances, including Anna Faris playing herself as a drugged-out thrill-seeking borderline-scary drug customer. We don't know that she is playing herself until fairly well into the scene, when Rell says that he "loved her in The HouseBunny", which makes the whole thing click. That space between recognizing her as a famous actor and realizing that she is playing herself is a beautiful crack between the story line and reality that is unexpected and delightful.

I loved Hi-C (Tiffany Haddish) on a general note. The scene in the bar where Rell and Clarence argue about how (un)intimidating their speech is while in a tough gang's bar is another highlight.

My favorite tidbit was a very minor part of the film: Clarence's wife, Hannah (Nia Long). While Clarence is busy hanging out with a violent gang in an effort to retrieve Keanu, Hannah is stuck on a trip with her daughter, her daughter's friend, and that friend's father, Spencer. The plan had been for his wife and Clarence to both be in attendance, but circumstances (sickness and kitten rescue, respectively) prohibited this. All of this was revealed after Hannah was in the car, seat belt on and ready to go, sitting in the passenger seat with Spencer (Rob Huebel).

Screenshot from trailer

Immediately, the audience feels that something is going to happen. It is unclear what, exactly. Is Spencer going to try something on her? Is Hannah going to cheat on Clarence? Hannah's mix of discomfort and casualness feels familiar to me. The feeling of being alone, in close proximity with someone who you feel weird about in some subtle way, pushing that feeling aside becausembrace the fact that vibes aren't everything. Nia Long shows me these feelings in a short scene with little dialogue, and I can see it.

Later on, during the height of the film's action, we meet Hannah again as she calls Clarence to tell him that she is returning home early because Spencer had acted "inappropriately". Neither Clarence nor the audience learns any more than this then, or later. All we know is that he had been inappropriate, she felt uncomfortable, she is coming home early.

Screenshot from trailer

I love this. We don't get the opportunity to judge the situation. We don't get the opportunity to judge Hannah's discomfort. What matters is that Hannah was uncomfortable because of Spencer's actions, whatever they were, whatever degree of inappropriate, whatever line personal to Hannah that he had crossed. By not revealing the details, we are inclined to, and given little choice but to, trust Hannah. Clarence is overtly pained and concerned, and we too trust her judgment; we are concerned for her safety and well being. We respect her, in a way that would not have been as obvious or powerful had she explained what Spencer had done.

Back to the larger film; my biggest complaint is the dream sequence, in which kitten Keanu is voiced by Keanu Reeves. Despite the comedic elements, it was entirely unnecessary and strayed from the bigger picture. I have mixed feelings about the conclusion, but it's hard for me to imagine a proper way to end the film, so I will let it slide. Ultimately, this film was structured so that I could appreciate scenes individually as well as the film as a whole. It is a fun, much-needed laugh.

Watch the trailer here