Keanu (2016)

[Lantern7]

I got around to seeing Keanu today. Basically, I paid $19 ($9 ticket + $10 on small popcorn and soda) for an uncensored episode of Key & Peele. Don't get me wrong . . . Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele make for a great tandem, playing cousins posing as gangstas in order to retrieve a kitten. I just didn't laugh too hard like the ads said I would. I probably could have done without the snacks. I wound up chuckling over little stuff, like how the guys came out of a Liam Neesan movie before going home. Also, if you're not into George Michael, you might get hives seeing Key getting thugs into stuff like "Freedom (1990)" and "Father Figure." And there's about as much usage of the n-word as your typical episode of The Boondocks.

Keanu himself? Cute little guy, and I say that as a dog person. Peele's character winds up taking pictures of him reenacting famous movies for a private calendar. You get to see it in the closing credits.

[proserpina65]

I saw this over the weekend.  It wasn't the funniest thing I've ever seen, and it did feel rather like an over-extended sketch, but the parts that were funny, were very, very funny.  Loved the Liam Neeson film "Substitute Teacher", and I can say that I would never have imagined laughing so hard at a gun fight set to a George Michael.  I am now referring to the feral kittens in the neighborhood as little Keanus.

[LADreamr]

I want to see this, because I love the guys (particularly Keegan-Michael Key), and the kitten in the do-rag is almost too much cute, but I was concerned when none of the quoted reviews in the ads were from any major outlets.  That always seems to be a red flag.  Would you guys say you were glad you saw it, despite the low points?

[Lantern7]

It was okay. Like I said, I probably shouldn't have shelled out $10 on popcorn and soda.

[thuganomics85]

I enjoyed it enough, although it helped that I went to a bargain matinee showing.  At times, it did feel like it was just a Key & Peele sketch expanded to an hour and a half, and I did think the middle part dragged a bit, but I enjoyed seeing both Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele on the big screen, and there were definitely some moments that had me laughing out loud.  And I just dug the entire idea of them basically taking one of those "loved one has been kidnapped, so the heroes go on a quest to save them" action film stories, but making the victim a kitten.

Enjoyed all the references to the show, like the Liam Neeson namedrop and Substitute Teacher billboard.  And the other pop-culture references like all the movie calendars Keanu was put in and Keegan's obsession with George Michael.  And Keanu Reeves himself voicing Keanu in that drug haze. Also, I wonder if Method Man's character being called Cheddar was a slight nod to him being Cheese on The Wire.

I actually enjoyed Cheddar's crew and them interacting with Key & Peele.  Didn't recognize Jason Mitchell (Eazy E from Straight Out of Compton) as one of them until the credits.  But as soon as I saw they were doing something with Peele and Hi-C, I knew she there would be a twist to her character, so being an undercover cop wasn't too surprising.

Wasn't aware that Luis Guzman and Anna Faris were going to be in this.  Anna in particular, seem to be having a blast playing herself.  Or a version of herself.

Props to the casting department on the cat or cats (I think I heard there was seven of them.)  They truly were adorable.  I wonder how they got that do-rag on them?  Or was it just CGI?

I agree with what some of saying that this was a decent first full feature film, but I'm really curious to see what Key & Peele do going forward, now that they got the first film out of the way.

[proserpina65]

17 hours ago, LADreamr said:

I want to see this, because I love the guys (particularly Keegan-Michael Key), and the kitten in the do-rag is almost too much cute, but I was concerned when none of the quoted reviews in the ads were from any major outlets.  That always seems to be a red flag.  Would you guys say you were glad you saw it, despite the low points?

I'm glad I saw it, but I'd definitely say to catch the matinee/bargain showing rather than pay full price.  And I almost never spend money on concessions.

[NoWillToResist]

I was entertained enough. The kitten was far too cute; that little fucker got so much love from our audience. :)

I was amused by how quickly the characters were able to morph from 'regular' people to 'gangster'.

Fabulous reaction shot from Key(?) when he was forced to demonstrate "his" run and flip...and he actually nailed it. The shock on his face and then his mimed "oh my God, did you SEE THAT?" to his friend was priceless. Also, him converting the gangsters to George Michael was amusing to me.

Kudos to whomever came up with the strip club name HPV (Hot [something] Vixens).

The only real issue I had was with a plot point which I could not explain. When the main characters finally get the kitten out of the club, they are grabbed by the real gangster brothers and taken to a warehouse to torture/kill. When our intrepid heroes escape their clutches, Cheddar and his crew are right outside to nab them. How did Cheddar know where they'd gone? Did I miss something?

[proserpina65]

Quote

Kudos to whomever came up with the strip club name HPV (Hot [something] Vixens).

Hot Party Vixens, I think.

[NoWillToResist]

On 5/4/2016 at 1:37 PM, proserpina65 said:

Hot Party Vixens, I think.

Ah, yes. I think that was it. Thanks! It got a great big laugh from our audience (particularly when the main characters commented on what an unfortunate name it was). :D

[BabyVegas]

Just saw this movie and I think how much you enjoy this movie will definitely be correlated to what kind of movie you think you're getting. It was a silly comedy that relied heavily on the cuteness of the cat, but it worked surprisingly well. I thought Key had the better comedic moments. I'm not mad I paid full price to see it, but I also don't think it's an oh-my-god-go-right-now kind of movie.

[JenMcSnark]

On 5/2/2016 at 2:34 PM, LADreamr said:

I want to see this, because I love the guys (particularly Keegan-Michael Key), and the kitten in the do-rag is almost too much cute, but I was concerned when none of the quoted reviews in the ads were from any major outlets.  That always seems to be a red flag.  Would you guys say you were glad you saw it, despite the low points?

My adult daughter and I enjoyed it although some parts were draggy and don't think too hard on the plot.  I will say we laughed a bit more than most of the other people in our showing.  Not sure what that says about us.  haha  We didn't regret spending full price, but we go to a theater that is $7.50 all the time, so...

[LADreamr]

Thanks, everyone!

Edited May 7, 2016 by LADreamr

[topanga]

I agree with what most posters have said. Keanu had some laugh-out-loud funny moments, but it also dragged at times. But I'm finding that most full-length comedies these days tend to drag in the middle (Trainwreck, Get Hard, The Boss).

Tiffany Haddish, the actress who played Hi C, is also stand-up comedian with a tragic upbringing both with her biological family and in the foster care system. In her interview on 'The Champs' podcast, she manages to bring humor to her sad story. Here's the link:

Tiffany Haddish on The Champs

[Princess Sparkle]

Quick little article about how they got Keanu Reeves to actually do the voice of Keanu.  I love that after his sister showed him the trailer, that his response was "Let's do this!". 

[Traveller519]

The movie was pretty much what I was expecting. Glad to see something new and fresh, and it definitely called back to the Beverly Hills Cop style of comedy. Mostly I'm always stoked to see people go out and get their thing made.

Plus, more roles for Jason Mitchell is always a good thing.

[Lantern7]

Any word as to whether we would get a 2017 Keanu calendar? It would be a shame for that to be in a drawer in Jordan Peele's place.

[DeLurker]

I just watched this on cable Saturday night - it was silly fun!  And I want a calendar too.

[wanderingstar]

This movie is just good old fashioned dumb fun. I love it. Love the cast, love the silly story, love the George Michael music woven throughout. This has become one of those that I'll watch whenever it's on.