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Fans of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele's sketch show won't be surprised to learn that their movie feels like a sketch—a funny one, sure, but less so the longer it goes on. The premise is solid: Two ordinary men, Rell (Peele) and Clarence (Key), pretend to be hardcore gangstas in order to retrieve something stolen from Rell by a mid-level drug lord. The joke on top of that joke is that the item in question is a kitten. Now, li'l Keanu is adorable, and it's not not funny to see grown men (especially violent criminals) cooing over a kitten. But the cat's a McGuffin; it could be a computer disk or a bag of money and the plot would barely change from the action-comedy template employed here in the screenplay is by Peele and Alex Rubens. No, the real thrust of the humor is timid househusband Clarence and irresponsible-but-generally-law-abiding Rell acting like experienced drug slingers while making the rounds with the drug lord's crew. The returns on this gag diminish as it's repeated, but it's kept afloat by Key and Peele's chemistry together and their skill at playing funny satirical versions of black stereotypes.
Official Site: keanumovie.com
Director: Peter Atencio
Producer: Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Peter Principato, Paul Young and Joel Zadak
Cast: Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Tiffany Haddish, Method Man, Jason Mitchell, Luis Guzmán, Nia Long, Will Forte, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Jamar Neighbors and Benedict Cumberbatch
Director: Peter Atencio
Producer: Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Peter Principato, Paul Young and Joel Zadak
Cast: Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Tiffany Haddish, Method Man, Jason Mitchell, Luis Guzmán, Nia Long, Will Forte, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Jamar Neighbors and Benedict Cumberbatch
