Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have already outdone themselves in their first full-length feature film. At first glance, it seems that Keanu is just a typical, silly comedy, but after watching this film, I realized that it is definitely a lot more. I recently started an Ethics in Film and TV course at ASU, and this was the first film that we watched in class. Most of us were honestly just excited that we got to watch Key and Peele in class, but after the viewing, I developed a lot deeper appreciation for their creative mindset.
Key and Peele emerged a few years ago as a YouTube comedy duo known for their hilarious gags about African-American culture, especially since they do not define themselves as completely "black." After getting their own successful TV show for multiple seasons, they released this film and it has not disappointed. While this film explores not only what "black" culture is apparently supposed to be, it also provides us with an insight into the world of gang violence, drug dealing, and the criminal underground.
And an ADORABLE kitten. What else could you need?
Key and Peele wrote this film, and they did an excellent job in dealing with the racial issues surrounding it. While providing a hilarious film, they also handled the stereotypical roles very well. The drug dealers and main characters in the film were all African-American, but had such rich dialogue and development that nothing made it feel stereotypical at all. Handling these types of roles in film is tricky for many people, but should not be because, in reality, it is very easy. Many movies put the black character in the drug dealer role and have him use the n-word excessively, but unjustifiably. This film did great with going around that stereotype and giving the two main characters, Clarence and Rell, justified reason for their actions and language. This is the main reason why I enjoyed this film so much, because they put a sense of humor to these often tense subjects and still made it enjoyable to watch.
The other aspect of Keanu that I thoroughly appreciated was their use of a seemingly silly plot to prove the audience wrong with their storytelling skills. While Rell lost his kitten that had recently saved him after being broken up with by his girlfriend, he was put on a mission to get him back, no matter the cost. His friend Clarence joined him, and it makes for a great time throughout the film. While I do not regularly watch comedies to critique them, I could not help but to think about the other elements that made this film so great. Female characters in this film, while there were only about 2 important ones, gave good motivation to both Rell and Clarence throughout. Rell's newly-discovered female gang friend Hi-C, played by Tiffany Haddish, was a critical part in developing Rell as a character, as she provided him with a reason to move on and keep fighting for his kitten. The other major character was Clarence's wife Hannah (played by Nia Long), who had gone on a weekend trip with their daughter and a family friend. This obviously did not turn out well, as the man had made advances on her and made her uncomfortable. Clarence, after finding out about all of those events, became very angry, and in the end, strengthened his marriage to his wife and his connection to his family.
My only problem with the film was also regarding the female characters. While they were important in developing the plot as well as Key and Peele's characters, they were not well-developed themselves. Hi-C ran Cheddar's gang for the most part, but was used mostly as an incentive for Rell to get back on his feet. This is good to focus on the main characters, but I felt that more could have been done on her part. This also goes with Hannah, as she is shown as innocent and vulnerable with the family friend on their vacation. She definitely could have stood up to herself and done something about it, but the film did not address that, but rather had Clarence deal with it later in the film. It is a sort of double-edged sword because while the audience focuses and roots for the main characters, they also want to see well-represented black women, but it is appearing harder and harder for filmmakers to portray that.
Keanu is a fantastic film all throughout, and even though it is a comedy, there are always aspects to analyze and think what could have been done better. This is a great portrayal about racism, sex, and violence in America, and Key and Peele have proven to be the perfect fit for this film.
My Rating: ★★★★
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