Keanu (2016)

When the adorable kitten of an L.A. crime kingpin unexpectedly enters the life of two cousins, they will have to go through tough gangs, pitiless hit-men, and ruthless drug dealers who all claim him, to get him back. How hard can it be?

Director:

Peter Atencio

Writers:

Jordan Peele, Alex Rubens

Stars:

Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Tiffany Haddish

4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jordan Peele	...	Rell Williams / Oil Dresden
Keegan-Michael Key	...	Clarence Goobril / Smoke Dresden
Tiffany Haddish	...	Hi-C
Method Man	...	Cheddar
Darrell Britt-Gibson	...	Trunk
Jason Mitchell	...	Bud
Jamar Malachi Neighbors	...	Stitches
Luis Guzmán	...	Bacon
Will Forte	...	Hulka
Nia Long	...	Hannah
Rob Huebel	...	Spencer
Madison Wolfe	...	Alexis
Jordyn A. Davis	...	Belle
James Yeargain	...	Donnie
Brittany Seymour	...	Rachel

Storyline

Rell's life is changed forever when a cute kitten comes to his door, and he names it Keanu. Unfortunately, one weekend later, Keanu is abducted by persons unknown. Now Rell and his cousin, Clarence, are men on a mission to find Keanu against the odds. Unfortunately, those odds prove to be perilously high as they find Keanu in the care of the ruthless gangster, Cheddar, and he will only part with him for a price. Now for that cute kitten, these two middle class bumblers find themselves neck deep in a dangerous alien world of drugs and gang violence with only their desperate audacity, creativity and sheer dumb luck giving them a chance to survive.

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Plot Keywords:

kitten | buddy comedy | african american | designer drug | strip club | 

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Taglines:

Kitten, please.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language throughout, drug use and sexuality/nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Keanu Reeves, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele would later star together in Toy Story 4 (2019).

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Goofs

In some early scenes where Keanu is running, the running cat is obviously older and larger than the kitten seen during the rest of the film.

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Quotes

Clarence Goobril: Wordness to the turdness.

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Crazy Credits

SPOILER: After the end credits, Oil and Smoke simultaneously revive.

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Connections

References The Blair Witch Project (1999)

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Soundtracks

I Don't Get Tired
Written by Kevin Gates (as Kevin Gilyard), Erika Hamilton, Nic Nac (as Nicholas Balding) and Mark Kragen
Performed by Kevin Gates
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp./Artist Partner Group, Inc.
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

cute kitty but needs to be funnier

Assassins (Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key) shoot up a drug factory. A kitty escapes. Rell Williams (Jordan Peele) is depressed after getting dumped by his girlfriend. He is lifted up by finding the kitty on his doorstep and he names her Keanu. His cousin and best friend Clarence Goobril (Keegan-Michael Key) needs to man up for his wife Hannah (Nia Long). Rell's home is ransacked and Keanu goes missing. Small time dealer Hulka (Will Forte) points the finger at a local gang. The guys take on gangster persona "Tectonic" and "Shark Tank". They meet Hi-C (Tiffany Haddish) and leader Cheddar (Method Man) who mistakes them for the assassins Allentown Boys.

Firstly, the kitty is really cute. The guys have great chemistry. The ridiculous premise is set up for outrageous humor. There are some cute laughs at times but it doesn't stay at a high enough level. It's funny skit material but it doesn't fill out. It's a little thin. The movie tries to add a couple of comedic performances from Will Forte and Anna Faris. They only really hit singles rather than home runs. The movie needs to be more ridiculous. It needs to take on the gangsta genre in a deeper way. The guys are capable of more.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 April 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Keanu

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,453,224, 1 May 2016

Gross USA:

$20,591,853

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,651,333

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artists First, Monkeypaw Productions, New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1