A couple of inoffensive cousins (Rell Williams, Keegan-Michael Key) get mixed up in a murderous gangsta turf war and a related violent 'custody' battle over a kitten (Keanu, voiced (briefly) by Keanu Reeves). The core premise is amusing (no matter how vicious and malignant they are, all of the criminals love the kitten) but is too slender to stretch into a full-length movie. Most of the scenes go on too long and after a while everything starts to look and sound the same. The plot, which essentially buttresses a single joke, doesn't make a lot of sense and the final 'twist' is a bit of a stretch even for a farce. Considering the heightened racial sensitivities these days (early 2020), it is interesting to see a film where the 'n-word' features so prominently as a comic tool (supporting 'context is everything' arguments I guess). The cast is quite good, especially Williams and Key, and as a counter-point farce superimposing ultra-cute on ultra-violence, the film is moderately successful, but in the end, I only found it fitfully amusing (but other than liking cats, I doubt that I'm in the target audience).
Review of Keanu
