You take one of today’s funniest comedy duos and team them up with an adorable kitten, and you have the makings of a film that could be even more popular than cat videos on YouTube. But does Keanu live up to the hype and expectations? I’m delighted and surprised to tell you that it exceeds them!

Just in case you’re not a Comedy Central devotee, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele are a gifted comedic team who have here-to-fore been known for mostly for their work in television. Keanu is their feature film debut, and I’m thinking this could the beginning of beautiful relationship with film goers. A Crosby and Hope for the current generation? Is it too much to hope for?

The plot uses the classic “Save the Cat” device, involving two friends — Clarence (Key) is a hopelessly nerdy and optimistic family man, and Rell (Peele) is a slacker who has just been dumped by his girlfriend. When Keanu, the most adorable kitten on earth, escapes a gangland shooting and shows up on Rell’s doorstep, he is immediately smitten. But he is not the only one. Little Keanu is more valuable than drugs or dollars to all who come in contact with him. And Rell and Clarence do their hilarious best to impersonate ghetto gangsters in an effort to rescue the kitten.

The film makes gleeful fun of itself–even going so far as to explain why Keanu remains a kitten throughout — something that you, like I, might have wondered about. Keanu also transcends race. This is by no means an insider urban movie with a message–everyone is skewered equally — especially George Michael. If you don’t mind a little cussing and a little cartoonish violence, for which the film gets a mild R rating, plus a few scenes that go on too long, you’re in for a raucous good time.

Rated R

1 Hour 40 Minutes

Get times and tickets on Fandango.com.

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by Lisa Johnson Mandell