The closest we get to inclusion of the Keanu Reeves in this picture is the explanation that said name means “cool breeze” in Hawaiian. And why the heart-broken Rell (Jordan Peele) decided to name a stray kitten “cool breeze” is anybody’s guess. The night before, the kitten belonged to a druglord whose operation was torn to pieces by the Allentown Brothers, sort of the Hellish version of Milli Vanilli. The orphaned animal roamed the matrix of city streets until 
finding and making Rell well.
Rell and buddy Clarence (Keegan-Michael Key) are suburban milquetoasts. Rell spends his days making kitten calendars while Clarence rocks out to George-Michael Key. When dope dealing neighbor Will Forte earns the ire of the 17th Street Blips (so named for being shunned by both the Crips and the Bloods. That’s cute, yes?), a chain reaction of furious speed is set in motion –Rell’s place is (mistakenly) ransacked, Keanu is catnapped by the Blips, and the two thuglessiest gentlemen in El Lay go undercover as the Allentown Brothers to retrieve the pet.
There is something adorable about a turf war inspired by a kitten, isn’t there? I’ve seen pet MacGuffin’s before, but it’s always about something special within the pet, like the universe-bearing collar in MiB, or the fact that he’s really a man in The Shaggy Dog. Here’s a movie where everybody just wants the kitten. Awwwww. Playing devil’s advocate here – couldn’t you just get a new kitten? Just sayin’. Infiltrating a street gang to get your pet of all of two weeks pushes the break point, no? Those are some dangerous liaisions.
Despite the crime elements, this is a comedy after all, and when Keanu is on, it’s hilarious. Take the moment when Cheddar (Method Man) makes “Techtonic” and “Shark Tank,” being such noted professionals, take his regulars on a drug run. The minivan Clarence drives is questioned, as is his taste in music. Explaining how George Michael is gangsta, Shark Tank narrates with ominous overtones (forgive the paraphrase), “he used to partner with this dude, ‘Ridgeley.’ And then he went on his own … and no one ever heard from Ridgeley again.” That’s 
one of the funniest moments of the year.
I suppose you could call this entire movie much ado about nothing. Would you risk your life over a kitten? Would you kill for a kitten? You want to play hard ball? That’s what is required. Is this just a metaphor for parenthood? Keanu isn’t genius, but it’s a simple and near brilliant idea for a comedy. And Key and Peele work very well together; I daresay replacements for the pair would have trouble finding the same humor. The gift of a talented comic tandem is a rare one; I’d like to see more movies with these two.
♪The Blips took Keanu
As living pirate booty
Mediocrities decided
To retrieve that cutie
But you can’t recollect
Without making making anger soar
It’s like seeing Fred and Barney
Incite a ganstah war
Got to get the cat back
He shouldn’t be away
When bullets fly felines
Shouldn’t be in the fray
They lack opposable thumbs
Or a face worthy of slaughter
Safe in a sill is
Exactly where she oughtter♫
Rated R, 98 Minutes
D: Peter Atencio
W: Jordan Peele, Alex Rubens
Genre: Undercover brothers
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Kitten enthusiasts
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Guessing Keanu Reeves wasn’t a fan
♪ Parody inspired by “The Cat Came Back”
