Review: Adorable cat & hilarious comic duo keep 'Keanu' a delightful comedy

Fans of the acclaimed ridiculous, bizarre and hilarious "Key & Peele" sketch show may surprised by the somewhat conventional action-comedy "Keanu" (opening in theaters nationwide April 29). This pretty funny comedy lacks the wall-to-wall absurdity of the duo's sketch show - but it retains just enough of their outlandish humor to distinguish itself from so many other bland action comedies.

In short: Best friends Rell and Clarence (Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key) desperately track down Rell's beloved lost kitten Keanu -- but they quickly find themselves surrounded by violent gang members. Method Man, Nia Long and Luis Guzmán also star. (Watch the trailer)

Like many "Key & Peele" sketches, the premise of "Keanu" is rooted in a fundamentally simple scenario that rapidly spirals into the absurd. The joy of "Keanu" is watching a pair of pretty normal and slightly eccentric nerds descend deeper and deeper into the gang culture ... all for the sake of rescuing a very adorable kitten.

While the draw of "Keanu" is its overtly silly premise, this film (in execution) is a surprisingly pretty standard action comedy -- albeit one that is inspired and, at times, incredibly hilarious. While this comedy is founded in the silly lengths the duo are willing to go to save a kitten, the weakness of this film is in its connective tissue. This film often gets stuck in scenes that simply extend a little bit too long (ie, the duo getting to know a quartet of gang members or Key exposing gang members George Michael). "Keanu" feels like a skit that is stretched out to the length of a feature film -- and it's only the brilliant comedic timing of Key & Peele and an impossibly adorable kitten that prevents "Keanu" from losing too much comedic momentum. It never slows to the point of stalling out into boredom ... but it sure comes close at times.

Final verdict: "Keanu" is a pretty funny and odd action comedy that hums along. It keeps the laughs coming at a steady clip and adds a light dusting of the trademark outlandish "Key & Peele" humor their fans love.

Score: 3/5

"Keanu" opens in theaters nationwide April 29. This action comedy has a running time of 100 minutes and is rated R for violence, language throughout, drug use and sexuality/nudity.