Fresh off their eponymous Comedy Central series, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele land their first co-leading roles in 2016’s action-comedy Keanu. Rell Williams (Peele) finds himself despondent after his girlfriend dumps him. However, he discovers a new reason to live when a stray kitten lands on his door, and he names the feline “Keanu”.

Alas, this doesn’t last, as unknown parties ransack Rell’s house and abduct Keanu. Along with his straight-laced cousin Clarence Goobrill (Key), Rell strives to locate his beloved pet, a path that leads toward gang members, violence and danger.

As noted, Keanu gives Key and Peele their first cinematic leads, but they’ve worked in other films – especially Key, who could be found in well-known flicks like Pitch Perfect 2 and many others. Their TV series remains their primary claim to fame, though, and I doubt Keanu will do much to change that.

I feel that way largely because Keanu offers a surprisingly mediocre affair. Perhaps I went into it with excessively high expectations, as I like Key & Peele and figured the duo would make a seamless transition to big-screen stardom.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t occur, as Keanu musters only sporadic laughs. Part of the problem comes from the plot, as the movie lacks much originality. It opts for a “one crazy night”/”fish out of water” feel that goes down familiar paths too much of the time and fails to do a lot that seems creative.

Keanu also can seem meandering and self-indulgent. Key and Peele play the movie’s main villains as well as the leads, but I can’t figure out why. I guess this acts as a cute “Easter egg” for viewers who recognize the pair under makeup, but I can find no logical reason they needed to take on both parts. It feels like a gimmick without much real purpose.

The narrative itself wanders and lacks much clarity. Granted, Keanu doesn’t attempt much of a plot, as it seems more episodic in nature. Sure, the search for the cat acts as a motivator, but much of the action revolves around the wacky situations into which Rell and Clarence find themselves. There’s perfunctory exposition and character development but nothing especially involving.

With Key and Peele involved, some laughs ensue, but not nearly as many as I’d expect. Keanu offers the occasional chuckle without a lot of real hilarity, and even at only 100 minutes, it feels long. This harms the comedy as well, as the slow pacing detracts from any potential amusement.

As much as I want to like Keanu, the end result just doesn’t do much for me. Despite talented leads, the film sputters and fails to deliver the comedic goods.

Footnote: a teaser pops up after the conclusion of the end credits.

Keanu appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-Ray Disc. I found no notable problems with this presentation.

Colors tended toward the usual Action Film Teal, along with some amber and orange. These stylistic choices worked fine, as the hues seemed appropriate for the selected palette. Blacks were dark and tight, while shadows showed nice clarity.

Sharpness was solid. A smidgen of softness appeared during some wide shots, but not to a substantial degree. Overall delineation came across well. Jaggies and shimmering were absent, and edge haloes weren’t a factor. No signs of source flaws emerged, and I didn’t sense any digital noise reduction. Across the board, this was a pleasing transfer.

Comedies don’t usually boast dynamic audio, but the “action flick” side of the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack allowed for extra oomph. Music showed nice stereo presence, and a few scenes – usually those in clubs or on the streets - opened up the environment in a reasonably satisfying manner. Lots of violence filled the speakers in a dynamic manner as well. These gave the soundscape dimensionality and created a good setting for the events.

Audio quality was strong. Speech always came across as natural and distinctive, with no signs of edginess or reediness. Music sounded lush and warm, while effects – as minor as they were – appeared accurate enough. At no point did this threaten to become a superior soundscape, but it seemed better than average for a film of this sort.

Only minor extras show up here. My First Movie runs three minutes, five seconds and offers a comedic piece. Various cast members try to reason with the title kitten. It’s cute and no more than that.

Eight Deleted Scenes 15 minutes, 13 seconds. These mainly extend existing sequences, but a few new pieces emerge, such as one at the police station that would’ve come fairly early in the film. Some are too expository – like one in which Cheddar spells out everything we already understand – but a few funny bits emerge.

A Gag Reel goes for five minutes, 39 seconds. It includes some of the usual goofs but also gives us some improv moments. Those add value.

The disc opens with an ad for The Nice Guys. No trailer for Keanu appears here.

Fine comedic performers, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele can’t carry Keanu on their own. The movie lacks narrative drive and fails to provide enough laughs to sustain attention. The Blu-ray offers very good picture and audio along with minor supplements. While I can’t call Keanu a bad movie, it definitely disappoints.