“Keanu” opens in possibly the least anticipated way possible: With a murderous shootout in a church. From there, the audience follows an adorable kitten escaping the bloodbath, finding its way to the doorstep of a newly single stoner named Rell (Jordan Peele), who uses the cat to recreate movie scenes for a twelve month calendar.

That’s only the first few minutes, and yet it sets the perfect tone for “Keanu,” directed by Peter Atencio and written by Jordan Peele and Alex Rubens. Hitting a steady balance of dark comedy, outright silliness and social parody, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele deliver a film that, while at times light of laughs, is undeniably enjoyable from beginning to end.

After a night out with his uptight cousin Clarence (Key), Rell returns home to find that his home has fallen victim to a gang raid, in which his new kitten Keanu has been stolen. From here, Rell and Clarence confront the gang, forming “gangsta” personas and taking false responsibility for the opening shootout. To get Keanu back, the two must prove themselves to the gang’s leader Cheddar (Method Man) through leading his gang through a drug raid; as expected, hilarity ensues.

With such a ridiculous premise, it is a wonder that this movie gets away with being as dark and goofy as it is; nevertheless, the charisma behind Key and Peele’s relationship provides a solidarity that comedies of this genre rarely capture, though their dynamics can sometimes overtake some of the plot’s finer details. Between their banter, antics and overall presence, both actors are incredibly entertaining to watch from start to finish and are surrounded by a strong supporting cast, including Method Man, Will Forte, and Tiffany Haddish, to name a few.

The range of humor in “Keanu” seems to be a proper representation of that featured on Key and Peele’s sketch comedy: silly antics such as Clarence’s near obsessive enjoyment of musician George Michael to Rell’s unintended murder of a coke-snorting Anna Faris make for a variety of joke set ups and pay offs that work more often than they don’t.

It should be noted that, often times, these scenarios are often notably underplayed or over-the-top. This seems intentional; with the dark places that “Keanu” takes its audience during its runtime (at its darkest, it can almost be uncomfortable), this is the kind of comedy that won’t have viewers cracking up so much as it will maintain a steady stream of laughter.

In the film’s climax, when Rell, Clarence and two gangs are fighting for ownership of the cat in a merciless shootout, it’s hard to imagine any other team producing a film like this that could reasonably work. At times, it’s easy to see why someone may dislike “Keanu”; if Key and Peele’s humor does not appeal to a viewer, they may find themselves confused at the spoken and visual comedy that pervades every minute of the film. But, for those initiated or looking for an out-of-the-box kind of comedy, “Keanu” delivers where it counts.