Get Out

Director: Jordan Peele

Screenwriter: Jordan Peele

Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, and Stephen Root

I know the fervor and ballyhoo over Get Out has all but passed, but in accordance with the lessons the film teaches, sometimes it’s good to be late to the party. Get Out is one of the stand out stories of cinema this year. With a budget of around $4 million and written/directed by comedian and first-time film-maker Jordan Peele, Get Out is one of the most profitable films of the year!

You may be more familiar with Jordan Peele as one-half of the comedy duo Key & Peele, which is precisely what makes it so delightfully unexpected that his comfort with writing, direction, and horror would be so spot on! Still when one examines the tone, subversive content, and perspective that Key & Peele took on society in their skits, one shouldn’t be too surprised that Get Out was rattling around in there somewhere.

Inspired by midnight horror titles like Night of the Living Dead and The Stepford Wives, Get Out is the story of Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a young Black budding photographer invited by his White girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) to meet the parents. It’s a Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner for the modern day, in that Rose has neglected to mention to her parents that Chris is Black, and this makes Chris slightly uncomfortable. Rose’s family is quite affluent and given Chris’s experience in such matters, he finds reason to believe they may not take an immediate liking to their inter-racial relationship. Rose’s progressive attitude clams his nerves, however, and off they go to her parents’ Southern (of course) estate.

At first Rose’s parents Missy (Catherine Keener) and Dean (Bradley Whitford) are rather disarming, but soon Chris begins to have a funny feeling about the way people are acting on the estate. To say more could be getting into spoiler territory, but we can talk in generalities and non-specifics. On the surface we have a very traditional mystery horror film, but beneath the surface we have a far more palatable commentary thanks to an allegorical wave of symbolism driving our interpretations. This is a film to be both watched and observed. Passing references, recurring motifs, wardrobe and costumes, even the way a certain person eats a certain cereal is all relevant to truly understanding what Jordan Peele is trying to do here.

The metaphorical level is Get Out’s most successful level, and that takes it pretty far. This is likely the reason for its immaculate reception by audiences and critics alike. It is also groundbreaking in that it is the first $100 million film by a Black writer. However, objectively as a film it is an homage to a genre with clever use of convention. It is not a groundbreaking film, and it is not necessarily even the best horror film I’ve seen in the past year, but it’s a good movie, and there’s little to quibble about. You may not be that surprised by the twist or really much of the action in the film. Like I said, the majesty and success of this movie rests in the details. That being said, it’s even worth a re-watch to notice Peele’s intricate touches. Everything’s a clue from the car in the opening scene to the music in the closing credits. Manage your expectations, but this is above average fare with flares of brilliance here and there. Peele has a bright future as a film maker, no doubt about that! B

Get Out is rated R and has a running time of 1 hour and 44 minutes.