Released: February 24, 2017
Director: Jordan Peele
Screenplay: Jordan Peele
Tagline: "Just because you're invited doesn't mean you're welcome"
Cast:
Daniel Kaluuya as Chris Washington
Allison Williams as Rose Armitage
Bradley Whitford as Dean Armitage
Catherine Keener as Missy Armitage
Lil Rel Howery as Rod Williams
Caleb Landry Jones as Jeremy Armitage
Chris and his girlfriend Rose have been dating for five months and it's come to the reliably awkward "meet the parents" phase of their relationship. They head upstate to spend a weekend at Rose's parents' place in the country. At first, Chris takes Missy and Dean's overly accommodating and friendly attitudes as well-meaning but nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship. Yet as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing incidents force Chris to realize that the situation he's found himself in is not even close to well-intentioned.
You might not think that a seasoned comedian would do well dabbling in terror, but Jordan Peele has used his first film to show that he has quite a handle on fear. Race is tricky to discuss in horror. It's been handled with aplomb in the past as much as it's been handled dismally. Here, the ideology and the message that Peele wishes to convey are front and center, as makes sense. It's a film written and directed by an African American man, focusing on an African American man who is out of his element in a predominantly white society. And yet nothing here is heavy-handed. The film encourages conversations about race in our present culture, but it doesn't demand them.
This is an interesting move to make, and difficult to pull off. But Peele is in total control of his film from minute one until the credits roll, even if he wobbles a bit in those final few frames. The film achieves that miracle status that so many horror comedies strive for and only a golden handful pull off, being laugh-out-loud funny and genuinely scary at times, occasionally within the same scene. The tension builds to a white-knuckle climax, though the climax itself is cliche and doesn't reflect the daring premise of the narrative itself. The film asks tough questions, but it sort of takes the easy way out in the end.
"Oh my god you farted!" "Bitch watch the road"
Still, Peele's a natural filmmaker and it shows in each aspect of his final product. Meeting the parents of your partner is a dreaded situation for anyone. The implicit fear of not being liked or being outright rejected for any number of reasons (political differences, educational gaps, socioeconomic disparities, sexual orientation, and yes, race) makes for a sympathetic and relatable situation for audiences of all colors, creeds, and proclivities. It's also a tale about coming to grips with your past, and the psychological baggage that such a confrontation entails. Our pasts, like our skin colors, are something we can't escape. If we deny this fact, we're led only to pain and potential self-loathing.
The phenomenal cast also brings everything in Peele's screenplay to life. Daniel Kaluuya emotes fear, rage, and anguish in a way specific to his character and to his identity as a young, African American man in America and that yet somehow transcend all of that to speak in the universal language of film. Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener as girlfriend Rose's seemingly well-meaning parents are also spot on in delivering their crooning lines with just the right touch of unsettling insinuation. Allison Williams as girlfriend Rose never falters while her brother, played by ginger-haired beast Caleb Landry Jones is spot on aggressively chaotic WASPish dickhole. But the true scene-stealer is Lil Rel Howery as Chris's friend Rod, whose loyalty to his friend is endearing and natural, and played with comic perfection. We all want a friend like Rod.
You could make the argument that the film has pacing issues, but I think when it slows down it's really just to highlight the drama. To encourage viewers to take notice of the seeds that Peele is planting for the ultimate revelation at the climax. Which, again, is nothing earth-shattering, but still satisfying. All in all, while Get Out might wear its political and social principles on its sleeves, it's still compelling and engrossing and, most importantly, not preachy. It's that infrequent horror film who scares you not with blood or bodies, but with big ideas.
"Game of Thrones doesn't start til WHEN??"
Get Out (2017)
5-Totally Terrifying
4-Crazy Creepy
3-Fairly Frightening
2-Slightly Scary
1-Hardly Horror
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