Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, LilRel Howery
Year: 2017
Look no further, the best movie of the year is here. I know we’ve still got a lot of 2017 left, I know there are still plenty of heavy-hitters lined up, I know the Academy doesn’t give a shit about comedy or horror or small budget, but that doesn’t matter; Get Out is spectacular without asking for anyone’s permission. Jordan Peele’s directorial debut is a shocker on every level, something no one saw coming and no one can explain. If you can find a review that accurately describes why this story is so amazing, please send it over, because I’m about to try and I’m pretty sure I’m about to fail. This movie is just special; a horror spectacle with a deeper meaning, a message buried in blood reaching out its grasping hand, the coolest flick you’ll see all year.
Chris, a talented photographer, is going to his girlfriend’s house upstate for the weekend to meet the family. They’ve only been dating four months, but when you know you know, and this couple just clicks. The only problem is that Rose didn’t tell her white parents that her boyfriend is black, though she assures Chris that her parents are extremely open-minded, that they love black people, and that they won’t be afraid to mention that fact in embarrassing dad-joke detail. So, a weekend in the country, so exciting that one has to lie down, as the song goes, but Chris soon begins to suspect that he’s not as welcome there as it appears on the surface. And to make matters worse, the staff at the house black, which feels weird, and they’re creepy, which feels weirder, giving Chris the feeling that he had better leave while he is still able.
It’s the cast and the comedy that make this movie sing, or at least that’s the closest I can get to the truth. Kaluuya (who you might recognize from Sicario) is excellent, Williams (Peter Pan Live anyone?) is perfection, and Howery steals the show as best friend Rod who has never really trusted white people all that much. His humor is fantastic, roll-in-the-aisle funny, and it is balanced perfectly by the horror of the situation. Fans of the genre won’t be let down by the blood, and they’ll be stunned that Peele can pull it off so well on his first attempt. The music, the side characters (especially Bradley Whitford & Stephen Root), and the audacity to make a point about white people stealing black people’s culture; top marks all around. Get Out is something you need to see to believe, and once you witness it, you won’t quickly forget.
My rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆