Best known as one of the masterminds behind Key &
Peele—which, though I enjoy, I admittedly don’t adore like so many
folks (it has the same hit-and-miss issue as every other sketch comedy series,
even my all-time favorites, and though there are manic, brilliant highs, I
never found the whole particularly enthralling)—Jordan Peele apparently has a
whole other career ahead of him, should he choose: making awesome horror
movies.
Peele’s directorial debut, Get Out, which
he also wrote, is the best kind of horror. It’s completely unnerving, plays
with genre tricks and tropes but brings its own fresh spin, and uses the
framework to shine a light on societal ills. Sharp and satirical, frustratingly
topical and poignant, Get Out insightfully explores race in
America. And the film accomplishes all of this while being an almost unbearably
good time, never becoming heavy handed, and creeping the living shit out of the
audience.
Get Out unspools like a racially charged
Stepford Wives. Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a young black man
from the city, travels to the country with his white girlfriend, Rose (Allison
Williams), to visit her parents, Dean (Bradley Whitford) and Missy (Catherine
Keener), on their rural estate. Everything is perfect, too perfect. Under this
idyllic, porcelain smooth, meticulously detailed exteriors—down to the
production design and affluent class signifiers like a lacrosse stick—there’s
obviously something ominous afoot. It’s a simple plot, but Jordan Peele gracefully
ratchets up the tension as the situation goes from awkward to creepy to
downright sinister.
Delicately paced, with no flat spots or dead zones where it
runs out of steam, Get Out gently needles the racial divide,
pointing out hypocrisy and cluelessness. Rose may be well intentioned, but even
when she tries to be supportive, she can’t escape her inherent advantage. And
sure, Dean would’ve voted for Obama a third time if he could, but the reality
is that the only African Americans in this isolated hamlet are the maid,
Georgina (Betty Gabriel), and the handyman, Walter (Marcus Henderson), but
there’s something off about them, too.
Get Out tackles race with humor and wit.
White audiences are going to laugh, and with good reason, there are uproariously
funny moments—many thanks to the scene-stealing antics and attitude of Lil Rel
Howery, who plays Chris’ TSA employees best friend. But at the same time, after
the fun fades away, lingering questions about our own complicity and privilege remain.
Maybe the most remarkable thing about Get
Out is that it never preaches. Chris isn’t a crusader, he’s a
realist, resigned to the way things are. He’s just a mellow guy who wants to
take pictures, hang out with his shaggy doodle, and have a relaxing weekend
with his girlfriend. Peele and company single out and skewer the subtle,
everyday racism ingrained into even the most mundane moments. It doesn’t hammer
points home, but you can’t really miss them either.
And all the while Get Out makes these
greater plugs about race, it’s wrapped in the middle of an outstanding, effective
horror movie. Clever and incisive, the plot maneuvers in unexpected ways,
satirizing the genre at the same time it delivers scares and anxiety. The
weirdness and discomfort escalate, and with unusual flourishes, Peele shows he
has, as both a writer and director, a steady hand and strong grasp on the effortless
pace, amplifying strain, and solid performances. He knows when things need to
be subtle and spooky and when it’s the right moment for a big laugh that both
relieves the mounting pressure and propels the story forward.
I’ve been a big fan of Daniel Kaluuya since I first saw him
in the criminally underrated series The Fades, so it’s nice
to see the British actor popping up and getting recognized more in movies like
Get Out, Sicario, and the upcoming
Black Panther. On the surface, Chris is laid back and
go-with-the-flow, but there’s enough of an edge lurking below that shows
through when the constant push becomes too much. Kaluuya and Allison Williams
have a good onscreen chemistry that sells their relationship, and the
sheltered, lily-white ingénue act covers more than anticipated.
The two leads are good, but the supporting players walk away
with the show. Like I said, Lil Rel Howery straight up hijacks every moment
he’s on screen. His character, Rod, avoids falling into stock boisterous,
comic-relief best friend traps—he’s definitely that, but also has more to work
with. One of the creepiest actors in Hollywood, Caleb Landry Jones plays
Allison’s spoiled drunken shit of a brother who’s way more nefarious than your
average spoiled drunken shit of a brother. Lakeith Stanfield continues his run
as an off-kilter highlight of everything he appears in. And Bradley Whitford
and Catherine Keener are perfectly cast as the too-eager blowhard dad—I can’t
think of anyone more suited to this particular role—and the bored, eerie wife
and mother.
In Get Out, Jordan Peele never feels like
a first time director. The film is the work of someone with a clear, concise vision;
an assured, even hand; and a deep love and knowledge of horror. Throughout,
it’s fun and funny, scary and thought provoking, unusual and unpredictable,
sprinkled with moments of gore and brutality. I’m going to watch whatever Peele
does next, but Sweet Baby Jesus, is it too much to ask for him to keep playing
around in horror for at least a little while? [Grade: A]
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