A Real Doggone Keeper!

Rating: 9/10 (3 March 2017)

I just saw Jordan Peele's directorial debut "Get Out" last evening in my local theater and I was blown away by how clever, funny, insightful, and of course unsettling it was. It was deliciously weird, eerie, and clever from the very first scene to the last, as I sat transfixed by the events occurring on the screen. Watching the trailers and seeing the first two acts of the film made me think something quite different from what the film actually turned out to be, and I have to commend Peele for being able to pull that off so well. It's rare that my predictions for the "twist" or finale to a movie are so off the mark!
But focusing on the plot itself, it follows a young black man named Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), who is actually British in real life but I never would have guessed had I not seen interviews with him, another testament to his incredible acting prowess, and his white girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) who have been dating for five months and decide it's time for Chris to meet Allison's upper class, bourgeois-type parents (Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener) who live on a large family estate in an affluent suburb. This affluent suburb also happens to be the location where several black people, mostly men, have gone missing for many years, vanishing under mysterious circumstances. Chris is a bit hesitant and nervous because Rose has apparently not told her parents that she is dating a black man, but she assures him that everything will be fine and they are definitely not racist.
However, immediately after they arrive, Chris quickly realizes, more and more over the course of his little "visit", that they may not be overtly racist they do hold certain views towards black people that are a bit odd to say the least. Coming from a satirical perspective as Peele, who also wrote the film, has stated, Chris, and indeed the audience, isn't sure how to take some of the things they say, whether or not they are just snide, off-hand remarks or hinting at something more sinister going on behind the polite, cheerful, Stepford-esque facade. In addition to the family itself, there are also two black servants, Walter and Georgina, who also seem incredibly "off' as if something isn't quite right in their heads. They seem too polite, too well-spoken, and too "white", for lack of a better term, to Chris, who nevertheless tries to maintain his composure and hide his true thoughts to his girlfriend, and the family in general.
Unfortunately, as Chris soon finds out, he has every reason to feel paranoid. At a garden party, another black man who seems oddly familiar to Chris, temporarily snaps out of his robotic persona and desperately screams at him to "Get Out!" before it's too late. He quickly realizes that something is terribly wrong and that his very life, or at least his mind, might be in jeopardy.
I have rarely seen a film where just about every single member of the cast, from the main protagonist, antagonists, and side characters give outstanding performances, performing all the little nuances and quirks of their character to an absolute T. This definitely includes Chris's friend Rod (Lil Rey Howery), who provides most of the comic relief of the film, but is also able to carry on the more dramatic scenes effectively. Also, I can't forget to mention the amazing score for the film, which is a mix of blues, funk, and a truly haunting Swahili folk song which plays over the opening and end credits.
An absolute treat from start to finish, and aside from a few clichéd horror movie moments here and there, a true marvel of cinema. Definitely the sort of film to watch at least twice, as once you know the twist, you can go back and see the film from an entirely different perspective, and all the confusing pieces of the surrealist puzzle fall into place. That's all folks!