Get Out is not simply an enjoyable film, but also works very well as a social commentary about race relations

Rating: 8/10 (19 June 2017)

Get Out is a satirical horror film written and directed by actor- comedian Jordan Peele. Having never watched his sketch comedy series, Key & Peele or any of his film roles, this was my first experience with any content of his. Consider me a fan – I was very impressed by his keen eye for both comedy and horror, which is traditionally very difficult to juggle, since tonally the genres are so different. But Peele knew exactly what it wanted to do with the film and went and did it. At first glance the movie might seem bigoted and heavy-handed to some, but when you actually watch it, that is not really the case at all. It is not a Scary Movie-like parody, which was my biggest initial concern, instead it plays it straight for the entirety, dramatic when it needs to be, and scary when the moment comes. The funny bits comes naturally mostly from situations and personalities of characters, and never once did it cross the line where I could not take it seriously. It is this earnestness and balance that really stood out to me.
The movie is about a photographer, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) going on weekend trip to meet his white girlfriend, Rose's (Allison Williams) family for the first time, the only problem is they do not know he is black. Most of us have probably faced a similar circumstance where we have to meet our boyfriend or girlfriend's parents, and especially if he or she is of a different race, ethnicity or nationality, an extra layer of awkwardness is going to be there. The movie relates this awkward scenario brilliantly to the audience. When Chris arrives at the parents' house, he meets the father, Dean Armitage (Bradley Whitford), mother, Missy Armitage (Catherine Keener) and brother, Jeremy (Caleb Landry Jones). At first everything seemed fine, but then Chris begins to realize a few things are not quite right. From their overly nice demeanor to him to the fact that the family's black servants act very strange and creepy, Chris just wants to survive the weekend and go home.
On a surface level the film passes as a good mystery, horror thriller, but that is not all it is. If you want to watch this as just a scary movie, you will enjoy it, there are some jump scares, but just like the situation that Chris was in, things are more than meets the eye. Jordan Peele made the movie first and foremost to be a commentary of social issues and privileges. The entire Armitage family seems really nice to Chris outwardly but reading between the lines, you can sense the insensitivity and hostility when they ask him things like "what's his sport?" or telling he has good "genetic makeup." To those whom are aware of things like this in real life, it will either cause you to groan or smile, maybe even a little bit of both.
The acting here is really good all around. Kaluuya as the main lead is calm, collected and likable, but to me the couple of standouts amongst the cast are Caleb Landry Jones as the girlfriend's brother, and Lil Rel Howery as Chris' friend, Rod. Jones really only has one scene, but he absolutely stole it in my opinion. He was intimidating and strangely charming as the brother who is trying to know more about his sister's new boyfriend. Howery as the TSA friend who is taking care of Chris' dog back home was utterly hilarious in every scene he is in. He kind of reminds me Anthony Anderson when he was still appearing in every other movie.
As mentioned, the movie has a few jump scares, but nothing too major. The horror mostly stems from the atmosphere and the uncertainty of Chris' situation. There were a couple shots here that sent chills down my spine. My favorite one being the dinner scene where Mrs. Armitage goes back to the kitchen to get the dessert, only to have the door swing open to reveal the maid already standing there holding the carrot cake staring disturbingly into the camera. The black servants who act and speak very white not only create discomfort and dissonance with Chris, but with the audience as well.
A sign of a good movie is when it takes its time to properly set things up early and then having it pay off at the end. This movie does a masterful job at that. Every detail introduced to the audience is not wasted. Chris is a photographer, how does that matter? Photographs and photography is a reoccurring motif and plays a major role in the plot. Mr. Armitage is a neurosurgeon and Mrs. Armitage is a psychologist for a reason. The cop at beginning, Rose backs up her boyfriend and Jeremy's desire to have an MMA match with Chris? Not going to spoil anything, but all these things pay dividends at the end, and if you pay attention, it makes the movie even more well-rounded and enjoyable.
Get Out is not simply an enjoyable film, but also works very well as a social commentary about race relations and real life innate fears of meeting one's significant other's parents. The whole movie just gels really well from beginning to end, and there is really not much fault to be had. If I have to nitpick about something though, it is the movie could have been more gory and violent towards the end. After witnessing Chris' journey, it would have definitely been earned and justified to display maximum carnage on screen. But that is neither here nor there, because this is still a great entry in the horror genre with or without the gore. I would say you should definitely get out and watch this movie.