Get Out

So this has been a movie I've wanted to check out for a while. If you know me, I'm a wimp when it comes to anything even remotely horror so while I wanted to see this movie pretty badly, I didn't see it in theaters. I think it's movies like this, Gerald's Game, and some of the movies I want to check out on Netflix and Redbox that will make me more adventurous and check these films out earlier. That's the hope at least.

Get Out is the directorial debut of Jordan Peele. It follows the story of Chris (played by Daniel Kaluuya) as he prepares for a weekend with this girlfriend Rose (played by Allison Williams) to go out to the suburbs and meet her parents for the first time.

This interplay between Chris and Rose and eventually Chris and Rose's family is part of why this story is so unique. It's hitting on a lot of the stresses and questions that come up in an interracial couple and how the dynamic is just different in an already stressful situation of meeting the parents.

Bradley Whiteford and Catherine Keener play Rose's parents. They are wealthy people and of course the interactions between them and Chris as well as Chris's interaction with Rose's brother (played by Caleb Landry Jones) and other neighbors and family friends are really hyperbolized and played for awkward and comedic effect, but it also is an example of how well done the script is for this movie. I'll discuss that more later.

As the weekend progresses, Chris starts to notice weird things happening with the family, especially with the black hired help of the family.

There's not a whole lot else I can say because a lot of the movie is dependent on not knowing the secret, but the important thing to note is that things go beyond the standard racial awkwardness of a black man coming into an environment of white people.

Going back to the script, something I noticed halfway through the film is that every conversation is deliberate and sets up conflict between characters. That dialogue creates suspense and tension that Peele is able to craft masterfully. The dialogue is supposed to make it racially tense, it's supposed to put you on the edge of your seat, even when there's not any kind of horror or psychological elements going on. When you get to that stuff the movie gets really good, but honestly, this could just be a movie about an interracial couple going to meet the white parents and I think Peele could make it interesting. It's not racially charged for no reason either. I think that's something people might try and say, but even when the racial tensions are exaggerated, they're purposeful. I wasn't interested in giving this movie an Oscar just for the sake of giving them an Oscar because it's "an important film", but having watched it, it's very deserving of the Best Original Screenplay because it's written so well.

Again, I won't talk too in depth in order to not spoil the film (I'm thinking about potentially doing a spoilers review but I haven't decided yet). The point is that once the "horror" or suspense elements come in, the movie continues to up the ante and be better with every shot.

Get Out is similar to Gerald's Game where it's not so much a horror film as it is a suspenseful, psychological movie. Gerald's Game supplemented it with drama, Get Out supplements it with a science fiction that I found really interesting. After watching this, it makes total sense that Peele was tapped for the remake of The Twilight Zone and maybe it'll convince me for CBS All Access... probably not, but more importantly, I want to see more from Jordan Peele.

I'll make the comment everyone else in the world has already made, it's great to see an actor who has been making his career mainly a comedic one with Key and Peele and then make the switch over to horror science fiction and do it so seamlessly. I just rented A Quiet Place and I imagine it's a similar transition for John Krasinski. But in the case of Get Out, I am really looking forward to future projects from Jordan Peele, whether it be The Twilight Zone, Get Out 2, or hopefully a totally new original script.

 A couple of other stand out things about the movie besides the script that I've been raving out is the performances. Everyone gives a really great performance. I think if I had to choose one that stood out the most, it'd be Catherine Keener, but Bradley Whitford was also exceptional. The relationship Daniel Kaluuya's character builds with everyone is really great in it's own way. His relationship with Rose is fantastic and there is actual chemistry there, the stand off relationship with her family is off putting and great. The relationship he has with his buddy Rod (played by Lil Rel Howry) who is the stereotypical black person watching a horror movie is really great. Overall, there's not a lot to complain about when it comes to Get Out. I'll be interested to see what the effect of this movie is in the future. I think it's very timely for racial tensions that we're experiencing in our day and age, but I get the feeling that it will be relatable 10 to 20 years from now for both its commentary on race but also its use of science fiction elements and storytelling.

I think if anything was lacking in the film, it was that I wanted to see more. I don't know if that's really a bad thing but there was one point, kind of near the end where I was waiting for more of the science fiction horror elements of it and instead it went to the climax of the film. It works and all, but I think this would be a movie that I'd be really interested in seeing more of. I'd also be very content with this being a one off and Jordan Peele expanding his original thought on new stories, but I'd also be super fascinated to see more of this world. I don't know for sure, but the movie left me wanting a little more than what I got which is a pretty lame con of the film, but that's a good thing right? We want our movies keeping us wanting more.

I think so of the reason this movie was so hyped up was for two reasons. One, I think it came out at a time of racial tension and we look for mediums like this to try and analyze and comprehend things like subtle racism. I think the movie does a good job at utilizing that platform to have a discussion about that.

But the movie also felt unique and from a fresh voice and perspective. It doesn't feel like your run of the mill horror film, it feels like it's trying to say something. I get the feeling it will stand the test of time be a pretty important movie in the future, but again, I think we need to look at it in a couple of years and see if its timely to a point in history where we were focused on race relations, or if its timeless. We'll see.

But those are my thoughts on Get Out. I know I'm late to the party but I'm actually pretty glad that not a whole lot was spoiled for me. What did you think? Did you like it? Does this movie hold up a year later? Do you think it'll hold up in 5 or 10 years? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for films I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading!