Get Out (2017)
Cast includes: Daniel Kaluuya (Sicario), Allison Williams (Girls), Catherine Keener (Into the Wild), Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), LilRei Root (The Carmichael Show)
Director: Jordan Peele (Key and Peele)
Genre: Comedy | Horror | Thriller (84 minutes)
“It’s crazy… this crazy confusing suburb… left on… what is it?” The black dude on foot is no match for whoever’s in the white car. “Just keep on walking,” he says. But… “Run rabbit, run. Run, run, run…” Back in the city, Chris and Rose are getting ready for a visit to her parent’s house upstate. “Do they know I’m black?” Chris asks. “No,” says Rose. “Should they?” “It’s something they might want to know,” Chris says. Rose assures him that her parents aren’t racist. “My dad would have voted for Obama for a third term if he could have.” Chris calls his friend Rod with last minute instructions for taking care of his dog. Rod is a TSA agent and he believes he has a talent for reading people and situations. “Mistake,” Rod tells Chris. Chris is apprehensive for sure, but he and Rose are in love and this is something he needs to do.
It’s a long drive up to the middle of nowhere, and hitting that deer is a creepy start to the weekend. Chris doesn’t hesitate to take out his ID when the cops ask for it. But Rose says “that’s bullshit” because she was driving… not Chris. “Not gonna let anyone fuck with my man,” she insists. (Maybe this visit won’t be a mistake after all.) The house turns out to be rather a mansion, complete with a black ground’s keeper… although there’s definitely something off with that guy. Rose’s parents seem lovely… “We’re huggers,” her dad says. Georgia, the black housekeeper, is another strange one. And there’s definitely something off about Rose’s brother Jeremy, who seems to admire Chris’s “genetic make up.” Rose’s mom is a psychologist and she offers to hypnotize Chris to help him kick his smoking habit. No thanks. That’s a bit more intimacy than Chris can deal with at this point. As it happens, this is the weekend of the “yearly shindig,” so Chris will be meeting lots of white friends and family members. But somehow, it’s as if they expected Rose’s boyfriend to be black. Some mention their admiration of Obama and Tiger Woods… “Black is in fashion.” Are these people for real? And what’s up with the strange dreams? Does it have anything to do with Rose’s mom?
It’s nice that all these white people are so open-minded, but something seems unnerving. When Chris calls Rod, his friend’s TSA instincts kick in right away. “Sex slave! I told you this was a mistake.” Get Out is part funny, part creepy, part thriller and part social consciousness. The brainchild of writer/director Jordan Peele of Key and Peele, this film keeps us guessing right up to the end. Many throwaway comments and plot points from the beginning turn out to be meaningful as the horror unfolds, which makes Get Out a satisfying ride. Jordan Peele is a master at mixing social ramifications, prejudices and paranoia. It’s not just a black and white issue… everyone knows what it’s like to be in a situation that seems to be going off the rails but… maybe that’s an over reaction. Why did that guy yell at Chris to get out? He struggles to read the signals without being paranoid. “You’ll enjoy being a member of the family.” Hey, shit happens!
3 popped kernels
Black boyfriend meets white girlfriend’s parents but it doesn’t go as he feared… it takes a turn for Creepyville
Popcorn Profile
Rated: R (Violence)
Audience: Young Adults
Gender Style: Bold
Distribution: Mainstream Wide Release
Mood: Neutral
Tempo: Zips Right Along
Visual Style: Nicely Varnished Realism
Nutshell: Black boyfriend meets white parents
Language: True to life
Social Significance: Pure Entertainment
