Get Out

When I first heard that Jordan Peele, one half of the comedy duo Key and Peele, was writing and directing a horror movie I was immediately intrigued. Comedy and Horror have an interesting symbiosis. After a jump scare in a horror movie, the audience will usually laugh. Then there are comedic actors and directors who have crossed over into horror with interesting and frequently disturbing results, whether it's Robin Williams' frightening turns in Insomnia and One Hour Photo or Kevin Smith writing and directing the horror films Red State and Tusk, it may not always be completely successful, but it sure is interesting. 

Chris Washington (played by Daniel Kaluuya) is traveling with his girlfriend Rose (played by Allison Williams) to visit her folks at their house in upstate New York. Chris is concerned about the trip because Rose never told her parents, Dean (played by Bradley Whitford and Missy (played by Catherine Keener) Chris was Black, but she isn't worried as her parents are very open minded ("My dad would've voted for Obama for a third term," she says as an example.) and she doesn't think he should worry. Upon arrival at their picturesque and secluded home, it certainly seems nice, but something is a bit off at the same time. They have two staff members helping around the house, cook Georgina (played by Betty Gabriel) and gardner Walter (played by Marcus Henderson), both of whom are not only Black but there also seems to be something a bit off about them. It's revealed that Missy is a therapist specializing in hypnotism and offers to help Chris with his smoking habit, which he is trying to quit. He politely declines, but that is just another red flag for Chris as he tries to figure out exactly what is going on, with some help via phone to his friend Rod (played by LilRel Howrey).

To say more about the plot of Get Out would risk spoiling things and that would be a shame. Part of the fun of the film is the plot unfolding as Chris unravels the sinister secrets of his girlfriend's parents and their friends. While the film is at times very funny, Jordan Peele has crafted a genuinely scary movie as well (forever more someone stirring a cup of tea will be incredibly unnerving). Balancing humor and scares can be a tricky act, but yet Peele manages to pull it off nicely. While also being a legitimate scary movie, he also tackles the issues surrounding race between Blacks and Whites, specifically the liberal upper class whites he referred to as the "West Wing liberals," which is funny because Bradley Whitford starred in both. He shows, through the extremes of a horror film, that the East Coast liberal elites that although they mean well, their ignorance and hubris can make things just as hard and awkward for the Black Community. It's a clever stroke to craft his villains by swinging the pendulum far away from the typical neo-nazi, racist "Alt-Right" folks and instead focus on those that love black culture and the celebrities that they feel represent it all the while not really associating with any actual Black people or any real interaction with the community they admire. He faces these themes head on and bring them to the forefront leading up to a climax that may rankle and bother some viewers but that Peele and his cast manage to pull off wonderfully. 

The cast also turns in some great performances. Daniel Kaluuya was great in the lead role as Chris, turning in a great everyman performance as someone very clearly out of their element already discovering something sinister is going on. I also really liked Allison Williams as Rose. I can't really elaborate but there is a moment late in the movie that had me busting out laughing. You'll know it when you see it. But she also tackles the loving girlfriend trying to calm her boyfriend's nerves while also trying to help. Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener are great as the parents. Whitford does a great balancing act as portraying someone who is warm and welcoming but yet as the film goes on seems more and more sinister. It's also great to see Catherine Keener in a film again, doing a great turn as Missy, who like Whitford is great at being warm and concerned and then turning around and being incredibly creepy. The film's MVP though is LilRel Howrey as Chris's friend Rod, who works as a TSA agent and clearly takes his job way more seriously that just about any TSA agent I have encountered yet. As the film's main comic relief, he is a hoot as he tries desperately to get help for Chris. 

Get Out functions both as a satisfying horror thriller and also as a deeper examination of race relations in the country within the confines of genre film. It's a bold film filled with both genuine scares and some genuine laughs making for a great mix that helps the heavier themes of the film work more smoothly. I genuinely look forward to seeing what Jordan Peele makes next.