BY: ALEXIS ARNOLD
*This article contains spoiler alerts*
Although Jordan Peele is better known for his work on the Comedy Central sketch show Key and Peele, his directorial debut in Get Out will pleasantly surprise old fans and definitely win over new ones. The movie's trailer comes off as a horror flick, but the storyline reveals itself to be a suspense thriller with poignant social commentary.
I had high expectations for this movie after hearing it received a 100 percent approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes, and after the closest theater sold out. No movie is perfect, but Get Out is very, very good. The intellectual suspense is well balanced with jump scares and gore to keep it interesting, even if you are not a die-hard thriller fan.
Peele does not overshadow this movie with famous celebrities, a strategic move that made the performances more realistic and brought new faces to the silver screen. The natural yet chilling performance delivered by British actor Daniel Kaluuya, as well as the other cast members, really make the story captivating. Kaluuya's wide eyes provide great visuals and he masters an American accent.
There are small details in every scene that give away clues to the larger plot throughout the movie. Viewers of color will definitely pick up on the historically charged symbols that Peele uses to subvert a traditional slave narrative. Get Out tackles issues modern black exploitation as well as the "model minority myth." I recommend you see this movie with a friend because you'll want to talk about the commentary on race relations as well as the parts that made you laugh out loud.
Chris and Rose, played by Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams, are getting ready for their first meeting with her parents as a couple. Chris asks his girlfriend Rose if she told her parents that he's black, a reasonable concern for a family's first encounter with an interracial relationship. Rose reassures him that her parents can't be racist because "they would have voted for Obama a third time." Knowing who the director is, most of the audience took this as a moment to laugh.
Chris meets Rose's family, and later he meets several family friends who are all more than a bit overbearing with their race-based commentary. Rose's support seems to calm Chris' worries at first, but the comfort she provides lessens with each increasingly bizarre encounter. Between being hypnotized by Rose's mother, the intrusive questioning about his physique, and the sudden appearance of a missing man, Chris' suspicions grow too great to ignore.
He begs his girlfriend to go home, but the whole family stands in his way when he tries to leave. Chris has a long fight ahead if he is to get out alive, but he is not alone. It wouldn't be a Jordan Peele original without comic relief, so Chris' best friend Rod provides plenty of laughs as he attempts to help his brother escape a Caucasian conspiracy.
Rod helps play up audience reaction because he essentially gives viewers a voice. He helps make Get Out unlike other thrillers where viewers want to yell at the screen because a character does not recognize the ominous signs. Rod spares you the work by telling Chris things a viewer would say like, "I told you not to go into that house." His fast-talking comedic responses can be over-the-top at times, but his down-to-earth nature really makes Get Out into a well rounded film.
The excessive product placement got annoying after the fourth or fifth Windows device, and there is a brief explanation of an unrealistic medical procedure which assumes that the audience won't know enough about neurology to question it. Aside from those few minor criticisms, Get Out is definitely worthy of all the critical praise it's collecting.
If you are looking for a movie that will make you scream, laugh and question the social construct of race, then Get Out is your go to. Comedian-turned-director Jordan Peele uses his breakout film to bridge the gap between horror and race whiles staying focused on its message: The realities of racism are terrifying and the TSA is not to be messed with.
