REVIEW: Get Out

Is it racist when people have simplistic, fond thoughts on people of a certain skin colour based on stereotypes?  Heck yes, it is.  In Get Out, writer and director Jordan Peele highlights what may seem like a different kind of racism, a more kind racism, but really it is just as ignorant as its meaner sibling.  It is a fascinating concept to look at, and Peele delivers a film that is primed for starting discussions.

The story is based around the relationship between Rose Armitage (Allison Williams) and her black boyfriend, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) as they head off to her whiter than white parent's house for the weekend.  This is the first time Chris will meet the parents, and he is curious about what their reaction will be to his skin colour.    The parents Missy (Catherine Keener), and Dean (Bradley Whitford... hey, isn't this the second time this week we're talking about him?) are charming, and Dean seems to do anything possible to show Chris that he's not racist.  The interesting aspect about this is the basic fact that, even without mean or alienating intentions, Dean is treating Chris differently because of his skin.  The racism that is looked at in Get Out is much different than what we normally see.

It is clear that Chris is used to being treated differently.  On their way to Rose's parent's house, she hits a deer.  This incident will actually lead to some interesting points about Chris' life and his survival.  Anywho, a police officer is called.  After talking to Rose, he nonchalantly asks Chris to see his identification.  Rose immediately gets upset, but Kaluuya's expression is that this is just a daily occurrence for him.  It is quite sad to see that at this point in the film, he is resigned to this sort of experience.

As the Armitage's throw a big party, Chris begins to really encounter some very odd white folk.  It seems as though everyone wants to comment on the fact that he's black.  This, to me, feels like it is looking at white privilege.  Caucasians feeling that because they aren't talking negatively that they can give insight to the minority, before being able to turn away and carry on conversations with others while Chris would be left with what was said.  Jordan Peele takes white privilege to absurd heights in this film, but I'm afraid I cannot tell you how that happens.

The concept and the conversation that Peele brings with Get Out is indeed quite fascinating.  After numerous viewings, I always seem to walk away from the movie believing that the point of the film was something other than what I had previously thought.  This is the true power of the film.  Because there can be many different ways to interpret it, there are a great number of conversations that could be started after the movie is over.

Daniel Kaluuya is strong as Chris.  This is a character who is inserted into so many different awkward situations and conversations, and Kaluuya sells it all brilliantly.  There is a determination in him that says he will not allow race to be an issue in his relationship with Rose, but it is tested often.  As the film travels on, there are many more different sides of Chris that we see.  Overall, the acting in Get Out is top notch, and the different characters are developed and coloured in with complexities.  The most joyous character in the film is Chris' friend Rod (Lil Rel Howery), a caring person that is committed to the friendship.  Rod brings the comedy to the film.  There isn't too much of it, and there isn't too little of it.  Coming from a comedy background, it is very evident that Jordan Peele knows how to use it in moderation to add flavour to a film.

Of course, because this is a horror, there needs to be some scares.  This is a movie that works at a simmering slow build instead of trying to constantly dive-bomb the audience like many horrors.  There are small scary occurrences in the first two acts of the film, but it is in the third that it really gets crazy.  I think Peele offers enough enticing moments that it doesn't feel like the audience is waiting forever to get to the horror part of the film.

Throw into the equation some otherworldly pacing and editing, and this film flies by.  Four times viewed for me, and there still isn't a scene where I look at the time and maybe run to grab a soda from the fridge.  There is a really good reason why this movie got Oscar nominations.  It is smooth in its flow, with scenes just melding into each other, bridged by smart dialogue and fantastic acting.

I really hope that the Academy never includes a 'popular film' award.  Yes, that sort of thing will give much more mainstream films recognition, but the negative effect that it will have is much worse.  People who make genre movies that are usually considered children's table material will never be considered for the 'legit' best picture award.  If the popular category was around a few years ago, Mad Max: Furry Road wouldn't have gotten the best picture nom, and the same would have happened with Get Out.  What I'm getting at here is that because horror is a pushed aside genre, truly great material needs its chance to get recognized as on par with the typical dramatic Oscar bait.  We already had films like The Witch and The Babadook get nary a closer look, and the fact that Get Out earned four nominations with one win changes the way that the market looks at this product.  Smarter horrors have now proved to be currently financially viable.  The more acclaim for these films, the more interesting ideas will get green-lit.

Rating - 3.5 out of 4 stars

REVIEW: Get Out

A normal and happy birthday for me are the simple things in life.  Getting up, having a coffee, and at some point in the day indulging in pop and chips.  This year it was a great birthday.  I got my coffee.  I got a massive plate of nachos.  I got my pop.  All wonderful stuff for a guy who enjoys such things. On top of all of that, my podcast co-host and good friend, Christopher Spicer, got me Get Out.  As a fan of horror films, I was greatly anticipating seeing this film that I had missed out on, and the present was a perfect fit for me and my likings.

Horror movies have seen a creative resurgence in recent years.  It was films like It Follows and The Babadook that made waves in the independent scene.  It seemed to spark something that caught on.  Last year, on the mainstream level, we had solid entrances in The Shallows, Lights Out, and Don't Breathe.  I am sure I am missing some in there.  Oh yes, the Ouija sequel.  I would hate to leave that one off the list.

One of the champions of this horror resurgence is Blumhouse Productions.  It allows, on a micro-budget, film makers to bring their high concept ideas and see them fulfilled without having to worry about studio meddling.  It is from this company that we receive Get Out, a film that is written and directed by Jordan Peele.  People would be right not to immediately think of horror when they hear the name of this comedian, but he shows through the film that this is something that he has a very good sense of creating and executing.

The story focuses on Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) who is going to be spending the weekend meeting his girlfriend Rose's (Allison Williams) family.  There is some tension around this because he is black and she is white, and he doesn't know how the family will respond to the situation.  As it turns out, they are rather welcoming of him.  Her father Dean (Bradley Whitford) and mother Missy (Catherine Keener) welcome him into their home.  He is part of the family, and yet there is something that isn't sitting quite right.

That feeling of something being off follows him around, as all of the other black people he meets are acting rather strangely.  Peele makes it very obvious that something isn't right.  He plays with the subtle sense of racism without ever completely making the film about it.  The situation is obvious to Chris, but not to those around him, who act as though there is nothing out of the ordinary.

Get Out is most certainly a slow building horror film.  It takes a while for things to start happening, but that does not mean that it is stale and un-entertaining.  There are a few minor jump scares thrown in during the build, and I must admit that they got me.  This is because everything in the first act of the film is subtle.  There was no ominous music, no stranger harbingers that are met along the way, or any of the other numerous tropes in horror that are used to keep the viewers interested and engaged.  Peele is able to keep the audience engaged through solid script writing and a cast that are more than up to the challenge of their roles.

The casting may very well be one of the strongest points of the movie.  Everyone is natural in their roles and delivers their lines with a natural air that makes the dialogue flow freely in a way that would in real life.  Whitford and Keener are perfect as the parents.  They are two talents that I always get excited about seeing, and for some reason they are never in nearly enough roles.  They show why that should not be the case in Get Out.  Kaluuya is wonderful in his portrayal of Chris.  It is so easy to become invested in his caring and easy going nature.  It would be great if this was a 'star making' performance for him.  He shows on the screen that he is capable of a number of emotions without ever looking out of place or robotic.

Perhaps what I liked the most about Get Out is that it was just a really well told tale.  There are some horrors that I enjoy that aren't nearly as well told.  It is the ones that are crafted like a good camp fire story that endure.  They may have their faults and may not be classics, but they are entertaining from beginning to end.  A person who is really good at that is Mike Flanagan, and Get Out fits that same feel and mould.

Of course, coming along with Jordan Peele is guaranteed to be comedy.  It is perfectly woven into the movie, and never feels jarring and doesn't take us so far out of the moment that it is difficult to get us back into it.  Lil Rel Howery brings the majority of the laughs.  He plays Rod, the best friend of Chris.  Howery is just another example of the perfect casting of this film.  The funny parts are never outlandish.  That can be the downfall of some films that try to use humour to bridge moments of emotion and tension.  Peele's script shows a fine-tuned knowledge of what to use, when to use it, and how much of it should be used.

I am not going to be arguing that this film is an all time classic.  I don't think it is, but that doesn't mean that it is any less special or significant.  What it is is a balanced, hand crafted piece of art that entertains for the entire run time and brings the audience into the experience.  Really, can anything more be asked of a movie?  There are so many films that entertain, but that don't accept the audience fully in on the journey.  Get Out is strong in this manner, as I was rooting for the protagonist from first introduction to final scene.  The run time flew by.  I had some jumps, I had some laughs, and I was glued to the screen.  Who cares if it won't be remembered alongside films like The Exorcist?  Get Out is horror escapism done with a knowledgeable hand, and for that reason I am sure that I will be seeing it time and time again.

Rating - 3.5 out of 4 stars