Get Out: Movie Review
I’m all about horror/thriller movies, so when I saw the trailer for Get Out, I couldn’t wait to see it! Especially since the movie comes from the same production wheelhouse as The Visit, The Gift, and the Insidious series. And earlier this week, I was able to catch a screening!
If you haven’t seen the trailer or need a refresher, here’s a quick rundown of what Get Out is about (spoiler-free): After dating for several months of dating, Rose (played by Allison Williams — Marnie on HBO’s Girls) brings her boyfriend Chris (played by Daniel Kaluuya) home to meet her family. But as they head from NYC to upstate New York, Chris wonders if her parents know he’s black and whether or not it will be an issue, unsure of what they might think about the two of them together. But when the couple arrive, Chris is welcomed with open arms, making him feel at ease… but not for long. Chris soon notices that the live-in handyman and housekeeper are very off, seemingly a little too chipper, acting robot-ish, and also seem to be in a strange daze. Of course things get a bit weirder from there, but I always strive to keep these reviews spoiler-free, so I’ll leave it at that!
The film is directed by comedian Jordan Peele, and had PLENTY of satire + hysterical moments, primarily in the role of Chris’ TSA agent friend, Rod Williams (played by Lil Rel Howery), who seriously makes the movie! I did some research after seeing the movie and also found out it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January! After attending a few years ago, this makes me even more excited, especially since not all Sundance movies make it out into the mainstream!
Just around 2 hours, Get Out is rated R and is categorized under the horror/thriller genre. But I’d reclassify it as a comedy, with some thriller moments, and major Stepford Wives vibes. If you’ve seen the movies I mentioned in the intro of this post, this is definitely less scary than those (if you need a reference mark). And believe it or not, but the film has a solid 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (as of today, pre-nationwide release). That’s crazy to me because nothing is EVER 100% on RT! Is the film’s cast and crew going in and submitting 5-star reviews?! I definitely wouldn’t give it that high of a rating!
So should you see Get Out? It’s kind of a loaded question. Was it funny? Yes. Will it make you jump? Yes (even when you know it’s coming). But there were clear political tones throughout and a big focus on the social issues of race and the power dynamics behind them. The film was definitely meant as a social commentary, but to me, every time those moments happened, it knocked the film down a few pegs for me.
Are you planning to see Get Out this weekend? What are your thoughts on Hollywood bringing politics and social issues into the mix?
