When I told my best friend that I would be reviewing the horror film Get Out, comedy star Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, he instantly dismissed the film as “more propaganda against the white man.” Knowing him, this sounded like his way of trying to sound elitist about a film he had no intention of seeing anyways. Yet his comment did indeed reinforce the notion that Get Out has proven to be one of the most daring and talked-about horror films of some time due to its envelope-pushing subject matter. In fact, how a person responds to Get Out will be largely due to their own relationship with racial politics. Maybe some people will be afraid to like this film, regardless of what race they are, due to the fact that it reminds them of what kind of world they are indeed living in. However, there are also going to be a significant amount of people who won’t be, and who will make the film both the hit and classic it more or less deserves to be.
In Get Out, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) has just hit the road with his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) for a weekend in the country to meet her family. Despite some initial apprehension stemming from the face that Rose has failed to mention to her family that Chris is black, he is soon warmly welcomed by mom Missy (Catherine Keener), dad Dean (Bradley Whitford), and brother Jeremy (Caleb Landry Jones). However, it appears that all is not right. Apart from the fact that Rose’s well-to-do family has a pair of black people working for them, their strong interest in Chris begins to unnerve him. After a while, Chris actually begins to fear that, despite not knowing the family’s true motives, he may not survive the weekend.
Peele is certainly well-versed enough in his love and appreciation of the genre that he ensures Get Out hits all the appropriate notes as a genuine horror/thriller offering. There are more than enough subtle jumps and frights throughout to keep lovers of the genre entertained. When Rose’s family’s friends show up for a somewhat upscale garden party, the film takes on a definite weirdness that feels like a solid updating of other previously beloved staples such as The Stepford Wives, Stoker, and Dark Shadows. One such moment occurs during an encounter between Chris and Georgina (Betty Gabriel), the family’s maid, who simultaneously tears up and smiles widely when asked by the former if she’s happy with the family. Peele’s handle on tension is so strong and palpable that there are very few moments throughout Get Out that don’t contain some level of uncomfortableness, from instances involving the family sitting around the patio enjoying iced tea to Missy eerily stirring the contents of a cup and saucer.
While its common practice for horror films to keep their ideologies under the surface to a degree, the one thing Get Out could improve on is just how far it pushes the boundaries of its premise. The film simply doesn’t take things far enough. In a way, it’s as if Get Out is afraid to explore the social motivations of its characters or the way their actions are actually carried out. What are these characters saying exactly? Are they trying to show middle- and upper-middle class black society that although they think they can exist on the same level, they really can’t? Peele tries to answer these questions, but retreats at the same time, preferring instead to load the film with way more comedy than it needs. This method draws the laughs it sets out to get, but almost to the point where Get Out starts to feel like another film altogether at the expense of its intriguing and bold set up.
Unlike most horror films, the performances in Get Out rise far above the standard cardboard variety usually found in the genre. It seems that everyone understands the great social significance of the film they are in and channels it into their work on screen. Kaluuya proves a great protagonist, making Chris likable but flawed and human, relatable to virtually everyone in the audience. He’s well-matched with Williams, who just oozes loveliness and warmth in what is definitely the film’s trickiest role. While Jones and Marcus Hendersen (as Chris’s best friend Walter) do wear on the nerves after a while, Whitford and Keener enjoy some of the most commanding turns of their careers with both actors only too happy to immerse themselves in their mysterious characters.
Even if it may not be apparent to some, one of the underlying reasons Get Out works as effectively and excruciatingly well as it does is because of the relationship at the center of it. For a time, you buy what Chris and Rose have between them; you buy the romance and you buy the bond these two people have formed. Adding to the power and beauty of it was the fact that it was created in spite of any sort of hang-ups and was able to thrive freely. The ending of Get Out offers up a clever twist on a particular societal woe that is sadly timeless now more than ever, turning it on its head in the process. However for me, the film ends on a sad note, especially when it comes to mourning the relationship painted on the screen and, for a time, all it represented.
