The Genius of Get Out

I’ll admit it, the first mistake I made before watching this movie was doing what you’re doing right now, reading a review. If you like to go into movies completely clueless then I suggest you stop reading now. The movie was number one in its premiere weekend making $33 million, and has grossed $81 million so far, according to IMDB.

Jordan Peele, better known for his work on Key & Peele with Keegan-Michael Key and a cast member of MADtv, has written and directed his first movie “Get Out”. The comedian has taken an unexpected turn from his comfortable genre of comedy, turning to thrilling horror. This isn’t your average demon-sent-from-hell horror story, the subject matter is much more vulgar: racism.

“Get Out” was expected to be a satirical horror movie after the release of its trailer depicting an interracial couple visiting a very suburban white family; a twist on the film “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” The twist is that Chris’ (Daniel Kaluuya) girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), and her family possess a very dark side to their secluded life.

Nonetheless, this movie was released during the perfect time. The film tackles many current societal issues, and was also written during the election season. Issues like, micro-aggression, police brutality, racism, and even slavery were deliberately slipped into each scene both obviously and subliminally. The film opens with the song Redbone, by Childish Gambino. The song’s lyrics are a foreshadowing of the story to come. Then Chris and Rose are seen packing to go on their trip to visit Rose’s parents, and it is brought up that Rose has never mentioned that her boyfriend is black.

As Chris is welcomed into the home of his girlfriend’s childhood, everything seems normal. But the underlying prejudicial thoughts that occur with some white Americans that meet someone of another race for the fist time are voiced verbally and through body language. For example, when Chris meets Rose’s father for the first time, he immediately says he would vote for Barack Obama’s third term if that were an option. As the action takes off, there were not many jump scares, but plenty of twists and gore.

The end of the movie has left audiences satisfied, but you have to watch the whole story unfold to appreciate its genius.