a GET OUT musing

It’s going to be hard to discuss this without spoiling the movie because every line, every action is intentional, but I’ll do my best. Every weird occurrence is set up and paid off, but not obviously. It’s not until you really dive deep into the ending and reveals of the film that you can really see its full beauty. GET OUT involves a white girl who brings her black boyfriend to meet her family, but of course, nothing is as it seems.

Going surface level, GET OUT is unexpectedly hilarious. There is a comedic relief character that is not jarring at all, and that can be attributed to the incredible direction of Jordan Peele, half of the Key & Peele comedic duo. All that comedy is pulled of perfectly, as expected, but the tone shifts are seamless. It’s interesting that Peele, someone from the comedy world, could pull off horror so well, but it’s in the societal observations that he finds the off-putting laughs. Peele has a great eye for iconic shots, too. Daniel Kaluuya, who plays Chris, the boyfriend (and from SKINS and BLACK MIRROR), is marvelous as the boyfriend, and Allison Williams (from GIRLS) is so damn beautiful and charming as his girlfriend.

This movie combines the creepiness of THE STEPFORD WIVES with GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER very effectively. The social commentary is in your face, but with reason, as everything comes into play once all the reveals have happened. Some people have been put off by the in-your-face racial overtones of the premise, but the movie handles those themes with careful thought, and not in a way of saying “all white people are horrible”.

GET OUT is a much more nuanced movie than I was expecting, while balancing multiple tones very effectively. It knows what it wants to say about the state of race in America. I want to unpack this movie so much more, but that will have to wait until my potential second thoughts musing.

rating: best of the best

(for more info on my rating system, click here!)