So, I got to thinking, “has anyone at CFN done a review for the film Get Out?” Nope. I thought that was weird. I was really interested in seeing it since I heard so much about it. I just never got around to it – until last night.
There’s a lot you might expect to already know about Get Out, written and directed by Jordan Peele (Key and Peele), but there is so much more than just scathing commentary about race. I can’t go into it much without major spoilers, so I won’t elaborate further.
It’s been out for a while, so many of you may have already seen it or at least heard a lot about it. But for those reading that haven’t seen it yet, or have dismissed it out of some form of expectations, I’m going to sing its’ praises.
A young African American man, Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), goes with his caucasian girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams) to visit her parents on their large country estate. Things start out a little uncomfortable, you know, because her parents don’t know she’s dating a black man, and then get weird from there. And then full speed into bonkers!
On the surface – and in the trailers – Get Out seems like a sharp, funny, dark, thriller/horror about race. And it IS all those things, but it’s not JUST about race. Get Out really does surprise and defy all expectations. I kept wondering where it was going to go, and I loved every minute of the journey.
Get Out manages to turn it’s focus at a certain point in such a way that you are caught a little off guard, but smile, and hopefully see the genius of Peele’s handiwork. “Clever” is such an understatement.
The cast is superb. Rose’s parents are played by Bradley Whitford and Catheriine Keener and they are perfect. Gee, they seem nice enough, but there’s something not quite right…Or are you just relying on your expectations? Our perception is often clouded by that. You know, the more I think about this film, the better it gets.
Get Out is surely more thriller than horror, not a drop of blood that I recall. But it’s ability to constantly keep you guessing and then the really satisfying resolution makes this one of my favorite movies of 2017 so far.
I know I usually reserve five kittenhands for a film that I feel is Oscar material (and maybe I should stop doing that), but Get Out is fantastic. I can’t find a flaw. Even though it’s not really necessary to see this on a big screen, please do anyway! Vote with your dollars. If you haven’t seen this yet, check it out before it leaves theaters. It’s awesome.
~ Neil T Weakley, your average movie-goer, SO glad I caught this before I had to wait for streaming.