Review: “Get Out” (2017) Starring Daniel Kaluuya

This review originally appeared on CinemaRetro

By Mark Cerulli

This so could have been a by-the-numbers genre movie: “Sensitive boyfriend goes to meet hot girlfriend’s parents in secluded country home and mayhem ensues…” and that’s exactly what happens in Get Out, the new thriller from writer/director Jordan Peele, but in a totally unexpected way.

The film turns every horror trope on its head while tackling racist stereotypes along the way. Daniel Kaluuya is excellent as Chris, an aspiring young photographer who happens to be black. His beautiful, Ivy League-ish girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams from HBO’s Girls) is bringing him home to meet her parents for the first time – a momentous occasion in any new relationship but even more so when it’s interracial, a fact the movie meets head on. Once at the family estate, Chris feels that something is truly off – from the mind-gaming father (Bradley Whitford) and his spooky psychiatrist wife (Catherine Keener) to Rose’s hostile brother (Caleb Landry Jones). Their all black staff goes out of their way to tell Chris how happy they are to be there, which just makes him more uncomfortable. And then there’s the family gathering Rose forgot to tell him about, where cousins and uncles leer at Chris as if he’s on display, making clueless, subtly racist comments in a perfect sendup of East Coast liberal elitism. Chris gamely endures all this while Rose seems genuinely mortified – but it’s all an act! Chris has been brought there for a sinister purpose and after Rose’s mom slyly hypnotizes him, that purpose is revealed and Get Out moves into high gear.

Writer/director Peele, who made his name acting and writing in comedies like MAD TV and Keanu, deftly blends laughs and horror, all leading up to a truly innovative climax as Chris desperately tries to escape. Daniel Kaluuya (Sicario) is spot on as a budding artist trying to navigate a difficult social situation. Allison William’s Rose is appropriately seductive and Milton “Lil Rel” Howery is hysterical as Chris’ loyal wingman, Rod, a TSA Agent who investigates when his friend goes missing. Produced by genre hitmeister Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity, Split, The Purge), Get Out is a mystery thriller that truly delivers while skewering today’s pervasive racial stereotypes. It’s also is a stunning directorial debut for Jordan Peele, who will doubtlessly be able to work in whatever genre he chooses.