Get Out – a review.

Chris and Rose decide to spent the weekend at Rose’s parents in the country. Being the only African-American person there Chris gradually becomes more paranoid as a series of strange events unfold. Is there something truly sinister going on?

I think I won’t be able to help myself address the elephant in the room when it comes to this marvelous movie. So consider this review spoiler heavy.

What, then, is the elephant in the room? Get Out is nothing short of Stepford Wives part II. It has the exact same premise as the 1975 classic. And rightfully so. The period Stepford Wives was released in was known for the female struggle: feminism, female rights, right to abortion. Stepford Wives handily used what was going on in society to create a fictional critique on the male (want for) dominance over women.

Get Out, I reckon, makes the brilliant choice of doing the exact same thing. Nowadays, the political framework is the racial struggle in the United States, wherein this movie criticizes this current climate of conflict between white and black.

For example, a delicious scene takes place at a party where the protagonist meets several people who speak the most outlandish racist things with the best intention.

 Like the famous ‘dangling tool size’ question. Or, assuming that skin color automatically makes a person athletic.

This is a hilarious scene because it is so recognizable. Everybody has experienced white people bending over backwards, weighing each word, terrified to say something discriminating. While a less bright family member just blurts it out with the best intention. Whereas a non-white person definitely recognizes the restrain it takes to let certain unintentional insults lie.

In this sense Get Out is a hilarious comedy which encourages you to laugh about those narrow-minded white folk. But with a sharp edge. For example: the main protagonist does actively seek out other African-Americans.

This Get Out then uses to effectively build upon the thriller part of the movie. Creating a lovely balance of the two.

For instance, the reveal concerning one of the characters was wonderfully done (though, I must admit, a bit contrived). Nevertheless the scene that followed really used the information received to crank up the tension.

The same goes for the various hypnotism scenes that created a sense of looming danger ahead (with some very simple, but very effective visual effects to boot).

even though they were a tad too short for my taste -every movie has something to complain about.

The script, then,  is quite effective in balancing the comedy and the thriller aspects of this movie. One or two characters are a bit ‘dropped into the movie’ at times (thus telling the audience that this is a person to remember later). And I do believe that the final showdown is a bit too bloody for its own good. It works as a finale, but the slow buildup until that moment is a bit tarnished by it.

On the other hand: this movie loves to take on tropes head on. The comic relief played by Lil Rel Howery is not only funny, he’s also clever and, as such, he becomes a real person. This is the friend you would ask to look after your dog. This is also the guy that, when he drinks milk from your refrigerator he buys you a new carton. It are these little add-ons that complete characters and give the actors some extra tidbits to work with.

But overall the script is kept simple enough to let the social critique shine through.

 There are even several smart callbacks like the dear or the mother.

Which brings me to another highlight of the movie: the acting. Daniel Kaluuya is brilliant as the sweet caring protagonist (who happens to be black). It’s not an easy part to build a growing sense of paranoia in a character.

Again, I do believe that the bloody finale rather kicked his character down two notches but nothing terrible.

Then there is Allison Williams’s character who is lovely. It is, again, quite difficult to play somebody who isn’t a racist that addresses racial issues. Usually this construct spotlights it negatively. But William plays it easily with an everlasting charm.

It usually comes across like your drunk uncle beginning his monologue with the words: “I’m not a racist but…”.

As Kaluuya grows more paranoid Williams get’s to shine even more. Her character is a bit underwritten near the end but that doesn’t matter because, by then, Kaluuya has taken the wheel of the movie.

Finally I want a special shout out to the parents played by Catherine Keener and Bradley Withford  (loved the turtleneck – only ever worn by villains) who are deliciously polite in the Stepford Wives kind of way.

Which brings me full circle.

Get Out is a smart comedy thriller that uses the template of Stepford Wives as a renaissance to highlight some social critique (racism in the USA) today. It’s funny, nail biting and with a strong moral message.

One thing that did bother me was the 'why African-American'-question.

I don't think the movie gave a satisfactionary answer.

But over-explaining it would only result in misinterpretation.