Out-standing

I missed the movie Get Out in theaters a few months ago. Even with all the hype around how good it was, it fell at a time when my weekends were full, and I just never carved out time to see it. I regret that even more now that I have seen it and learned that indeed: the hype was real.

Get Out is a horror movie written and directed by Jordan Peele. A black man named Chris is invited to a wealthy suburban neighborhood to meet the parents of his white girlfriend, Rose. Despite Rose's assurances that racism isn't going to be an issue, Chris is nervous. But he's completely unprepared for the evil secret he soon discovers.

Jordan Peele has said that one of his principle inspirations here was The Stepford Wives, and it definitely shows. Still, to say any more than that would spoil the fun, and there is a lot more going on in this movie. It fires on all cylinders, being both an excellent horror/suspense film and a wickedly smart film with sharp commentary woven all throughout the plot. This is what It Follows was billed to be by the critics, though delivering on its promise where I thought that film came up short.

The cast is great. Daniel Kaluuya is Chris, a likeable hero who's easy to root for. (It's helpful that Peele's script grounds all the moments where you'd scream "don't do that!" at the screen in a context where you can believe the hero would make the choice he does.) Allison Williams, who many will know from HBO's Girls, is his girlfriend Rose, turning up the charm to max.

The rest of the cast is stacked high with great performers. Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener are perfect as the parents, goofy and awkward on the surface, and ultimately revealed to me quite sinister beneath. (I'm going out on a limb here and saying that's not really a spoiler.) Lil Rel Howery is hilarious as Rod, who in a series of phone calls becomes the voice of the audience urging his friend Chris not to be stupid. And Stephen Root has a wonderful, key role; the less said about it, the better.

Get Out is, quite simply, the best movie I've seen so far this year. And it sets such a high bar that I won't be at all surprise if it's still the best movie I saw all year come December 31st. I know some of my readers simply don't do horror, which is a shame... I think everyone should see this. I give it an enthusiastic A.