Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, horror movie “Get Out,” is receiving rave reviews from critics who are calling the thriller an “unmitigated triumph” and the “most trenchant studio release in years.”
In fact, the movie has a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 100 percent, based on 131 reviews, all of which are positive. Of course, the score can still change as more reviews start trickling in.
The film is about interracial couple Rose (Allison Williams) and Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), who reach a meet-the-parents stage in their relationship, leaving their metropolis for a country gathering hosted by mom (Catherine Keener) and dad (Bradley Whitford).
Chris expects chatter about their respective backgrounds and skin colors — not a series of disturbing social interactions and a revelation that quite a few young black men seem to disappear in the area.
“[Peele’s] directorial debut is a complex, accomplished genre hybrid that should alter his business card,” wrote Roger Ebert’s Brian Tallerico of the film by the co-creator of Comedy Central’s popular sketch comedy show “Key and Peele.” “‘Get Out’ feels fresh and sharp in a way that studio horror movies almost never do.”
“Get Out” was produced by Blumhouse’s Jason Blum and Sean McKittrick (“Donnie Darko”), Peele and Edward H. Hamm Jr. The film also stars Caleb Landry Jones (“X-Men”), Milton “Lil Rel” Howery (“The Carmichael Show”), Betty Gabriel (“The Purge: Election Year”), Marcus Henderson (“Pete’s Dragon”) and Keith Stanfield (“Straight Outta Compton”).
Here is a sampling of the rapturous reviews it has received:
Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice:
“Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ is the most trenchant studio release in years, a slow-building, often hilarious horror thriller built upon a dead-serious idea: that a black man walking alone through white suburbs is in as much danger as any slasher-flick teenager.”
Richard Brody, New Yorker:
“Peele’s perfectly tuned cast and deft camera work unleash his uproarious humor along with his political fury; with his first film, he’s already an American Buñuel.”
Brian Tallerico, Roger Ebert:
“With the ambitious and challenging ‘Get Out,’ which premiered in a secret screening at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, Jordan Peele reveals that we may someday consider directing the greatest talent of this fascinating actor and writer. We knew from his days on ‘Key & Peele’ and in feature comedies that he was a multiple threat, but his directorial debut is a complex, accomplished genre hybrid that should alter his business card. ‘Get Out’ feels fresh and sharp in a way that studio horror movies almost never do. It is both unsettling and hysterical, often in the same moment, and it is totally unafraid to call people on their racist bullshit. When he introduced the film in Park City, he revealed that it started with an attempt to write a movie he hadn’t seen before. We need more directors willing to take risks with films like ‘Get Out.’”
Scott Mendelson, Forbes:
“Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ is an unmitigated triumph of the form. It’s a primal campfire story born of very real and all-too-plausible fears, and it very much as its fingers on the pulse of our current insane zeitgeist. Peele has taken to calling it a ‘social thriller’ in recent press rounds, and that’s as good a description as any. It uses the obvious discomfort built around its premise to create tension and uneasy suspense even before we find out if there is any real danger. It is a glorious mix of social commentary, gallows humor and bruised-forearm chills. Dr. Fredric Wertham would have hated it. You’ll love it.”
Matt Goldberg, Collider:
“The insightful racial commentary will come as no surprise to those who have enjoyed ‘Key & Peele,’ but even fans will be impressed by Peele’s level of skill and confidence in his first feature. He utilizes the sharp subtext that the horror genre provides to create a cutting commentary on racial dynamics. The film functions like a punch in the mouth to every Obama voter that went to Trump. It strikes at every white person who professes their lack of racism while they idiotically exclaim that ‘All lives matter.’ Peele sees how far white people have come, and points out how little distance we’ve traveled. ‘Get Out’ isn’t meant to be reassuring. It isn’t meant to be conciliatory. It’s a bucket of ice water, and it will give you chills.”
Kevin Lally, Film Journal International:
“Jordan Peele has already proved himself a masterly comedian during his tenure at Comedy Central; with ‘Get Out,’ he’s now an assured filmmaker with a most promising career ahead.”
Jonathan Hatfull, Sci Fi Now:
“The film was shot last year but feels more relevant than ever in our current political climate, and ‘Get Out’ doesn’t only deliver an important, powerful message, it shows us a point of view that we too rarely see in horror cinema. This is an excellent horror that is gripping, scary, witty and timely, and it’s got something to say. Even if you don’t think all of it comes off, you will be talking about it.”