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Jordan Peele of Key and Peele comedy fame takes an auspicious stab at writing and directing a horror film with Get Out, the story of a young black man who starts to get the heebie jeebies after being introduced to his white girlfriends’ family. At first, it’s innocent enough — white people making statements about voting for Obama, loving Tiger Woods, and conceding to African-American genetics when it comes to all things athletic — all things many white people do to make sure you don’t think they’re racist. But when the girlfriend’s mom (Catherine Keener) wants to hypnotize our hero (Daniel Kaluuya), things get more insidious. Add in the fact that dear old dad (Bradley Whitford) is a neurosurgeon, and you can smell shades of The Stepford Wives and Disturbing Behavior a mile away.

People are saying Get Out is anti-white or reverse-racist, and that’s stupid. You have to watch the movie and get through a twist or two before you realize it’s actually quite the opposite. My biggest complaint about the film is that the first half is about building up the mystery surrounding the white family’s behavior. But if you’ve seen a trailer or know anything at all about the movie, you’re already well ahead of the story and ready to get the ball rolling. But when the ball begins to roll, it rolls well. Peele shows a reel knack for the genre, and surrounds himself with a very talented cast all around.

With Allison Williams, LilRel Howery, Lakeith Stanfield, and Stephen Root.

Academy Award: Best Original Screenplay (Peele)

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Kaluuya)