Cool freakin' movie. Definitely lives up to all the praise it's getting.
A very modern horror film, which is smart enough to warrant several viewings, while also individual enough to know that I, as a white man, will never truly understand the full significance of the horror involved. A young black man Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is dating a white woman Rose (Allison Williams) and is finally meeting her parents (Catherine Keener and Bradley Whitford.) They seem super nice, if in a sort of trying-too-hard-to-prove-they're-not-racist way (this would make an interesting double feature with LITTLE BOXES.) But there's something strange going on. Starting with Rose's mom hypnotizing Chris, ostensibly to cure his cravings to smoke, but totally without his consent. Then it gets...weird, in a way that I don't want to spoil. But I can say I loved the way it played with expectations and overturned common horror cliches--starting with the cliche that the black guy dies early.
You know what? Lots of people have written about how smart this movie is. They're right, it's great. Especially how well written it is. I'm not that good of a writer. You shouldn't be convinced by my stupid blog. Instead you should watch it yourself.
Oh, and of course director Jordan Peele, famous for the Comedy Central show KEY AND PEELE, makes an odd choice with horror for his directorial debut. I can attest that it's also a very funny movie, and his comedy chops are definitely used in his ability to challenge and subvert expectations. And while I'm sure he'll make comedies in the future (and I'm sure I'll enjoy them) here's hoping that he'll also continue playing in the horror genre.
Running Time: 104 minutes
My Total Minutes: 424,441
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