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MOVIE REVIEW

Get Out

MPA Rating: R-Rating (MPA) for violence, bloody images, and language including sexual references.

Reviewed by: Alexander Malsan
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Extremely Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults
Genre: Horror Satire
Length: 1 hr. 43 min.
Year of Release: 2017
USA Release: January 23, 2017 (festival)
February 24, 2017 (wide—2,781 theaters)
DVD: May 23, 2017
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Relevant Issues
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the evils of racial prejudice

current racial tensions in America and the world

RACISM—What are the consequences of racial prejudice and false beliefs about the origin of races? Answer

Racism, Ethnicity Issues and Christianity
Get biblical answers to racial hot-topics. Where did the races come from? How did skin color come about? Why is it important to have a biblical foundation for such issues?

Is inter-ethnic marriage biblical? Answer

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FILM VIOLENCE—How does viewing violence in movies affect families? Answer

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FEAR, Anxiety and Worry—What does the Bible say? Answer

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Featuring Daniel KaluuyaChris Washington
Allison WilliamsRose Armitage, Chris’ girlfriend
Catherine KeenerMissy Armitage, Rose’s mother—a psychiatrist
Bradley WhitfordDean Armitage, Rose’s father
Caleb Landry JonesJeremy Armitage
Marcus HendersonWalter, the Armitages’ black groundskeeper
Betty GabrielGeorgina, the Armitages’ black maid
Director By Peabody Awards (Keegan-Michael Key / Jordan Peele) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.Jordan Peele — “Keanu” (2016), “Key and Peele” TV series (2012-2015)
Producer Blumhouse Productions
QC Entertainment
See all »
Distributor Distributor: Universal Pictures. Trademark logo.Universal Pictures

Chris and Rose are quite the couple. Rose is a Caucasian female from a rich, well-respected family, and Chris is an African-American male, whose upbringing is different than that of Rose’s. “So Chris and I are in a interracial relationship. No big deal!” thinks Rose. So what does she do? She tells Chris that her parents want to meet him and invites him to her parent’s house in the mountains for a small get together. Still, Rose thinks, it’s no big deal what our races are! Chris, however, isn’t so sure, but decides to join Rose nonetheless.

At her parents’ house, Rose introduces Chris. It doesn’t take long for things to get very uncomfortable for Chris, as Rose’s parents try to accommodate the fact that Rose is Caucasian and Chris is African-American, by means of dialog (example: Rose’s father asks her, “So how long has this THANG been happenin’?”). At first, Chris just brushes it off.

But, the more time Chris spends with Rose’s parents, and with all the, uh, African-American housekeepers and grounds-people, the more Chris realizes that Rose’s family is far from ordinary. Boy, is Chris in for a rough weekend.

I’m REALLY getting tired of Hollywood sticking their opinions into movies. Enough is enough. I, like many, often go to the movies to escape the stresses of life. Every time we step out the door, it seems there’s someone or someplace telling us “who to be” and “what to believe,” whether it is through social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), mass media news, or by other means. As soon as I heard a conversation about racism in this film, I couldn’t help but sigh, “Really? Is this necessary?” There is a proper time and place for conversations about the evils of racism, as there is for conversations regarding LGBTQ issues, but here’s the thing; for me, the place is NOT the movie theater (e.g., the intentional promotion of homosexuality in the new “Beauty and the Beast”). Whose responsibility is it to raise the next generation anyway? It’s not Hollywood’s, it’s ours.

“Get Out” has some good things going for it. For starters, I thought the performances by the leads AND the cameos were strong. There is also some good cinematography, brilliant ambiance, strong visuals, and effective delivery of the plot. However, all the good that this film has is outdone by the overkill of its racism message delivered through excessive vulgarity, violence, and sexual content. This detracts from what could have been an incredibly strong thriller.

Violence: • Man walking at night attacked from behind by a driver who choke holds him unconscious and throws him in his car trunk • Couple is driving car during daytime, when a deer hits the windshield. As man checks on the deer, we watch as it slowly dies. • Party guest attacks Chris, as he tries to take his picture • Male lead is strapped to a chair, someone comes in, and Chris hits him with a hard ball, repeatedly, even after the character has died and blood pools on the floor. • Chris skewers a character with deer antlers, blood pours out • Stabbing through the palm of a hand • Bloody killing of a woman • Stabbing of a man’s leg • Stomping of a man’s head to death • Driver hits walking woman, knocking her unconscious • Woman attacks man • Severe car crash kills woman passenger and injures bloody driver • Lead male is shot by a rifle • Bloody shooting of woman • Man graphically shoots himself in the head (bloody) • Male lead chokes girl to death

A particularly disturbing result of the film’s clever use of suspense and racial fear is that some audiences are reportedly cheering as the black hero violently kills white people (see secular critic reviews below).

Vulgarity: The f-word is used more than 50 times (often used sexually and repeatedly with the word “mother”), several uses of the substitute word “fruck,” sh*t (37), d*ck (2), a** (3), a**-hole (1), etc.

Profanity: Oh my G*d (8), G*d-d**n, Oh G*d, Oh L*rd, My G*d, h*ll, d*mn.

Sex/Nudity: Repeated references to sex slavery and some extremely graphic sexual dialog (which I will not list here). Also… • A black male talks about white people enjoying making black people do “kinky sh*t” and provides details • Someone asks Chris if Rose is licking his “b*lls” to get him meet her parents • A male makes sexual banging sounds as he brags about his sexual success with the hottest girl at a party • White woman feels Chris” arm and chest and asks Rose, “Is it true?” (clearly implying black male genital size and/or sexual prowess) • Lead female undressed (just panties and a top) and later apparently nude (showing bare back) • Males shirtless • Sexual activity implied repeatedly • Repeated French kissing, including in bed • Implied oral sex • Guy shown bleeding from his mouth—indicating a girl bit his tongue while French kissing

The message of the film was clear, some people are more oblivious to acts of racism than they think. Do you need to see “Get Out” to receive this message? No. There are much better ways.

RACISM—What are the consequences of racial prejudice and false beliefs about the origin of races? Answer

Racism, Ethnicity Issues and ChristianityGet biblical answers to racial hot-topics. Where did the races come from? How did skin color come about? Why is it important to have a biblical foundation for such issues?

Please be aware that the stars I’ve given for moviemaking quality do NOT warrant a recommendation, nor does it indicate this film is good entertainment. In the days following my viewing of “Get Out,” I quickly forgot who the characters were and why I went. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is pretty much “Get Out”… a passing moment, best forgotten. Save yourself the trouble of sitting through two hours of graphic violence, excessive obscenity and vulgarity, and heavy sexual content. Stay away from this movie.

Violence: Extreme / Profanity: Extreme / Sex/Nudity: Very Heavy—especially sexual dialog, some explicit

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
PositiveJordan Peele’s feature directorial debut could be declared an immediate success in terms of drawing in the viewer. An unexpected struggle involving Lakeith Stanfield (Andre “Logan” Hayworth) and an unknown assailant, sets the mind wondering how it would be relevant to the story, as it then switches over to a completely different vibe and setup of the movie’s main stars.

The storyline is engaging, as I felt a connection building between the charcters Chris Washington (actor Daniel Kaluuya) and Rose Armitage (Allison William). Everyday scenes began setting the tone for mounting evidence of potential racial tension. As Rose brings Chris home to meet her family for the first time, Chris is uneasy about how her parent’s will respond to his skin color. While empathetic, Rose assures him that her family will think he is perfect, just like she does. Rose displays an attitude consistent with equality among races. …See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Christa Sterken, age 46
Positive—Wow. What an unexpectedly powerful film. When I saw the initial previews, I rolled my eyes—not only because I wasn’t sure I’d like the messaging, but also because I’m not a fan of the horror genre. I finally saw this film after seeing it was one of the few films in history to receive perfect ratings across various movie critic sites. That says a lot. And boy, were they right. I knew there would be a few who would “miss the point” and get caught up in the language or how many of the white characters were killed (I won’t spoil much here). But this movie is a powerful statement on the “new racism” of today, which isn’t that of hurling racial slurs, promoting segregation, or seeing KKK rallies.See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Marin, age 38 (USA)
Positive“—Get Out” is a great film. Each scene in the film is filled with symbolism. At first glance, the events are appear benign, but take a second look, there are layers of meaning. You can easily watch the film multiple times.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Daniel, age 35 (USA)
Negative
Negative—I endured 30 minutes of this movie for my spouse’s sake, and walked out for God’s sake. I found the continuous vulgarity unbearable and considered that continuing to watch it would set a bad example. I won’t be trapped into such a movie again. I will check the rating and comments from Christian reviewers.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3
Ken Ford, age 67 (Australia)
Negative—Okay, walking into the movie theater, I knew it was rated R and to expect to see some racial theme’s and hear some swearing in the movie, but I don’t think I was ready for what I got from the movie. Being a CHRISTIAN, I strongly urge you to skip the movie. I even had to walk out of the theater due to language. The Lord said in the story of Moses that he shall not find him guiltless who takes his name in vain, something that these characters did a lot of. I also didn’t like the racial themes that made the people brainwashed by the family.

I didn’t see the end, due to so much swearing, but I don’t think I remember having to walk away from a movie before now. I can’t stress this enough, please don’t go. Get away from “Get Out” and stay away from it. Wasted time and money that I cannot get back.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 1½
Chris Dye, age 27 (USA)

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

Movie Critics
…race-based horror movie combines genuine thrills with a no-holds-barred critique of black-white relations. …struggle is pitched at such a degree that audiences actually cheer as he gorily eliminates the white people who stand in his way. …
Peter Debruge, Variety
…Its shaggy, stream-of-consciousness storyline lends itself well to the “midnight movie” mindset. … [4/5]
Jordan Hoffman, New York Daily News
…inventive and entertaining but excessive…
Ted Baehr, Movieguide
…an effective horror flick with a dark comic streak… dealing directly with the quiet and overt evils of racism alike, from the vantage of a black man in a white, hostile world. …
Dominick Suzanne-Mayeron, Consequence of Sound
…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…
Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice
…“Get Out” is fully surprising in both concept and craft, with the scares never coming just when you expect them and the secrets more audacious than you might be guessing. At the raucous screening I attended, the mixed-race crowd cheered the bloody third act
Alan Scherstuhl, LA Weekly
Jordan Peele paints a terrifying picture of modern enslavement… a compelling, thoughtful critique of white power. …
Matt Goldberg, Collider
…“Get Out” is a provocative, button-pushing shocker that buries itself under your skin and lingers, its genre trappings serving as devious delivery for a scathing takedown of liberal white suburbia. …
Benjamin Lee, The Guardian (UK)
…“Get Out” is truly frightening. Not because it’s loaded with jump scares (though it does have a couple of good ones), nor because it features excessively visceral violence. It’s so perfectly calibrated that every escalation feels organic…
David Sims, The Atlantic
…Since it is a story of a minority experience told by a minority, it has an extra kick of personal experience and doesn’t give a cr*p about offending the white folks who happen to buy a ticket. …
Scott Mendelson, Forbes
…whatever important ideas about racial alienation this movie may be trying to illustrate, we also can’t lose sight of how it chooses to express itself—in bloody, profane ways. [1½/5]
Paul Asay, Plugged In
Comments from non-viewers
—I did not see the movie, but I know some people who saw the movie. The movie was rated R. I have only 1 comment: Why would a Christian go to a movie like this? A saying goes like this: Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Find out what the movie is about before you spend God’s money on a movie like this.
William Williford, age 73 (USA)