Ever feel like an alien in your own pop culture? Good, I knew I wasn’t the only one.
But I haven’t given up.
The other day I caught an interesting podcast on NPR’s “Fresh Air.” It featured Jordan Peele, the debut director of “Get Out,” a movie that’s received more than its share of reviewer shout-outs. Rotten Tomatoes even gave it a 99% ranking. It’s been called, among other things, a “genre hybrid,” as well as “ambitious” and “daring.” Reviewers have referenced everything from “The Stepford Wives” to “Rosemary’s Baby” for analogies.
“Get Out” is a riff on race in America with blind-siding plot twists and horror-movie staples and good production values. Think 2017 version of “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?” Well, that’s what I thought from what I had heard.
The engaging, articulate Peele talked about the trends and taboos of interracial dating. The African-American director talked about being the “other” in colorless contexts. He talked about what it was like to attend all-white functions with black hired help. Was there, for instance, a universal, racial identity that transcended class? In short, “Yes.”
It reeled me in. A good, probing conversation will do that.
My wife and I saw “Get Out” the other day at Centro Ybor. OK, it was $5 Tuesday, but we were curious to the point of intrigued. The Ybor City Wine Bar provided the perfect venue for a recap.
What we recaptured: Our bad.
It wasn’t so much a contemporary version of “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?” It was more like Sidney Poitier meets “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers” meets “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” More off-putting than thought-provoking.
Among those who ought to be embarrassed: Brian Williams. His co-star daughter, Allison Williams, is still stalked by her HBO “Girls” persona. She’s not an accomplished actress, but she is annoying.
Instead of a racial tale of our age-of-Obama times with societal edginess, racial twists and dark subplots, “Get Out” is a surface hodgepodge of faux hip.
“Get Out”? Get serious.