MOVIE REPORT CARD: US

Date: 3/22/19
Title: Us
Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Evan Alex, Shahadi Wright Joseph

GRADES

ACTING: 95
DIRECTING: 90
SCREENPLAY: 75
EDITING: 80
CINEMATOGRAPHY: 85
SOUNDTRACK: 95

FINAL: 87/B+

COMMENTS

There's no doubt, that Jordan Peele, is a gifted and talented filmmaker. His love of film combined with a keen eye for making them, solidifies he's here to stay. Here's the thing with Us though; parts of the film ooze brilliance, and other parts are an absolute mess. Oddly, when the film is crushing under its pretentiousness, you can almost feel Jordan Peele reach out from the screen and grab your hand, reassuringly, as he tugs you along this journey. Us, is a journey. How you react to this journey, is going to depend on you. Some people are going to absolutely hate this movie. Others, will be confused. Still others, will leap for joy. I fall somewhere in the middle. Lupita Nyong'o, and Winston Duke, are an absolute joy here. Nyong'o, gives a stellar performance. Duke, reminded me of Clark Griswald a lot, and it 100% works. The kids, are fantastic as well. All the performances are solid. Where Us falters, in its story. Peele, tosses out a lot of the foundation in solid storytelling, for something that is anchored by the visuals. Us, is visual storytelling. The viewers mind is left to fill in a lot of the story, based on what we're seeing on screen. Peele, is putting a lot of trust in his audience to just take it all in, and come along with him. It's ambitious, which I admire. However, it doesn't always work. I do think Us offers enough of a showcase for Jordan Peele as a filmmaker, which is really the star of the show here. This is also a film that begs you to see it more than once, which I am going to have to do.