Jordan Peele’s Filmography

It’s no secret that Jordan Peele has changed the film industry with his recent film projects, with multiple nominations for the Golden Globes, Academy Awards, and critics’ choice awards, all for his Directional Debut; Get Out. Not only was this film popular with critics, but it also became vastly popular with the audience and became one of the most popular horror films of 2017, which is hard to deny as impressive as the first movie Peele directed.  Not only is Peele a filmmaker, but he is also an actor and writer. He is commonly known for his work on Comedy Centrals Key & Peele, and his directing of Us, Nope, and of course, Get out.

 Peele’s films seem to have a certain style that just seems to captivate audiences, with the subtle inclusions of commentary on social issues regarding race and the comedic relief that hits at the most pivotal moments. All three of Peele’s films so far, have delivered social commentary through horror based on the history of people of color and the racism that is still seen in today’s society. Not only are his films written well, but Peele himself also brings representation to the film industry and brings the voices of black creators into Hollywood. While there are some new movies coming into the entertainment industry, it’s important to focus on the message these films have.

The underlying messages of these movies are all different but all show that people of color are underestimated and discriminated against in society, and in careers. Peele is able to put the audience in a position where they are able to see the discrimination from a different point of view and accentuate the uncomfortable feeling given by the side comments. While some of his films are able to outwardly show the theme and overall meaning, Peele likes to leave some of the details up for the audience to figure out. Get Out is an example of a movie that heavily plays on an overall meaning, the racial comments made in the movie are similar to foreshadowing. While Us is an example of a movie where thinking and processing are necessary to understand the message. While Peele has only put out three movies, the public seems to waver between liking and disliking each one of his movies. 

In general, we can say Get out is definitely the most praised. Reviewers saw it as ¨Jordan Peele’s marvelous start into directing.¨ (alfiemachin, IMDB) and as a ¨Groundbreaking film may define a new genre.¨ (rawilliams, IMDB) which pretty much sums up the majority of the reviews, but of course, there are critics that had quite a different view. Because there was a heavy social commentary on racism in this film, it struck many as a political film; leading to political reviews.  ¨Racist movie over-hyped by SJWs¨ (Spyreas, IMDB) and “Shockingly Racist and Socially Irresponsible….” (Vinegaroons3, IMDB) But there were also reviews that were not related to the political aspect of this movie, some critics thought the plot was simply flat and predictable. Nevertheless, Peele won Best Original Screenplay at the 90th Acadamy Awards for said film and received many nominations for many different film awards. 

After these recent releases, expectations for Peele’s new projects are high, and many, including myself, are excited about watching his new creations and dissecting the meaning behind them.