Us (Jordan Peele)

[Pop Trash]

Holy shit. Is anybody old enough here (Spinal?) to even remember 'Hands Across America'? That was a real thing that happened and was kind of a miracle. It came through New Mexico and my hippy parents made me wake up on a Saturday(?) morning when I was 6-years-old to participate in it. So using that as a story device (I think? If I'm interpreting the ending properly) gets major points from me. It's weirdly half forgotten compared to other events around that time (the Challenger blowing up which I also witnessed live in my kindergarten class and was probably the closest thing to childhood 9/11 moment for me).

Anyways, I think I really like this, but I suspect my feelings are biased due to directly participating in said event. I found the ending weirdly moving and profound. Jordan Peele is my age and probably wrote this after wondering if such an event could even happen today. Twitter and the thinkpiece police would find something "problematic" about it and people would neglect to participate.

[Spinal]

Holy shit. Is anybody old enough here (Spinal?) to even remember 'Hands Across America'?

Hey!

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Yes, I am.

]

[Pop Trash]

Hey!

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Yes, I am.

]

Are we the only ones north of 35 here? I think some former MCs like Raiders, Kurosawa Fan, and that dude who loves George Miller and Paul Verhoeven (I can't think of his name) are in their late 30s / 40s but they never post anymore : (

I suspect Irish might be older, but maybe that's just because he gets grouchy ; -)

[Spinal]

That's cool you were part of the event. I was in Oregon. Didn't go near me.

[Pop Trash]

That's cool you were part of the event. I was in Oregon. Didn't go near me.

It really was like this strange, miraculous thing. To be fair, I believe there were holes (people aren't going to stand around in the middle of a desert or on mountains), but the line was clearly unbroken for miles in Albuquerque, NM (apparently Don Johnson was in our line!)... and I believe in other cities as well. Both Reagan loving Christians who got involved with their churches and decidedly less Reagan loving bleeding heart liberals (like my parents) who probably heard about it through non-profits participated. It was a sincere kumbaya moment [wipes away tears].

[Morris Schæffer]

42, but from Europe.

And that sounds awesome Pop. Didn't realize haa was real.

[MadMan]

33 here, but I could have sworn I read about Hands Across America as a kid.

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Btw after looking up the Bible verse the creepy guy had on his sign in the early part of the film I realized it was a big clue. Well that and the daughter mentioning mind control and the end of the world in the car. Also I guessed the twist but still found that shot of her looking at her son, who realized something was up, to be really blood chilling.

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[Milky Joe]

^ yes. I get chills thinking about the final scene.

I still don't quite understand...

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how the son figured out that he had some kind of control over his doppelganger. when he says "it's a trick!" and then mimes the action of walking backward which causes his doppelganger to do the same thing, winding up in the fire. the mechanism of how the Tethered are connected to their counterparts is left pretty ambiguous. but that's alright with me.

]

[Morris Schæffer]

https://www.empireonline.com/movies/...rdan-peele-us/

[Dukefrukem]

[MadMan]

^ yes. I get chills thinking about the final scene.

I still don't quite understand...

[

Show Spoiler

how the son figured out that he had some kind of control over his doppelganger. when he says "it's a trick!" and then mimes the action of walking backward which causes his doppelganger to do the same thing, winding up in the fire. the mechanism of how the Tethered are connected to their counterparts is left pretty ambiguous. but that's alright with me.

]

Lucky guess, maybe? Or he knew from the encounter in the closet.

[MadMan]

Oh dear God...

[Grouchy]

I agree with DavidSeven's post in the first page of this thread. This film is viciously entertaining and fun to analyze because of the intellectual and symbolic challenges it presents... but it's not a good genre movie like Get Out also was. I believe some of that is intentional, with Peele developing a high concept that's so outlandish it dares the audience to take it seriously from a practical standpoint. But I also believe the movie sacrifices its uniqueness for a few extra plot twists and the obvious desire to make it bigger than Get Out in both scope and meaning. It's also weird to me how none of the family members ever die or get hurt by the attackers - as well directed as the movie is that made the antagonists extra weaker and non-threatening by the end.

The info about Hands Across America is fascinating.

[Peng]

It's also weird to me how none of the family members ever die or get hurt by the attackers

Winston Duke got batted in one leg, which has him limping and being slow throughout the film. I didn't know at that point how violent this film might get so the whole first break-in sequence had me so distressed, with all its steady long takes and menace, and I almost covered my eyes when Duke got hit.

[Grouchy]

I remember that moment but after that the family becomes quite adept at killing the intruders and they never get hurt. Even the father's limp is downplayed.

[Ezee E]

I remember that moment but after that the family becomes quite adept at killing the intruders and they never get hurt. Even the father's limp is downplayed.

The whole line about "kill count" is very weird.

[Irish]

Jesus this was bad. I couldn't wait for it to be over.

"Get Out" worked because Peele took his time with it. He worked on that script for years. (It was shallow as hell, but it had a polished superficiality about it.)

"Us" suffers from the usual quick Hollywood turnaround. It's a half dozen ideas roughly slapped together. This isn't well crafted. The whole thing is too jerry-rigged. I couldn't believe that Peele stopped his movie not once but twice so Lupita could literally explain that massive, unweildy backstory, talking about years of action and choice that happened offscreen. Peele is an Oscar winning screenwriter but writes exposition like a TV hack.

The ending doesn't make and sense and the "twist" is telegraphed early, especially for anyone who has seen this type of horror before. Zac and Duke kinda nailed it. The movie isn't plausible within its own context. (I burst out laughing at the "Hands Across America" thing. For one, it's just silly. For two, like wow, lay on your themes with a fucking trowel whydoncha.)

I can''t believe this has such a high rating on RT. Even grading on a massive curve, it's a terrible movie.

[MadMan]

Armond White, is that you?

[TGM]

Armond White, is that you?

I'm in complete agreement with him, so unless we're both Armond White...

[Irish]

HOLY SHIT TGM!

Good to see ya man!!!!

[TGM]

HOLY SHIT TGM!

Good to see ya man!!!!

[Dukefrukem]

Dood! Welcome back.

[MadMan]

Hah I don't agree with either of you, but hi again TGM.

[Pop Trash]

I burst out laughing at the "Hands Across America" thing. For one, it's just silly. For two, like wow, lay on your themes with a fucking trowel whydoncha.

I mean, I think it's supposed to be kinda funny? Jordan Peele obviously comes out of sketch comedy, so I don't think that element is ever going to go away. There's something absurd -but at the same time oddly moving- about millions of zombieish-cum-body snatcher doppelgangers coming together to form their own 'hands across America' because in their own brainmelt way, they think that's something that should be done once they reach the overground. It's their version of Apollo 11 planting an American flag on the moon.

[Dukefrukem]

I mean, I think it's supposed to be kinda funny? Jordan Peele obviously comes out of sketch comedy, so I don't think that element is ever going to go away. There's something absurd -but at the same time oddly moving- about millions of zombieish-cum-body snatcher doppelgangers coming together to form their own 'hands across America' because in their own brainmelt way, they think that's something that should be done once they reach the overground. It's their version of Apollo 11 planting an American flag on the moon.

I didn't see it that way. I saw it as all the clones wanted was to NOT eat rabbit. Hands across America was supposed to be the solution to that because it was the only thing the kid remembered from the commercials on TV. There was a reason why they were doing it. They weren't doing it for scary shock factor. They wanted food. lol.