“Nope” (2022) is Jordan Peele’s latest film that focuses on the Haywood family. They claim that they are the descendants of the jockey in “The Horse in Motion” (1878) to improve their business as horse wranglers in show biz. Because of a recent tragedy, laconic OJ, aka Otis Jr. (Daniel Kaluuya), must be the face and muscle of the business, which is not his strength, while his sister Emerald, (Keke Palmer), does not feel any responsibility. When strange things start occurring, they must solve the mystery and find a way to survive.
After I saw the movie, there was only one plot hole that bothered me otherwise “Nope” has a solid storyline. It still did not quite work for me because Peele shied away from the horror of the story and was too decorous in the way that he treated the violence. The implication of the actual story is far more brutal and disturbing than he treats it because his sympathy is with the human beings in the story. On one hand, Peele’s impulse is right. No human being is a villain, but heroes of their own stories that make terrible mistakes with horrific consequences, but he leaves a lot on the table. There is no real character development in the story though the characters do take a journey by focusing on one goal to flex their strengths and achieve their desires. There is a point in the film when the mission dominates and overshadows the individuals and their dynamic with each other, which makes the film lose momentum. While Peele clearly and carefully thought of every detail, including the timing of the film, it is the kind of film that should seep into your bones and clutch its hand around your heart, but it never does. The sound effects are superb. There is a reference to Joss Whedon’s “Firefly,” which is a nice shout out to sci fi Westerns.
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I’m not going to address anything that you can find in reviews or YouTube. There is some great stuff out there, but my schtick is to focus on the parts of the movie that no one is talking about. I saw the previews for the film, and I knew that the film would deal with UFOs. When I walk into an alien film, I try to determine how the film categorizes the aliens: aliens as demons, aliens as mysterious new friends/saviors, aliens as monsters. While it is unclear whether the UFO is an alien or terrestrial, it bears the imagery of how human beings perceive aliens so I’m going to call Jean Jacket, the Haywoods’ nickname for the allien, by that term.
The film’s title suggests that when confronted with aliens, any black character will just say, “Nope,” get out and end the movie, but the Haywoods’ impulse is not to save their lives and start over. It is to save their business and get this UFO on film. So while we sympathize with the Haywoods, I would suggest that they should not be likeable characters if contrasted with how they perceive themselves. OJ sees the horses as part of his family, “mouths to feed,” but as an outsider looking at them, I found him as delusional and terrifying as Jupe (Steven Yeun), the real villain of the story.
“Nope” should have spent more time with each character before letting all hell break loose. Everyone has focused on Jupe’s trauma, but is not thinking about what dynamic is occurring. This UFO has not always lived there. I have no idea how Jupe initially encountered it then lured it to a stable, isolated area to exploit it and build up an amusement park around it, but he has been consuming his neighbors and destroying their business for months. His callous actions also get transmitted to his kids who think that they have a right to trespass on the Haywoods’ property, terrorize their horses (serial killer shit) and be rude to adults. Jupe is a fellow minority in show biz, but instead of seeing the Haywoods as colleagues, he feeds off them. In the US, white supremacy pits minority groups against each other, including black and Asian people. Jupe knows on some level that he is hurting the Haywoods, but there is never a confrontation. “Su casa es mi casa.” They are friendly, and when OJ figures it out, Jupe’s delusion that he has found success and achieved the American dream with his bastardization of Wild West imagery has consumed him and his family literally.
“Nope” is really a story about the underdogs in showbiz trying to survive instead of getting out, but Peele pulls punches when it comes to showing how demented they are in that pursuit. Jupe is the child actor, the minority promised assimilation but never permitted to obtain mainstream success. The Haywoods know that they want in, but cannot rest on their reputation, their historical connection. They are always outsiders, and their only way in is to be pioneers. Even though it takes OJ awhile to figure out what Jupe is doing to his horses, he not only knows, but decides to behave similarly and sacrifice his horses for the money shot, which the characters call the “Oprah shot.” He also recognizes the risk to himself in a way that Jupe never does yet he continues. While Jordan roots for and protects the Haywoods from their dangerous behavior for their business or family legacy, Peele never confronts the horror of their business. They act like they care about their horses, but they take wild animals, tame them then put them in situations that harm them for financial gain and fame. The TMZ guy may disgust them, but they are just as callous as Jupe. To the horses, the Haywoods must be the monsters. I was also surprised that even though the film uses the animals’ names as chapter titles for the film, the film does not spend a lot of time getting to know them.
“Nope” also has the guy that wants to get a foot into the biz, acolyte Angel (Brandon Perea), the Fry’s Electronics’ guy who installs their surveillance cameras. Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott in a terrific nonbinary role) spent his life devoted to showbiz so he can make art and sacrifices himself for the perfect shot. Is Peele OK? He seems to be saying that showbiz is filled with suicidal people who will do anything for the job, including sacrificing themselves and lives. There is allegedly an Aboriginal concept that having one’s photo taken steals one’s soul. All these characters are soul eaters, and the animals are reacting appropriately to people by sensing the true nature of their relationship. Peele sympathizes with all his characters more than the animals, which is why the film stops short of hitting viewers’ viscerally. If Peele saw the animals and Jean Jacket, not as the Other, but related to them, he could have brought out even more horror in his characters. He is too gentle with the human beings.
Em’s storyline is supposed to be triumphant, but it was not developed early enough for me to feel a sense of catharsis when she finally gets the inheritance that her father denied her and reclaims the family inheritance by getting the shot, not being the subject of the shot. Maybe because I believe that as the cameraman, she will still be forgotten and erased from history. “Nope” should have focused on her more if the denouement rested on her shoulders. The photo of their mother, whom the siblings never mention, is haunting and feels pivotal in a way that most of the film does not. Peele should have chosen another character besides OJ to center the film.
“Nope” has some gorgeous horror moments. Jean Jacket shitting on their house felt like a shout out to “The Shining” (1980) and “The Amityville Horror” (1979). If you thought oceans of blood ushering from an elevator into a hallway or pipes flowing with blood was bad, get a load of this! The screams emitting from Jean Jacket is riveting.
All the characters care more about their business and success than their lives so of course they are negligent and harmful with the lives of other creatures that they are supposed to be caring for. I want to see “Nope” again because without subtitles, I missed a lot of pivotal dialogue because I had an expressive audience that screamed throughout the film, which I enjoyed, and thought was appropriate. The film was a hit. It felt like “The Mist” (2007) meets “Signs” (2002).
