In the last five years, Jordan Peele has gone from a respected comedy performer to one of the preeminent horror film directors of our day. His incredible career first garnered attention as a comedian on the sketch comedy show Mad TV from 2003 to 2008, then as a co-star in his own sketch comedy show, Key & Peele, from 2012 to 2015 with fellow Mad TV colleague Keegan-Michael Key. The comedy duo entered the world of the feature film together with the buddy comedy Keanu, which Peele co-wrote and co-starred in. Though Keanu was met with generally favorable reviews, it will likely be primarily remembered as the stepping stone into Peele’s future film career. The next year he directed his big breakthrough film, Get Out, and the rest is history.
Part of the reason why Peele’s movies are so highly regarded is that he tackles serious social issues, most famously racism in Get Out, with incredible care and precision. Furthermore, he is one of the few directors who can make an original movie that is not part of a pre-existing franchise and still performs well at the box office. Whether you are just getting into Jordan Peele or re-watching the films of his short but already impressive career, you can’t go wrong with Get Out, Us, or Nope. Here is where to watch Jordan Peele’s biggest movies.
Where to Watch Nope
Jordan Peele’s most recent movie is Nope, released July 22 this year. The movie centers around the Haywood family, whose horse training business has long provided horses for Hollywood films. After father Otis is mysteriously killed by an object that falls from the sky, son O.J. (Daniel Kaluuya) and daughter Em (Keke Palmer) have to take over the business whether they want to or not. But before long, more bizarre things start happening around the Haywood horse ranch: the electricity flickers on and off, horses disappear, and objects fall from the sky.
Nope had the highest-grossing opening weekend for any original film since Jordan Peele’s previous film, Us. It was met with a very positive critical response and an enthralled audience, thanks in part to its brilliantly mysterious marketing campaign.
Nope is coming to the Peacock streaming service exclusively on November 18th. It is also available to rent or buy on most VOD platforms, including Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV, Redbox, Vudu, and YouTube.
Where to Watch Us
Us was Jordan Peele’s second film as a director, following the incredible success of Get Out. The premise is simple. The Wilson family, mother Addy (Lupita Nyong’o), father Gabe (Winston Duke), daughter Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph), and son Jason (Evan Alex), are on vacation together. One night, four people attempt to break into their house. But perhaps the most frightening part is that the people outside appear to be them — the four attackers look completely identical to the four members of the Wilson family.
Critics praised the movie for being even more frightening than Get Out, for its originality, social statement, and great acting performances (especially of Lupita Nyong’o). Richard Brody described the film as a “colossal achievement” in his review for The New Yorker. By this point, Jordan Peele had become a superstar after directing only one movie. And Us was fittingly groundbreaking: in its opening weekend, it earned $71 million, the second-best opening weekend for any original live-action film ever, and the best-ever opening weekend for an original horror film.
Us is available to stream with a Hulu + Live TV subscription, DirecTV, and Fubo, and to rent or buy on most VOD platforms.
Where to Watch Get Out
Get Out was the movie that launched Peele to superstardom and still stands as his best work. It’s a sophisticated and sharp commentary on race in the United States and one of the most notable horror films of the past decade. In 2021, the Writers Guild of America even voted Get Out as the greatest screenplay of the 21st century.
The movie is about Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), a Black photographer from New York City who travels to visit the family of his white girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), for the first time. Rose admits that she hasn’t told her family yet that she’s dating a Black man but insists that her family isn’t racist and won’t be a problem. When they arrive, though, Chris is disturbed to see that the wealthy family employs an all-Black staff, who behave very strangely around Chris and is further unsettled by the family’s troubling comments about Black people. Without giving away the rest of the story, the movie takes this premise in truly unbelievable directions, making it one of the must-see movies of recent years.
Get Out is available to stream with a Hulu + Live TV subscription, Fubo, and FX Now and to rent or buy on most VOD platforms.
