Peele is equally white as he is black. It would have been way too obvious for them to be secretly racist. They didn't envy blacks, they actually said it was the fashion at that point.

While I wasn't a fan of the whole brain transplant reveal, it's much better than them being secretly racist.

@cpheonix said:

Peele is equally white as he is black. It would have been way too obvious for them to be secretly racist. They didn't envy blacks, they actually said it was the fashion at that point.

While I wasn't a fan of the whole brain transplant reveal, it's much better than them being secretly racist.

If they didn't envy blacks as most people have said on the message boards and they weren't racist to make them subservient then what other explanation is there? I am saying the hypnosis would have worked without the brain transplants better because that brings up a lot of inconsistencies (like why they are still trying to break thru if they have the white person's brain, and why their own white grandparents were subservient).

Also, in common culture if someone looks black, regardless of darkness or purity, they are considered and identify as black (as with President Obama).

• For me, the scene when Chris was introduced to everyone highlighted what they wanted, such as "black is in fashion", "I've heard it's better" plus the Tiger Woods comment. So maybe there's something in it them being envious but I don't necessarily think they were wholly racist. Even the guy who "won" Chris said he couldn't care less about race and that he just wanted his eyes.

• I saw some other posters response about the subsurvient grandparents and I agree with them that that's just how it is, they weren't necessarily servants but they looked after the house. I know most parents/grandparents clean and tidy their house, serve guests etc. It's all part of being a good host.

• I can't explain why the hypnotised person would still be trapped and come through now and again, but I agree that the transplant should have eliminated that occurrence.

• I understand what you mean about still being called black despite being half white, but in your original post you implied that because Peele IS black he wanted whites to envy them. So you were not referring to how he looks but what he is.

I understand what you mean about still being called black despite being half white, but in your original post you implied that because Peele IS black he wanted whites to envy them. So you were not referring to how he looks but what he is.

Yes, because the majority of "African Americans" are not 100% black blood but are still considered black. If they look at all black (or you can tell they have black blood) they define themselves as black, because unfortunately that's how whites see them. And they still suffer some racism. I mean, even blacks with more white usually identify as black (Halle Berry for example). It's like white paint. If you put a few drops of black in a gallon of white paint it changes it drastically from "white". The converse is not as true (visually).

I for one think it would have been scarier if people that try to show how evolved, liberal and PC they are were really compensating to hide true fervent racism.

@SWLinPHX said: I for one think it would have been scarier if people that try to show how evolved, liberal and PC they are were really compensating to hide true fervent racism.

Well, it was a horror "comedy" so I don't think that ending would've suited the tone. Despite the brain transplant being a bit of stupid idea, within the oddness of the film it wasn't all that out there as a reveal.

And as mentioned, it would've been far too obvious if they were really just racists.

@cpheonix said:

@SWLinPHX said: I for one think it would have been scarier if people that try to show how evolved, liberal and PC they are were really compensating to hide true fervent racism.

Well, it was a horror "comedy" so I don't think that ending would've suited the tone. Despite the brain transplant being a bit of stupid idea, within the oddness of the film it wasn't all that out there as a reveal.

And as mentioned, it would've been far too obvious if they were really just racists.

The only thing that qualified it as a "comedy" was his friend's character. Nothing else played like a comedy. Also, I don't think it would have been obvious they were racist. I pretty much bought the girlfriend and parents' liberalness from the start.

Comedy? I don't think so. The weak point is the very moment he realizes the truth. When the fake girlfriend says something like "you know exactly you can't have the car keys" or something like that. And then everyone of Evil family is around. I was kind of disappointed at this moment. Just a little more suspense, scare, dark foreboding to develop would have been cool. Because actually this was the original idea of the movie I think. Everything from then on could be from any other horror flick. As if they haven't seen Rosemary.

Making it only hypnosis would change the entire meaning of the movie and would make it far more ordinary

If its simply hypnosis then the family change from otherwise progreasive people but who secretly want to have black bodies to extend their lives and are prepared to sacrifice others, to instead become simple racists who want to own black people... they turn from interestng psychos into boring racists...

Also, the whole thing of playing with the audiences perceptions goes out of the window. No longer are the odd and creepy behaviours of the family explained by their alterior motive (e.g. admiration of Chris' body/talent because one will become Chris), instead they are simple acts of racism (one will own Chris or is simply "otherising" him)... yawn...

It makes the movie so much more banal and simpistic... oh, they're just racists... but they hypnotise instead of physically and legal force their slaves.... boring

If one would want to change something it would be the happy and neatly tied-up cop-out ending... that should have been a fade to black once the car approaches chris as he lays there not knowing who it is... the ambiguity would be great and would inspire debate... was it the cop from earlier? Was it TSA guy? Someone else? If it is the cop what is the fate of Chris?

@Renovatio said:

Making it only hypnosis would change the entire meaning of the movie and would make it far more ordinary

If its simply hypnosis then the family change from otherwise progreasive people but who secretly want to have black bodies to extend their lives and are prepared to sacrifice others, to instead become simple racists who want to own black people... they turn from interestng psychos into boring racists...

Also, the whole thing of playing with the audiences perceptions goes out of the window. No longer are the odd and creepy behaviours of the family explained by their alterior motive (e.g. admiration of Chris' body/talent because one will become Chris), instead they are simple acts of racism (one will own Chris or is simply "otherising" him)... yawn...

It makes the movie so much more banal and simpistic... oh, they're just racists... but they hypnotise instead of physically and legal force their slaves.... boring

If one would want to change something it would be the happy and neatly tied-up cop-out ending... that should have been a fade to black once the car approaches chris as he lays there not knowing who it is... the ambiguity would be great and would inspire debate... was it the cop from earlier? Was it TSA guy? Someone else? If it is the cop what is the fate of Chris?

While I see what you're saying there are issues with the brain transplant scenario as I stated above (and which many other posters here have noted). Also, if they were people who longed for a time when they could live like white people did 200 years ago with slaves and wanted to recreate that atmosphere (enjoy privilege of servants without paying them) that would be something I could buy if they were racists disguised as liberals. It would be a cautionary tale regarding people who try too hard to prove they are liberal or accepting. They would not be "boring racists" but instead "psycho racists".

Also, if it were just hypnosis that would explain the original black people trying to "break through" (brain transplant does not) and also explain how or why their white grandparents would be servants just because they have black bodies. Also way too much a rip-off of Skeleton Key.

@SWLinPHX said:

and also explain how or why their white grandparents would be servants just because they have black bodies.

It's been already addressed by myself and other posters that they weren't specifically servants. The grandparents were in young bodies so of course they will do physical things to help round the big house. They couldn't exactly pretend that they co-lived in a white family's house, so it made sense they were made to be as the "servants".

I also wanted to go back to your point about the comedy...the TSA friend was basically 20% of the movie and important plot points involved him, so yes, I would describe this definitely as a horror comedy. If the family turned out to be racist, as you wanted, it should have had a more serious tone, such as the Wicker Man or Straw Dogs. Instead it's like Scream (the TSA guy was basically Jamie Kennedy's character predicting what would happen!).

Yeah i get it, but i dont let the neurology of the brain transplant bother me... it is a body snatcher movie after all ;)

@cpheonix said:

It's been already addressed by myself and other posters that they weren't specifically servants. The grandparents were in young bodies so of course they will do physical things to help round the big house. They couldn't exactly pretend that they co-lived in a white family's house, so it made sense they were made to be as the "servants".

Well again it wasn't an "even" comedy as only his scenes had that tone and most comedies keep that tone throughout. I think it tried to be two different types of movies in one. Also, even if I use your explanation for the grandparent servants it doesn't fit why the grandparents would have the original black brains trying to break through; you can't have it both ways. With the Skeleton Key when they were switched they were switched - for good. That guy came completely out of his new brain and asked Chris for help, then they took him in another room for more conditioning hypnosis. That doesn't make sense if it is the white people's brain. Sorry. Drugs mixed with hypnosis would have been a much better explanation (and more realistic).

The brain transplant thing was totally confusing. It's my only issue with the film. I liked the hypnosis idea much better.

@theburbs said:

The brain transplant thing was totally confusing. It's my only issue with the film. I liked the hypnosis idea much better.

Yeah, thank you. Hypnosis combined with drugs to explain how they keep them under control and deeply suppressed.

@SWLinPHX said:

Well again it wasn't an "even" comedy as only his scenes had that tone and most comedies keep that tone throughout. I think it tried to be two different types of movies in one. Also, even if I use your explanation for the grandparent servants it doesn't fit why the grandparents would have the original black brains trying to break through; you can't have it both ways. With the Skeleton Key when they were switched they were switched - for good. That guy came completely out of his new brain and asked Chris for help, then they took him in another room for more conditioning hypnosis. That doesn't make sense if it is the white people's brain. Sorry. Drugs mixed with hypnosis would have been a much better explanation (and more realistic).

I'm not sure what you mean about it being an "even" comedy. I don't think anyone analyses the genre % of a film. I'm just stating that it is, and is billed as, a horror-comedy. It didn't try to be two different movies (although I think you mean genres) - it was. For example, the TSA friend's Jeffrey Dahmer speech was pretty funny, as it was intended to be.

I think we've established that most of us cant explain why the original host's consciousness is trapped once a transplant has been done. I was just rebutting your initial argument about how you thought the grandparents became servants. But like I said, I didn't like the whole transplant thing either so we can agree on that...it would have been much better without the transplant idea but, as we've been discussing, not with the reasoning that they were straight up racists! :)