Sorry to Bother You Is Satirical Sci-Fi-Tinted Comedy Gold
“Movie of the year” — that’s not a tag one throws around lightly when discussing the art of cinema, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t find my Number One contender with this directorial and screenwriting debut from hip hop legend Boots Riley. Sorry to Bother You is one of the most entertaining and woke films I have seen in this decade. That’s right, I’m comparing it to the likes of Get Out.
Sorry to Bother You takes place in an alternate present-day version of Oakland, Calif. Cassius “Cash” Green (Lakeith Stanfield) is having a rough life — living in his uncle’s garage and struggling to find a job. Strapped for cash and desperate, he lands a position as a telemarketer, but has difficulty getting people to listen to him, until he discovers a magical key to customers’ attention: using his “white voice.” Cash quickly rises to the top of the telemarketing hierarchy, but risks losing sight of his morals as he achieves greater and greater success.
To go into greater detail about the plot would be a disservice to the love and care put into this absurdist sci-fi fantasy gem of a movie.
The imagery in this film is brilliant, Boots Riley constantly uses background pieces to depict the states of mind of different characters; from Cash’s feeling of helplessness being showcased by an office copy machine malfunctioning behind him, to the nefarious Mr. Blank (Omar Hardwick) standing in front of a screen showing a mushroom cloud to convey his malevolent intentions. But it doesn’t stop there; Cash’s costuming conveys his journey from lowly grunt to corporate drone to union revolutionary, the patterns and styles of his various suits throughout his career in movie are very telling of the shift in his priorities.
The cinematography was spot on in other areas as well, I was reminded of my career in telemarketing in the bleak setting of the office that Cash starts out in, and there were some amazing shots showing just how isolated Cash was becoming.
Redemption for Netflix’s Death Note
Stanfield is becoming one of my favorite actors as his career takes root, and he really brought his A game. I really related to his character and found him extremely likable. He and Tessa Thompson, who played his girlfriend Detroit, had great chemistry as well. Thompson gave an unforgettable character portrayal in this story. She was strong, sexy and sassy, so basically playing to type. Omar Hardwick, who barely spoke in his actual voice, was a very imposing figure nonetheless as one of the movie’s antagonists. Armie Hammer who played the second antagonist Steve Lift, knows how to act like a corporate scumbag; it’s like he shadowed various White House employees! Steve Yeun, Terry Crews, Danny Glover, and Jermaine Fowler were all hilarious as well. And I have to give props to David Cross, Lily James, Steve Buscemi, and Patton Oswalt for providing the “white voices” for Stanfield, Thompson, Glover, and Hardwick respectively.
Music was quality, but what do expect from a hip hop legend like Boots Riley?
The writing is where one finds the meat and potatoes of this movie. While not every joke is a gut buster, I found myself rolling on the floor more than once. The jokes were smart as a whole and spoke to the situations of blacks in America.
One thing Riley wasn’t going for was subtlety; he takes jabs at modern hip hop, corporations, unemployment, politics, religion, and most importantly racism. But he does it in such an absurd way, that you could almost miss some of it; his social commentary is hiding in plain sight and that fact is genius.
With things in society being as they are, this movie is so important! I can’t wait to watch it again.
Everyone should see this, especially black nerds like myself!
I give Sorry to Bother You (Annapurna Pictures, Cinereach; Rated R; 1hr 45 mins) a 4.5 out of 5.
