Sorry to Bother You (2018)

Sorry to Bother You

Let me start off  by saying I love Donald Glover’s show, Atlanta. Fantastic show, and one of the best characters on that show is played by Lakeith Stanfield. This film had a weirdly interesting premise (based on the trailer) and a musician directing his first film. I was always going to see it. This film is something else. Its a hell of a trip but a very good debut for Boots Riley who manages to make a very fun and unique film. This is going to be a vehicle for Lakeith and Boots.

The film is about a man named Cassius Green who desperately needs a job and luckily lands one for a telemarketing agency called Regalview. He becomes extremely successful closing sales, after using a “white” voice to connect with the customers on the phone. He eventually moves up to the upper echelon of callers, called a power caller. He soon starts losing his morals and the relationship with his lover and friends until he realizes the truth about what his new job entails.

As mentioned earlier, this film is a hell of a debut for Boots Riley. I don’t know if he was trippin’ or if some of this came to him in a dream, but its wild. The film is crazy at times. The film tackles crazy ideas while still remaining funny and entertaining the whole way true. Its a film that isn’t afraid to be relevant in talking about capitalism, mistreatment of the working class, and a dystopian future brought upon by the rich.

Lakeith works well as a leading man and Tessa Thompson is also on the rise as she’s in a lot of big films recently and I’d love to see more of both. Cassius’s character is easy to identify with because he’s a man who works hard and soon lives the dream of getting the riches. His character answers the question of whether we could lose ourselves and our morals in success. Overall, really enjoyable though I think its not for everyone. I can see this reaching cult status down the line.

7.5/10

Advertisement