Sorry to Bother You
Film
Review by Kam Williams
Ambitious
Telemarketer Joins the 1% in Sophisticated Social Satire
To
describe Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfied) as struggling would be a
major understatement. He and his girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson)
are four months behind in their rent on an unfinished garage
apartment in inner-city Oakland. The only reason they haven't been
evicted is that their landlord is Cash's compassionate Uncle Sergio
(Terry Crews). He's been willing to wait to be paid, and even gave
his nephew a car for free.
Cash
has been unemployed, but it isn't for a lack of trying. His luck
changes when, despite being caught lying on his resume' during a job
interview, he's hired anyway because the interviewer admired his
ingenuity. The hope is that he'd bring the same ambition to his entry
level gig as a telemarketer.
It's
impressed upon Cash during his training to "Stick to the
Script," if he wants to succeed. Plus, he gets a valuable tip
from an African-American colleague (Danny Glover) in the neighboring
cubicle, namely, "Use your white voice."
Between
dropping his black accent and following the company's guidelines,
Cash earns a coveted promotion to powercaller. Suddenly, he's making
enough money to pay off Uncle Sergio, buy a new car and move into a
fancy flat in an upscale neighborhood.
Unfortunately,
the raise proves to be a mixed blessing for Cash. First, it creates
tension between him and the buddies he left behind on the floor of
the crowded call center, since they're still making minimum wage and
are in the midst of organizing a union over the objections of
management. And then his politically-active, performance artist
girlfriend is disappointed when he crosses the picket line and dubs
him a "scab."
Thus
unfolds Sorry to Bother You, a thought-provoking social satire
marking the scriptwriting and directorial debut of Boots Riley. If
the name rings a bell, that's because he's better known as the
founder of the radical, hip hop group, The Coup, as well as one of
the most dynamic leaders of the Occupy Oakland Movement kickstarted
back in 2011.
The
film certainly reflects Boots' far left leanings, but is clever and
entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%.
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated R
for sexuality, graphic nudity, ethnic slurs, violence, pervasive
profanity and drug use
Running time: 105
minutes
Production
Studios:Cinereach / Forest Whitaker's Significant Productions / Macro
/ MNM Creative /The Space Program
Distributor: Annapurna
Pictures
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