Sorry to Bother You (2018, R)

I was waiting on this movie for a while, and it finally came to my local cinema.  It’s even more bizarre than I expected, but it’s a terrific movie all around.

Cassius has just gotten a telemarketing job, and he’s unable to crack it until a coworker tells him the secret:  using his “white voice.”  Suddenly, the world is Cassius’s oyster and he’s on his way to being a “power caller,” in demand in the profits he can rake in.  His newfound talent leads him places he never imagined, places he’s increasingly unsure he wants to go.

This is a movie that packs a lot in.  Its main subjects are race/code-switching, class, and the intersections therein, with numerous side points made subtly, satirically, or stated outright.  It’s a film that combines labor unions, performance art, reality TV, wage slavery, and the power of perception, along with more that I can’t get into without spoilers.  It’s by turns a sharp satire, surreal science fiction, and a powerful call to action, and it’s all filtered through the creativity of debut filmmaker Boots Riley.

I’m reminded here at times of Michel Gondry or Charlie Kaufman, but I don’t know if I can outright compare Riley’s vision with either of theirs.  It’s too incisive, too uniquely his.  The production design and visual language, as well as the story and the dialogue, are fresh and fierce; it’s a film I couldn’t take my eyes off of.

The cast was the first thing I heard about in connection with this film, and for good reason.  Lakeith Stanfield (Darius from Atlanta) does a simply amazing job as Cassius, and I’m instantly drawn to Tessa Thompson as his girlfriend Detroit.  Steven Yeun, Terry Crews, and Danny Glover all turn in reliable supporting performances, and Armie Hammer cuts a memorable figure as a powerhouse CEO.  Throw in David Cross, Patton Oswalt, and Lily James supplying the white voices, and what more could you want?

But as great as they all are, the movie is the biggest star here.  It’s so audacious, so visceral – it’s a film that truly has to be seen to be believed.

Warnings

Violence, sexual content, language (including the N-word,) drinking/smoking/drug use, disturbing images, and strong thematic elements.