In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a macabre universe of "power calling" that leads to material glory.
Serving as his feature film debut, Sorry to Bother You was written and directed by rapper and musician Boots Riley. Words that will surely arise in plenty of discussions afterwards are ambitious and unique (or at least terms synonymous to those) because I guarantee you that you've never seen anything quite like Sorry to Bother You. If you're someone who's sick of the summer's franchise fare, this might be the undeniably original breath of fresh air that you've been looking for. Whether you actually like it or not is difficult for me to say, as it depends on your tolerance for the film's outlandish scenarios, but I'm confident Sorry to Bother You will be way too weird for most general audience members.
For his first feature, Riley's got plenty to say regarding race relations, corporate greed, and capitalism in general. His script was ultimately too ambitious for its own good though since there's such a heavy-handed socio-political subtext lingering over the narrative. I've seen many comparisons to Get Out, but I'd argue there are some substantial differences between the two films as well. Namely, Jordan Peele's subtlety in communicating his message versus Riley's ostentatious approach. This is by design of course, but I found Riley's method to be far too "in-your-face."
I'll say I was onboard for the first two acts of the crazed comedy, but was totally lost in the ending insanity. At that point, the humor lost its edge and everything skewed towards being bizarre rather than funny whatsoever. Sorry to Bother You seems to have found favor with critics and audience members on the basis of being a satirical cautionary tale, but Riley's depiction of reality is ultimately too unfocused and absurdly over exaggerated to possibly take seriously. The strange satirical piece is riddled with an overabundance of interesting ideas, but Riley can't quite tie them all together effectively due to his inexperience as a filmmaker. This problem rears its ugly head as the film progresses and subplots involving certain supporting characters are all but abandoned in favor of some zany shenanigans.
With that said, the film was aesthetically pleasing and I can't help but respect Riley's ambition and unique voice as a fresh filmmaker. The gimmicks of "the white voice" and dropping the telemarketer desk straight into someone's home during calls could have easily been overused and tiring to watch, but Riley employs these shticks somewhat sparingly and his use is often justified. However, I noticed that the dubbing and lip-syncing were often mismatched and that was fairly distracting to me. I'm unsure if it was intentional for comedic effect or not, but it was glaring nonetheless.
If there's one thing that keeps Sorry to Bother You afloat though, it's the exceptional ensemble assembled for the project. As the leading man, LaKeith Stanfield furthers his rise as an increasingly reliable actor by exhibiting an immense range and incredibly expressive physicality into Cassius' mannerisms, attitude, and personality. Playing Cassius' girlfriend, Tessa Thompson has spunk to spare and dominates the screen as Detroit. I especially liked the dynamic between Stanfield and Thompson because it so off-kilter and the two had great chemistry.
Jermaine Fowler, Steven Yeun, Danny Glover, Terry Crews, and Omari Hardwick are tasked with portraying Casius' friends, co-workers, and family, and while they each do a solid job with the material provided, the actors feel underutilized in the grand scheme of things. Familiar voices you will hear in varying capacities over the course of the hour and forty five minutes include David Cross, Patton Oswalt, Lily James, Forest Whitaker, and Rosario Dawson.
Rounding out the cast, Armie Hammer is an eccentric CEO who's intimidating on account of his obsessive fixation on the bottom line, and that leads to a few interesting revelations to say the least... I'll preserve the surprise for the sake of ensuring you're as shocked as I was, but those who have seen the film probably know exactly what I'm referring to.
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