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Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Yoooooooo! Sorry to Bother You is one of the funniest, craziest, and entertaining comedy films I have seen that goes in hard into political identity, corporate greed, and how we see something and somewhat shrug our shoulders. We have the attention span of a goldfish when it comes to something terrible in the world and either call it capitalism or someone going after the American Dream. Sorry to Bother is an excellent film about a young black telemarketer who adopts a white accent to succeed at his job. Yup, you read that right. Here we go.
Written and directed by Boots Riley, in his directorial debut, we are introduced to Cassius Green (Stanfield), a jobless black man in the heart of Oakland. Cassius lives in his uncle Sergio’s garage with his girlfriend, Detroit (Thompson), an inspiring artist. Cassius is almost at rock bottom as he struggles to pay rent. On the advice of his boy, Cassius manages to get a job as a telemarketer for RegalView. At first, Cassius has trouble selling to the predominantly white people over the phone. He gets advice from Langston (Glover), an older coworker, who shows him how to use his “white voice” and the right attitude to connect with his white customers. With his new accent and attitude, Cassius excels and becomes highly successful even though his coworkers start trying to unionize because of the horrible job environment. When Cassius finds himself promoted to the big time, he soon learns that he is selling incredibly messed up products. With success on his mind, he soon loses himself, his girl, and his friends. When Cassius sees what is happening, he decides to fight the corporation and expose their secrets. Only if America really cares about it.
In many films, the main character has sold their soul for success only to realize their mistakes and want to do right. Riley does a fantastic job of not making the message too heavy or blatant in your face. He does it in such a hysterical way that you might miss what was really going on. For example, Riley shows the theme of capitalism to its fullest. When Cassius makes it big, he does everything to keep that money coming in. He attends parties with white people and makes them feel great. He speaks on the phone with an Asian man and has him buy anything he wants. Riley continues to climb high and doesn’t even bat an eye until he really sees what is going on with his company as they are making drugs to turn people into horse people. It is only then that he stops and wants to change. As Cassius goes on TV to show the world that his company is turning people, America responds by making the company’s stock ten times higher. Only in America.
The second theme that Riley gives is false consciousness. Think about the title. It has a double meaning. When a telemarketer calls you and says, “Sorry to bother you,” they know they are bothering you and interrupting you. Cassius uses his “white voice” to make people on the phone comfortable, but when he uses it with his own black community, it makes them feel uncomfortable. Using the strike gave the people in the film a sense that an organized workplace will help the workers recognize their power, and yet even with any deal, they will still have the same environment.
Even with those themes, the film is hilarious and crazy to watch what happens to Cassius and his life. This film doesn’t hold back on what happens when people want that money. I want Scrooge McDuck money, and does that mean the more I get, the more I will leave my friends behind. That is what happened to Cassius. The more money he made, he moved into an expensive apartment, bought a freakin Maserati, and started hanging with the wrong crowd, which made him rebel, saying that they didn’t understand. When he sees the truth that opened his eyes, he goes into a hilarious plot. He gets his ass whipped on television and, I think, covered in shit before showing his video. That didn’t work, and when he switched sides and set off a revolution at work, things worked out somewhat for him. Also, the “white voice” is freakin crazy. Yet, it made me think about all the times when a black man or woman might have to use it to get out of something or try to get something. Case in point: BlacKkKlansman. Ron Stallworth used his white to infiltrate the Klan and get inside information. It does work.
This film is propelled by the talented action of LaKeith Stanfield as Cassius “Cash” Green. Stanfield was excellent as a man who didn’t know where he wanted to go in life. What made Stanfield’s performance great was his subtle but intense expressions. When he looked confused, he showed it. He is excellent in the whole movie, but his entire interaction with his boy during the protest is funny and entertaining.
Tessa Thompson as Detroit was equally entertaining. She played the loving girlfriend, but once Cassius went crazy, she left him but still loved him. The whole art scene with people throwing stuff at her was a little strange, but the entire film was strange. Let’s give it up for Danny Glover. You need an OG who says young blood and teaches people the ropes; Glover was perfect for it.
Sorry to Bother You is a FANTASTIC film that everyone needs to watch. It is funny, has dark humor, will make you think, and is a great story. LaKeith Stanfield is excellent and has definitely come up and is one of the best young actors in the game today. Watch this film and laugh at it. You may get a phone call from a telemarketer.
BONUS CLIPS!!!
