Sorry To Bother You Review

What happens when you combine the volatile climate of political/social strife with a fantastic, up and coming cast, sharp satirical writing/direction, and film-making at its most inventive and creative? You get the truly eye-opening debut of writer/director Boots Riley called Sorry To Bother You, an absurdist, dystopian comedy that is not only a reverently, darkly funny film but also one that is subtle yet hard hitting with its commentary on society as well as the culture being shaped by corporate interests.  This was a critical darling during South By Southwest and has generated buzz at different festival with a talented and diverse cast at work here along with a great premise surrounding a telemarketer’s rise to power and the illogical world that surrounds that work culture in contrast to impoverished world surrounding it.   How does this film truly stack up to the greats of comedy/even science fiction itself (no spoilers but it does relate to that genre in a big way) and what does it do differently enough to tell its own cautionary tale in its own unique voice?  Let’s dive right into the call and check out this film’s story.

We follow our laid about but hopeful stoner Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield), who is looking for work and to provide a better life for his girl Detroit (Tessa Thompson) who is a performing artist that thrives on the belief of true self and rebelling against the norm.  They live in the lovely, rundown neighborhood of Oakland, California with his uncle Sergio Green (Terry Crews) and his family housing them in a spacious but dingy garage.  This is a society that has now become accustomed to free labor through a program called Worry-Free that promises to provide free food, bedding, and housing in exchange for your freedom and identity.  Not really liking that prospect from the leads, Green heads to a job interview for a telemarketer position for the company RegalView compliments of his friend Salvador (Jermaine Fowler).  Green has a rough time at his first days working as a telemarketer sales rep, as he continues to be rejected constantly by using his actual voice.

He is comforted by his girlfriend and approached by his co-worker Squeeze (Steven Yuen) to form a union to get workers paid fairly and on time as they should be, despite Green’s hesitation to rock the boat.  Until he is given advice by Langston (Danny Glover), a veteran sales rep that tells Green to use his white voice that resides in himself to change his very being to earn those sales and make money.  He demonstrates this (cameo by Steve Buscemi) for the newbie and Green gets it instantly.  Green finds his inner white voice (David Cross) and becomes RegalView’s top tier sales performer in the country, much to the dismay of his struggling friends and colleagues as well as his girlfriend.  He completely transforms himself and will discover as a power caller for the company that being the best, means having to change in ways that go against our own beliefs and humanity, which might reflect a different kind of prison.  Green becomes a part of a struggle between the working class and the rich and powerful, as he changes through the power of his voice.

This is a truly ambitious and satirically scathing film that makes it very clear of its themes, ideas, and subject matter it wants to make fun of or even provide thoughts on using comedic exaggeration.  When the film does this within its hyper-reality confines of the world and setting, the film fires on all cylinders in its delivery of the classic but zany rise and fall story well, lead by compelling performances from the entire cast.  The story zips through so much conflicts and ideas that are provided visually through satirized reality tv shows, the idea of slavery still being around in modern times but in the guise of indentured service, and the contrast of the lower class and upper class through the work culture.  This is what the film does exceptionally well, at taking our known realities and ramping the exaggeration up to the point where the conflicts mirror what we put up with everyday and this is excelled by the visual language of cinema feeling very passionate and strong throughout this film.  It seems like a perfect concoction of great visual eyes and sharp writing with a youthful, energized voice to really explore this wacky tale of artificial humanity for the process of making money and the conflicts that arise from it, what could possibly be flawed in this film?

Well, there are some problems inherent to the film in its pacing and most importantly, the views on this film being identified as Science Fiction as well as a comedy without giving away the very core nature of this story.  First off, the pacing does start off sluggish in the beginning, as it took some time for the story to kick in before we really get used to being in this story’s world.  For as much as it keeps to its hyper-reality, it does go completely bonkers by the end of the 2^nd act and shows its true nature in the most hard-hitting and unsubtle way possible.  This is where the film completely goes insane and does lose the amazing momentum and subdued comedy/drama that made its middle act so enjoyable to watch.  That doesn’t mean it’s a failure in execution, but it does come completely left field and there will be viewers that could be confused by the analogy that the twist does have to racism and slavery (the only clue that will be given here), which are at the very core of this story’s conflict for the characters to overcome in this film.  However, even with these misses, it is still amazing to watch it miss as well as succeed in what it does well, the comedic exaggeration in harmony with its hyper-reality without feeling disingenuous, pretentious, or even condescending as most film dealing with racism and slavery struggle to find that balance.

Let’s get into the talented cast in this film starting with the leads and then the supporting cast, with the focus on Stanfield as Green.  Stanfield is truly a versatile actor that embodies the everyday man stoner of this lead character and handles the changes the character goes through well.  David Cross as his white voice is reliably funny and really adds to the surreal nature of the story’s atmosphere.  Tessa Thompson as Detroit provides a very relaxed but committed performance as the rebelling artistic girlfriend that conflicts with the problems of society’s use of Worry-Free labor.  The leads are great in the roles and provide likable yet larger than life characters to follow into this dystopian society that is not too different from ours.

The supporting cast is very diverse in talent and characterization that add to the grounded yet surreal nature of the story.  Steven Yuen plays Squeeze, the radical worker that is always going against the norm of the work force for better wages and he plays it earnestly with humanity to the character.  Another stand out of the cast is Jermaine Fowler as Salvador, who provides some great humorous moments both crude and subtle in timing and his interactions with the other characters.  However, Armie Hammer as Steven Lift (a parody of Steve Job) totally steals the second half with his arrogant, obliviously evil character that does way too much coke and completely ignorant to the world/society that doesn’t involve dollar bills. There is also Omari Hardwick as Mr._____ with the voice from Patton Oswalt providing a stern but dry humorous performance to contrast with the chipper, upbeat performance from David Cross greatly.  The entire cast is on point here and that is a credit to the sharp script and confident direction on display here.

Let’s get into the technical components of the film, starting with the art direction of this setting and the combination of the grounded with the exaggerated.  The setting for the film is Oakland, California and it’s about as rundown as it gets contrasting with the nightlife, seedy parts of the world with the characters lower in status than the power callers.   There is a great blend of urban poverty with the sleek, cold lifestyle of corporate culture in the locales and settings especially being set around California.  The only visual motifs that has futuristic elements with the Worry-Free factory along with the reality show “I Got The S*!T kicked out of me” along with the great use of space with each locales to showcase the economical disparage of this world.  It is wonderfully crafted in its art direction in creating an exaggerated reality to the setting of this story that matches the satire it instills in its visuals.

Next up, the cinematography and editing of the film from structure to the distinctive look of the film.  The film uses a wide range of colors especially for a film that deals with some heavy and real subject matters by using it effectively to showcase the struggling conflict of the lead and the two worlds he inhabits.  The director utilizes his music video experience with the editor Terel Gibson to really play with time and motion within a scene that allows for the absurdist comedy to happen in the film.  The editing is solidly put together and allows for the characters to develop with each other and feel the impact of the changes they go through especially with the character Green.  While it does have its pacing problems in the beginning and loses its focus by the time the last act rolls around, it is a visually vibrant and energized film that is committed to its story and characters even if it doesn’t always stick to the landing.

Lastly, the sound design and music score from Tune-Yards & The Coup that features mostly composition music as well as the use of non-diegetic sounds to establish its style for the film. The sound design is very much a character in this film as we have sounds that do not match the source of it, within the characters putting on their white voices.  It is well timed and provides for some truly subtle humor in a film that is mostly about the abstract and absurd with its comedy.  As for the score, it is a mix of synth/hip hop beats with classical music that serves as an interesting contrast for where the characters are within the story.  The important takeaway is that the sound design for this film is used effectively and adds to the surreal nature of the film’s story and comedy.

Sorry To Bother You is one of the most inventive and relevant social comedies that touches upon ideas and themes that our culture and world can relate to in its satirization of it.  The enthusiastic and well put together cast really make the most out of this sharp and witty script through their fully realized performances.  This is made possible by the confident direction from a first-time director but also a musician who has a keen eye on how to tell a story with meaning and purpose without losing its sheer entertaining value at all.  Thankfully, the film comes together as a whole and presents ideas of racism, slavery of all kinds, corporate culture, and media oversaturation despite its few shortcomings in balancing these story elements with the characters as well as its odd, possibly alienating finale.  So, if you have what it takes, sign up for RegalView and you can be a “Power Caller” as well!

Score **** out of *****

Sorry To Bother You is the surprising gem of the year that comes out of nowhere to be not only reverently funny but insightful with its commentary on the troubles of the world today.  It invokes the energy and passion of other satirical comedies of the past few decades in its absurdist approach to the story as well as the eccentric characters that inhabit this exaggerated yet grounded world of Oakland, California.  The story reaches its potential and peak in humor and satire by the time the film hits its second act despite a very slow, ropey beginning and its ludicrous and uneven finale.  This is made better and truly entertaining by the terrific performances from the entire cast including Lakeith Stanfield and Armie Hammer turning in amazing performances, with everyone else fitting into their characters and playing to their strengths as actors.  It also has an exceptional sound design that plays with the idea of having voices not match the actors to demonstrate the key characters’ white voice along with a unique blend of classical music with synth, hip hop beats throughout the film.  This is one call you might want to take, because it might give you something to reflect upon with today’s world, while have a blast with this larger than life, surreal comedy.