Sorry to Bother You

Sorry to Bother You

Starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Steven Yeun

Directed by Boots Riley

The Story:
Cassius (Lakeith Stanfield) is a man in his 30s struggling with his identity in the world, finding a job to pay the bills, and wanting to live a comfortable life with his artistic girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson).  He finds a job at a telemarketing firm, and learns from fellow employee Langston (Danny Glover) to use his "white voice" in order to drive sales.

Mastering his "white voice," Cassius soon moves up the ranks in the company, earning the title of "power caller" and getting a prime raise and position, while his friends meander in the lower tiers and plan to form a union.  He learns he's making calls for Steve Lift (Armie Hammer), who's the president of WorryFree - a company where people sign away their lives to work, live, and eat there their entire lives in return for free room and board.  While Detroit and others see it as a slave camp, Cassius begins finding himself at odds with the company, especially when he finds out what they're really after.

The Synopsis:
Originality in film is something of a rarity, especially during the hot summer months.  While films of this caliber are often shoved to the winter, director/writer Boots Riley decided to brave the summer heat and release "Sorry to Bother You" - a wholly original, inspired piece of work - to be a David against the Goliaths like "The Incredibles 2," "Mission: Impossible - Fallout," and "Ant-Man and the Wasp."  While David was able to slay Goliath, this film was no match to achieve the financial success of these tentpole films, but it still managed to slay where it's most important - in providing a once-in-a-lifetime moviegoing experience, where I witnessed something I never thought I'd ever see on screen.

To say the trailer doesn't do the film justice is a severe understatement.  While at its core the film is about a lower-middle-class man who struggles in the daily grind to provide a stable income, there's so, so, so much more being told.  Through spectacular imagery, set pieces, visuals, and a mind-bending second act, "Sorry to Bother You" is one of those rare films that stick with you, where after the film ends, you're just left in a stupor, wondering what it was you really just witnessed - in a great way.

Using biting satire and every other weapon at his arsenal, Riley tells the audience that we shouldn't just live for a paycheck, but to seek out something more meaningful in our lives.  The film takes place in Oakland, but not in the Oakland in the here-and-now - although it very well could be.  In this world, a corporation openly endorses slave labor as something to be desired, and the biggest show in the country is called "I Got the *$(% Kicked Out of Me," which is just a person getting repeatedly beaten up live.  To say that this could never happen in today's society is seeing the world through rose-colored classes, and Boots Riley uses it perfectly to make us feel like this is something that could happen sooner than we think.

The entire first act introduces us to the characters and their real-life struggles, which only aides us going forward when the true insanity hits the fan.  We can associate with a guy like Cassius - wanting to earn a paycheck, wanting to provide for his girlfriend, wanting to find his own place in the world, and wanting to do the right thing.  "Atlanta" star Lakeith Stanfield gives a commanding performance here (it was originally set for fellow "Atlanta" star Donald Glover, but he was filming "Solo" at the time), giving us a main character to truly root for - there's not a sycophantic bone in his body, even when he seemingly sides with the corporation, we still feel for him.  He oozes charisma and charm, while also giving a true likability even in the midst of wrongdoing.

Likewise Tessa Thompson does terrific as Detroit, Cassius' more free-spirited girlfriend who enjoys doing her art and going against the man, which in this case is Armie Hammer's Steve Lift and his WorryFree corporation.  Hammer again brings the hammer (heh) down in another memorable performance (much like his role in "Call Me By Your Name") as the totally insane CEO, a man who carries around a gun and could very well be certifiably insane.

The film begins with Cassius learning his "white voice" in order to sell the product he's selling for the telemarketing firm, which is an obvious allusion to the feeling that African American people need to change to be successful.  After he masters this voice, he gets promoted to a "power caller," where he's selling much more darker things.  Even during this time, Cassius is still an empathetic character, because he plays it to the hilt to have us believe that this is what would be best for him and those he loves.

It's when he discovers the true nature of WorryFree that Riley amps up the insanity to 11, while also maintaining a sense of reality that's exceptionally rare.  While our minds at first can't seem to comprehend what's happening, there's also a sense that "yes, this could happen," as Riley exposes our need to depend on commercialism and consumerism to maintain our way of life.  Money is greed, and when we settle for being mere pencil pushers, we miss out what's really important in life.  When the main corporation in the film literally advertises the positives of slave labor, sometimes the allusions aren't as vague as you'd expect.  And neither is this movie - even at my wildest expectations, I was nowhere near prepared for what I experienced, in the best possible way.  They just don't make films like this anymore, but they should.

The Summary:
Brilliant visuals, a compelling main character, biting satire on today's society, and the most insane third act I could imagine, "Sorry to Bother You" is the strangest name for a movie ever - it didn't bother me at all.

The Score: A+