Streaming: Hulu (With Subscription)
Warnings:
Drugs
Graphic Nudity
Sex
Extreme Violence
Language
Rating: R
Sorry To Bother You is a whimsical dark comedy that is unlike any other. It is written and directed by Boots Riley in his directorial debut. The film has a long list of stars as the cast such as LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick, Terry Crews, David Cross, Steven Yeun and Danny Glover just to name a few. Sorry to Bother You premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2018 and was theatrically released in July 2018. The film received positive reviews for its cast and concept as well as the screenplay and direction. Sorry To Bother You was nominated for seven awards and won the Top Ten Independent Films by the National Board of Review as well as the Best First Feature from the Independent Spirit Awards. The budget of the film was $3.2 million, and it made $18.3 million in the box office. Overall, the film was successful in result of its casting, creative ambition, and the political commentary. Sorry To Bother You is a fantasy, political satire, and horror wrapped up into a truth telling film that comments on Capitalism in an artistic approach.
Sorry To Bother You is set in an alternative modern version of Oakland, following a young Black telemarketer who adopts a white accent to become more successful at his job. He gets mixed up in an unimaginable corporate conspiracy and must choose between his morality and a paycheck. Sorry To Bother You creates awkward tension through physical comedy, satirical advertisements, and exaggerated actions throughout the film. In addition to the awkward tension, the characters are so over the top that they are all extremes of what they represent. For example, the activists in the film are the most dedicated versions of an activist, and to another extreme, the wealthy capitalists at one point douse each other in champagne. At every level of the film the characters are exaggerated and they each make a point with that exaggeration. Even different messages are embedded about real events throughout the film, the character Detroit (Tessa Thompson) wears artistic earrings, and they are commented on repeatedly by her friends. At one point in the film, Detroit wears a pair of earrings with the phrases “Bury the rag” and “Deep in your face.” These phrases are lyrics from the song, “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” by Bob Dylan. This song is a protest song about a poor African American woman who was murdered by an affluent white man. Creative choices like this are what makes this film great, it requires the audience to pay attention even further beyond the film and educates while doing so.
Along with the different messages scattered throughout the film, the commentary on capitalism is the loudest message. The film is a radical class analysis that focuses on how the wealthy class exploits the poverty class to a point where there are no boundaries. The term “Sorry To Bother You” references the general usage from telemarketers when making calls but it’s also a polite interruption of the film telling the audience something they might not be ready to hear.
“When you're telling someone something that is different from how they view things, different from how they view the world, it feels like an annoyance or a bother. And that's where that comes from,” Riley made this statement when discussing the film on the show Democracy Now! The film includes distinctive ways to remind the working class how much power they have in protest against the wealthy class. Sorry To Bother You examines real corporations and amplifies corporate actions in the film to the next level to prove a point, this allows the audience to compare and contrast the problems being faced in the film to their own hardships in life.
Last but not least, the acting in the film was phenomenal. Originally, Danny Glover was supposed to play the main character Cassius Green, but his schedule conflicted with filming as the lead, so he recommended his co-star LaKeith Stanfield for the role instead. LaKeith played Cassius or “Cash,” perfectly, his entire desire throughout the film was to become wealthy and his name reflects that. Portraying his activist girlfriend in the film is Tessa Thompson and her role is beyond engaging since her character is powerful, quirky and intelligent. Alongside them, Jermaine Fowler plays their amusing friend whose awkward humor oftentimes steals the show. The audience also sees Steven Yeun in a new light playing a labor organizing activist who is for the people through and through. This combination of actors carried the story in an interesting and diverse way through their wide variety of experiences and talent.
In conclusion, Sorry To Bother You is unique, artistic and beyond what anyone could ever expect. The ambitious story critiques the cruelty of large corporations who take advantage of the poverty class and exposes new perspectives that would otherwise not be seen in Hollywood. Through the acting, political commentary, and the incomparable story, Sorry To Bother You has become an instant cult classic. I highly recommend this film to anyone who is interested in something that will shock them while making them think.