There's a lot going on in this film, but it became clear early on that Sorry to Bother You is far more complex than the trailers indicated.
LaKeith Stanfield plays Cassius "Cash" Green (yes, his name was the first knock over the head), living in his uncle's (Terry Crews) garage with his girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson). His only prospective job is for telemarketing company Regal View, but he finds little success until an older man (Danny Glover) teaches him to use his "white voice" on the phone. Sounding confident, easygoing, rich -- and like the people to whom he sells -- he quickly becomes the best seller on the floor. His overseers celebrate his successes and eventually promote him to the upper floor "Power Callers" where he works and lives in luxury but must always use his "white voice."
Cash accepts the new position and considerable raise, but quickly realizes he has sold his soul. While his friends from the lower level strike and try to organize a union to protect themselves, Cash learns dark secrets about the company. He learns that they sell weapons and human labor from WorryFree -- a company that offers food and housing and no bills for only a lifelong work contract! -- and then he meets CEO Steve Lift (Armie Hammer).
Saying much more would spoil the plot, but the film is essentially a satire with strong elements of science fiction. Its strong anti-capitalist ideas are dense and layered but effective, assuming the film's target audience isn't already leftist-leaning. Everyone else can surely enjoy the performances, especially of Stanfield and Hammer. Most of the comedy even had me laughing aloud in the theater, and you know that's not really my thing. And for Boots Riley's directorial debut, it's a pretty amazing piece of work.
That said, the film also boasts a little too much muchness for my taste. It hits its notes a little too hard on the nose, and for most of its run time I felt I was being preached at or interrogated. The film's numerous subplots began to feel contrived and forced, and took some of the umph out of the main thematic thrust. And I couldn't help but feel that, though we can't reach the end of this film without the early parts, the film could neatly have been divided into two distinct movies, each with different appeal. By the second half, I felt as though I were locked in a carnival funhouse against my will. That may well be the intent, but it didn't endear me to the picture.
But if the worst thing about a film is that it's got something big and important on its mind and then nails it, I won't complain much.
IMDb: Sorry to Bother You
No comments:
Post a Comment