Talk to Me (2007)

The story of Washington D.C. radio personality Ralph "Petey" Greene, an ex-con who became a popular talk show host and community activist in the 1960s.

Director:

Kasi Lemmons

Writers:

Michael Genet (screenplay), Rick Famuyiwa (screenplay)

Stars:

Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Bruce McFee

9 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Don Cheadle	...	Petey Greene
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Dewey Hughes
Bruce McFee	...	Prison Sign-In Guard
Mike Epps	...	Milo Hughes
Peter MacNeill	...	Warden Cecil Smithers
Adam Gaudreau	...	Escorting Guard
Taraji P. Henson	...	Vernell Watson
Cedric the Entertainer	...	'Nighthawk' Bob Terry
Martin Sheen	...	E.G. Sonderling
J. Miles Dale	...	Program Director
Sean MacMahon	...	Ronnie Simmons
Richard Chevolleau	...	Poochie Braxton
Martin Randez	...	Hadley
Todd Schroeder	...	Guard Captain (as Todd William Schroeder)
Vondie Curtis-Hall	...	Sunny Jim Kelsey (as Vondie Curtis Hall)

Storyline

The true life story of Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr. In the mid-to-late 1960s, in Washington, D.C., vibrant soul music and exploding social consciousness were combining to unique and powerful effect. It was the place and time for Petey to fully express himself - sometimes to outrageous effect - and "tell it like it is." With the support of his irrepressible and tempestuous girlfriend Vernell, the newly minted ex-con talks his way into an on-air radio gig. He forges a friendship and a partnership with fellow prison inmate Milo's brother Dewey Hughes. From the first wild morning on the air, Petey relies on the more straight-laced Dewey to run interference at WOL-AM, where Dewey is the program director. At the station, Petey becomes an iconic radio personality, surpassing even the established popularity of his fellow disc jockeys, Nighthawk and Sunny Jim. Combining biting humor with social commentary, Petey openly courts controversy for station owner E.G. Sonderling. Petey was ...

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Plot Keywords:

cigarette smoking | radio host | radio show | radio | washington d.c. | 

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Taglines:

Never underestimate a man with something to say.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Music | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 August 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Petey Greene's Washington

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$402,000, 15 July 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,472,823, 23 September 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sidney Kimmel Entertainment,Mark Gordon Productions,Pelagius Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Terrence Howard was briefly attached to star as Petey Greene. He recommended Taraji P. Henson for the part of Vernell while the two were filming Hustle & Flow (2005).

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Goofs

During his broadcast on April 4, 1968, Petye refers to James Brown as "The Godfather of Soul", a term not given to him until the early 1970s.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Petey Greene: Wake up, goddammit!

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Connections

Features The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)

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Soundtracks

Grazing in the Grass
Written by Philemon Hou
Performed by Hugh Masekela
Courtesy of Geffen Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Extremely Entertaining

My husband and I saw this movie the day it premiered in Los Angeles. The movie trailer and buzz, plus the music, attracted our attention. We love all music from the 60s and 70s, and especially anything by James Brown. We've always lived on the west coast, so neither of us had heard of Petey Greene (Don Cheadle) or his manager, Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor). We did a little internet searching when we got home to find out Greene had been married, had children, and worked all his life as an activist for social reform by reintegrating ex-convicts back into the community and getting them jobs. All that wasn't important to the film but was interesting to know about Greene's real life. Lends more credence to the reason for his story being told. TALK TO ME is a well-made biopic that I'd highly recommend to family and friends.