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 | directed by kasi lemmons | written by rick famuyiwa | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene during Petey Greene's first day on WOL he mentions that his father was serving a 21 year sentence on Alcatraz Island Federal Prison. This couldn't be true because the year in that scene was 1966. Alcatraz closed down in March 1963.

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Goofs

In the opening scene, we see Petey Greene thumbing through a selection of vinyl records, eventually picking out the album 'It's A New Day - Let A Man Come In'. At this point in the film, it would appear that Petey is still in prison, however the James Brown album that he picks out was not released until June 1970. Moreover, the track played - 'It's A Man's Man's Man's World' - is a different version to that which appears on this 1970 album. Indeed, the version that is heard at the beginning of the film was not available commercially until the release of the 'Star Time' box set in 1991.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

References In the Heat of the Night (1967)

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Soundtracks

Compared to What
Written by Gene McDaniels
Produced by Meshell Ndegeocello (as Meshell NdegeOcello) and Terence Blanchard
Performed by Meshell Ndegeocello (as Meshell NdegeOcello) featuring Terence Blanchard
Bass: Mark Kelly, Drums: Charles Haynes, Guitar: Oren Bloedow, Keyboards: Jason Lidner
Meshell NdegeOcello appears courtesy of Universal Music France
Terence Blanchard appears courtesy of Blue Note Records

User Reviews

Loved it--Lemmons, Cheadle & Co. should get Oscars!

Excellent movie about Washington DC jockey Petey Greene. I had never heard of him, but Director Kasi Lemmons made such a good movie with great characters that I (as an audience member) was interested in finding out about him. Lemmons evokes the music, dress & style of the time very well, and all of the cast was great--not just Don Cheadle, but EVERYONE; as a woman, I liked how his girlfriend was portrayed as a strong woman who knew her man well (his strengths and his weaknesses). I highly recommend it, not just to hear some great period music, but to learn about someone who made a difference (at least in the lives of the people of DC). Both thumbs up! :D

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 August 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Talk to Me

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$391,000, 15 July 2007

Gross USA:

$4,533,261

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,778,376

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