Sorry to Bother You (2018)

In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a universe of greed.

Director:

Boots Riley

Writer:

Boots Riley

Stars:

LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler

20 wins & 54 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
LaKeith Stanfield	...	Cassius Green (as Lakeith Stanfield)
Tessa Thompson	...	Detroit
Jermaine Fowler	...	Salvador
Omari Hardwick	...	Mr. _______
Terry Crews	...	Sergio
Kate Berlant	...	Diana DeBauchery
Michael X. Sommers	...	Johnny
Danny Glover	...	Langston
Steven Yeun	...	Squeeze
Armie Hammer	...	Steve Lift
Robert Longstreet	...	Anderson
David Cross	...	Cassius's White Voice (voice)
Patton Oswalt	...	Mr. _______'s White Voice (voice)
Lily James	...	Detroit's White British Voice (voice)
Forest Whitaker	...	First Equisapien / Demarius

Storyline

In an alternate version of Oakland, Cassius Green gets a telemarketing job and finds the commission paid job a dispiriting struggle as a black man selling to predominately white people over the phone. That changes when a veteran advises him to use his "white voice," and the attitude behind it to make himself more appealing to customers. With a bizarrely high-pitched accent, Cassius becomes a success even as his colleagues form a union to improve their miserable jobs. Regardless, Cassius finds himself promoted a "Power Caller" selling the most morally abhorrent but lucrative products and services as his connection to his girlfriend and colleagues fades away. However, Cassius' conscience arises anew as he finds himself in the midst of his boss' bizarre world of condescending bigoted decadence and his sinister plans to create the perfect subservient work force with Cassius' help.

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Plot Keywords:

absurdism | social satire | oakland california | telemarketing | slave labor | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, some strong sexual content, graphic nudity, and drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

Most of the crazy riot scenes were shot in downtown Oakland, California.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Anderson: So it says here that you were manager of the Rusty Scupper restaurant for five years. And then a bank teller at Bank of Oakland between 2014 to 2016. Oh, and you were employee of the month! What's that trophy in the bag there?
Cassius Green: Oh, Oakland High moot court champion. I'm a salesman at heart.
Anderson: *That* is intriguing. Mainly because I was the branch manager at the Bank of Oakland between 2014 and 2016, and you, Mr. Green, you never fucking worked there.

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Connections

References The Last Dragon (1985)

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Soundtracks

Nigga Shit
Written by Boots Riley
Performed by The Coup and LaKeith Stanfield

User Reviews

Ambitious, Yet Scattered

Good: The concept was original and different and the first two-thirds of the movie were interesting/engaging. The film is filled with talent from Tessa Thompson to Armie Hammer. But the true standout is Lakeith Stanfield's character who is relatable with his struggles and goal in life of making a difference and mattering in the world. I do like the themes the film tackles like the corruption of big companies with its hunger for power and money.

Bad: The film bounces around too much with its subplots. Near the end, the story goes for more of a shock value and the social problems it started to develop gets lost in a bad acid trip. Some of the ideas and characters were not fully developed as a result of the film being fast paced and messy. I personally did not find the jokes funny, but my audience was laughing for the most part.

Overall: This film is a political satire so it is not for everyone, however I believe there is a certain crowd that will absolutely admire this film and praise it for its originality and humor. The film juggles too much, but I appreciate Boots Riley's first time directorial debut ambitions.

3/5

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sorry to Bother You

Filming Locations:

Oakland, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$727,266, 8 July 2018

Gross USA:

$17,493,096

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$18,170,707

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinereach, Forest Whitaker's Significant Productions, MACRO

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1