Boots Riley’s Sorry To Bother You, one of the most buzzed about films at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, is one of the best feature debuts during the fest.
The star-studded cast of Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, Terry Crews, Steven Yeun, Omari Hardwick, Jermaine Fowler, and Danny Glover was one of the few films that showcased diversity with POC in leading roles. Much in the same vein as last year’s hit film, Get Out, Sorry To Bother You is a crazy satire with a lot of social commentary. Unlike the former, this film is one that plays more to the comedy side rather than go for thrills.
Taking place in present-day Oakland in a different timeline, Cassius Green (Stanfield) lives in the garage of his uncle, Sergio (Crews), and struggles to pay the rent while as a telemarketer for a local firm. He’s struggling with his phone calls.
The way that the calls are displayed on camera is very hysterical with Green’s desk suddenly appearing opposite whoever he’s calling. He’s not having much success until Langston (Glover) convinces him to use his white voice, as in “Will Smith white”–voiced in the film by comedian David Cross. As Cassius becomes a power caller, he soon earns a promotion around the same time that his fellow telemarketers, led by Squeeze (Yeun), decide to put their phones down and go on strike as they compare their contracts to slavery.
For the full review, please click here.
DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: Boots Riley
CAST: Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer, Terry Crews, Steven Yeun, Omari Hardwick, Jermaine Fowler, and Danny Glover
Following the world premiere during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, Annapurna Pictures will release Sorry To Bother You in select theaters on July 6, 2018. A nationwide expansion is planned for July 13, 2018.
