Review: 'Sorry To Bother You'

In 2018, I saw ‘Sorry to Bother You’ in theaters. In retrospect, it was a surreal experience and the film has been floating through my mind ever since. After watching, I distinctly remember sitting in my car, taking in the experience, car off and phone still silenced, until the undeniable power of my bladder prompted my return home. 

Boots Riley is best known as the lead vocalist of hip-hop collective The Coup, but after directorial debut ‘Sorry To Bother You’, it seems movie making is his next calling. The story features the kind of innovative storytelling this generation craves. 

For the sake of a fresh take, I’ve watched the film again. I’ve found myself led through a winding story, this time familiar, and arrived at the twist with expectant excitement. 

What’s the premise?

Cassius ‘Cash’ Green (Lakeith Stanfield) and his girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson) live in his uncle’s (Terry Crews) garage that is facing four months of unpaid rent. To save his uncle's house from foreclosure and gain financial security, Cash and Detroit get jobs at RegalView telemarketing. They cold-call people and get a commission from the profits, and those with exemplary performance are promoted to the elusive ‘Power Caller’ status. Haunted by the ads of WorryFree -- a lifetime work contract for menial labor -- they try diligently to make a living at telemarketing. 

The pace picks up when fellow telemarketer Squeeze (Steven Yeun) organizes a protest for better wages and Cash discovers the persuasive power of his white voice (supplied by David Cross) on customers.

Down the rabbit hole of Boot’s design...

Boots Riley does an excellent job of holding the bait out in front of the viewer. In tone, dialogue and set design there seems to be hidden meanings everywhere. How much foreshadowing is through the billboards and graffiti? Is Cash’s car a metaphor for his own wellbeing? How deep should we look into the ethereal powers of Cash’s ‘white voice? Why is Mr.____’s name bleeped? Of course, we can guess Cash will become involved with the WorryFree corporation but to what degree? How much does Detroit’s art come into the plot and foreshadowing? How much of the hit TV show, “I Got the (expletive) Kicked Out of Me,” is a gag or profound commentary on modern media? Where is the moral line between becoming financially stable and selling your soul to big business?

Basically, ‘Sorry To Bother You’ has so many intriguing elements you’ll never feel satisfied on your first watch. After the first time through a discussion is demanded, details linger in the mind, and you begin to wonder what will reveal itself a second time through. 

Acting and Character

If you don’t like to think when watching a movie, maybe you’d rather sit back and enjoy quietly, don’t feel deterred. Billed as a dark comedy, ‘Sorry To Bother You’ is witty and ironic through and through. Stanfield and Thompson are electrifying and engaging because although they were standouts in big hits like ‘Get Out’ (2017), ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (2017) and ‘Atlanta’ (2016), these vibrant and complex characters are embodied perfectly. Their acting chemistry is the centerpiece of the film and throughout the madness, the viewer really just wants to see them happy -- and who wouldn't? 

It is my firm belief that ‘Sorry To Bother You’ will not only stand the test of time but become a cult classic. Stream it now on Hulu and Vudu.