Sorry To Bother You has to be one of the most crazy movies I’ve seen in a long time. After receiving rapturous applause at it’s SXSW premiere last week (and even a little hate), it’s evident that this film will stir up quite a few opinions when it’s released this summer in July.
Boots Riley directs Sorry To Bother You and it’s his first official full-length feature film. It seemed this project was a labour of love and a massive risk to make as it crosses so many genres going back-and-forth between a comedy/sci-fi/fantasy genre mashup. Nevertheless, it was because it was so “out there” that Riley attracted some great talent to the project including Armie Hammer, Terry Crews, Steven Yeun and Danny Glover playing some downright comedic supporting roles. However it’s the films leading roles that hold this movie together in way of Lakeith Stanfield playing the lead Cassius Green and Tessa Thompson as his art-centric humanitarian girlfriend called Detroit.
What’s it all about? OK, well Sorry To Bother You is set in an alternative universe where signing over your life in exchange for lifetime food and shelter is quite the norm – an idea that is privatised by Armie Hammer’s sleezy character – Steve Lift. Cassius, struggling to find a job to support himself finds work in the way of telemarketing. At the advice of using his “white voice” to sell sell sell, Cassius soon finds himself in the gold-laiden top ranks of the company where is sharp telemarketer skills sees him contributing to this morally-deprived way of life – something that his girlfriend Detroit is vehemently against.
Why is it so good? This movie is just plain “out-there”, funny as hell and crammed full of WTF moments. You can see why this movie is a bit of a risk, but there’s one thing for certain here – Sorry To Bother You will have you pondering and chuckling for days after seeing it. It’s by far the most original movie you could possibly see this year, with razor-sharp writing and a wit about it that you just don’t usually see in first-time directors.
Bravo Boots! With Sorry To Bother You, your future in comedic film is looking shiny.