Sorry to Bother You Movie Review

Sorry to Bother You (2018)

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Written by: Boots Riley
Directed by: Boots Riley
Starring: Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Terry Crews, Danny Glover, Steven Yeun, Armie Hammer, David Cross, Patton Oswalt, Lily James, Forest Whitaker, Rosario Dawson
Rated: R
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Plot
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.

Verdict
Wildly inventive and original. This keeps getting crazier, but it's also commenting on society, continuously exaggerating it's point so much that you could miss it. You can read incredibly deep into every detail of this movie. It's a crazy ride that gets even crazier when you realize every scene and detail might indeed be commentary on society. This is a snapshot of current culture, but it's also expounding on universal and timeless conflicts.
Watch it.

Review
This is set in a slightly alternative world, poised to comment on society. In the first scene Cash has had a fake employee of the year plaque and trophy made just for a call center job. As with everything in this movie, you can ask yourself is this commenting on the job market or what it takes for Cash to stand out from other applicants.

Cash gets the job and when he makes the calls, he transports into people's homes, which isn't far from what he's doing. He's not excelling, but he gets sage advice. "Use your white voice." The voice that sounds like you have no cares in the world, no bills. It's suggesting, well all but screaming inherent racism. I have to wonder how many people think, that's not me.

 

There's also so much going on in this movie, from the violent game shows to child labor. The underlying thread is Cash's secret to becoming a power salesman which flies in the face of unions.

The visuals are impressive. From the earlier call scenes which show how awkward Cash is to the later scenes where he has no problem talking to people in very intimate moments. He's accepted what's weird as normal. His house shows his success, becoming more opulent. Visually the house physically expands and appliances upgrade. There's just a lot of creativity with the concept and how it unfolds on screen. There's a picture of his father that reacts to what's going on. While I assume it's in Cash's imagination, it makes this world just a bit surreal.

When Cash starts the job money is elusive, then it becomes attainable but he's sacrificed who he is and his friends to get there. Money corrupts.

From the beginning I would wonder if what I was seeing was reality, and this only gets more extreme towards the end. This movie is different for a variety of reasons but also because of how people react. It's strange but it also gives this movie style. Cash attends a party of a rich CEO and Cash is basically put on display. It's dehumanizing, but dehumanization only gets more extreme.

I couldn't help but compare Cash to Edward Snowden. Cash goes to extremes to reveal the truth. Cash thought he was dropping a bombshell, but ultimately people don't care. This is a powerful movie, managing to seem surface level crazy while still bringing up so many societal issues. The craziness isn't without reason. This is absolutely a movie you could pick apart scene by scene and analyze what it's trying to say about society. It's incredibly relevant to current culture, but I suspect it will also stand the test of time. The conflicts are universal. Having written this review and thinking about the movie again, I like it even more and I already was a big fan.