Sorry to Bother You (2018)

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

There are many ways of calling a film bizarre. When it comes to independent ventures, it really can go back and forth from being accessible to a mainstream audience. With the release of this year's Sorry to Bother You, the film has a premise that may attract fans of comedy/drama, but, when this movie truly kicks into gear, it's really a toss-up whether or not it will sit right with you. For fans of the medium of film no matter how strange, Sorry to Bother You may just end up being one of the best movies of 2018 to date, as it is to myself. For all its quirks and strange twists and turns, here's why I can't recommend Sorry to Bother You enough if you're ready to explore a film that explores the weird side of cinema.Following Cassius Green (sort of set in an alternate reality to our own), he receives a job at a telemarketing company, where he discovers a new voice and is able to make a huge profit for himself. Propelling himself into greed and forcing his life to spiral into a metaphor that reflects the social issues of our daily lives, Sorry to Bother You represents the horrible side of our society while also managing to be an entertaining and eye-opening piece of filmmaking. The core premise is very easy to follow, but once the twist occurs, sending this film on a course that you'll either buy into or find too bizarre to comprehend, it's true message begins to reveal itself.This movie has one of the most surprising turns that I've been able to witness in quite some time. Not only is it visually shocking, but it also manages to be a slightly comedic aspect to the movie while also being a social commentary for the mature audiences, which is really just writer/director Boots Riley displaying his creative mind to the world. Being his directorial debut in the feature film category, I can't wait to see where his career goes next. I truly believe that he has the potential to create stories that will be loved by audiences on a yearly basis. Riley definitely has a knack for telling a great story, even in the subtlest of ways.Although I pretty much loved this film from start to finish, upon reflection I must say that the first act of this film goes suffer from pacing issues. I feel as though Sorry to Bother You is trying to set up a few elements at the beginning that may not land with some viewers, but that's only because it needs to be able to pay off in the final act, so it's acceptable. Still, I found myself enjoying the movie at first, but it took a while to really hook me. I feel that will happen with other viewers as well. That being said, when the film concludes, I do believe that viewers will look back on the movie as a whole and appreciate the first act more. For that reason, I can't say it's a true glaring error, but it is definitely worth mentioning.In the end, Sorry to Bother You mixes a few genres together to make one wacky ride of a film. There are visuals that will stun you, an over-arching story that will open your eyes to our ever-evolving society, and a quiet editing style that seamlessly takes you through the film with ease. This movie is absolutely not for everyone, especially due to the fact that the third act is very "out there," but, if you're prone to liking movies solely based on a good execution, regardless of how strange it becomes, then I can't recommend this movie enough. Sorry to Bother You is one of my favourites of 2018.

I've never reviewed a movie on this site, but this needs to be heard. Absolutely unbelievable are the only words that can describe this incoherent mess of a movie. Please do not spend your money to watch this complete cringe-fest of a 'comedy/fantasy/sci-fi' film. This is nearly unwatchable it's just absurd; it conflates comedy with the broader social issues it's trying to take serious to resolve, and it nearly becomes unwatchable. I was shocked that it was released, and it's obvious why theaters and distributors aren't picking it up.

If Spike Jonze and David Chronenberg had a drunken one-night-stand that resulted in a miscarried pregnancy, the final product would look something like this movie. Being really strange doesn't equate to cleverness. If there was meant to be some kind of metaphor or deep commentary, it was lost in the ridiculousness.

Saw this awesome, bonkers indie film on Saturday called "Sorry to Bother You." It was one of those rare occasions when I've been able to go into a film knowing little-to-nothing about it. My friend invited me out, told me that the film was sort of a cross between "Get Out" and "Dear White People," and that was all I knew. Having seen it, I'd offer a slightly revised assessment: It's more like "Get Out" crossed with "Office Space," as filtered through the madness of Terry Gilliam's "Brazil," with more than a dash of inspiration taken from Michel Gondry's charmingly low-fi effects work.That's a mouthful of references there, I know. Trust me, the film more than earns each of those, and more. It is the feature debut of writer/director Boots Riley, a former telemarketer who first made a name for himself as the lead rapper and producer of The Coup, a politically-conscious rap-band from Oakland, CA. One can sense a wealth of life-experience and long-gestating ideas poured into this film. The film is so energetic, original, and irrepressible, it feels as if Riley and his crew had been itching for years to make this feature -- and then, when finally given the chance, held absolutely nothing back. What they have ended up with is a fantastical and deeply funny satire about capitalism run amok.The plot, in a nutshell: Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield) is a black man in his early 20s, low-key, smart but directionless. He lives with his artistic and politically-conscious girlfriend in an apartment in his uncle's garage in Oakland. He needs money! And so, as the film opens, he's applying for a job at RegalView Telemarketing. The interview goes well enough -- the manager essentially tells Cassius they'll hire anyone with a pulse -- and soon Cassius finds himself on the phone, hawking what sounds like a set of encyclopedias.From its opening moments, the film is giving us clues that it's not interested in a realistic depiction of actual life. Cassius's world is strangely exaggerated, a satirical funhouse-mirror reflection of the actual world. For example: When Cassius is in his cubicle at RegalView, the camera often frames him up against the window of an office across the hallway behind him. Through that window, a xerox-machine flashes ominously, paper flies everywhere, and men in suits frantically wave their arms around. This is never commented upon, which is probably why I found it such a delightful and funny flourish.But as funny and as visually inventive as the film is, it finds perhaps its best gimmick in the way it depicts Cassius's phone-calls. When the computer Cassius is using connects him suddenly with a new customer, he's literally dropped out of his cubicle -- desk and all -- into the customer's life, interrupting whatever it was they were doing. He can see them, but they can't see him. This results in some very funny moments, but it's also a brilliant way of illustrating Cassius's emotional response to these calls. Who is he, to be invading these people's lives unwanted? Having worked at a few call-centers myself, I could definitely feel some real-life experience invested into these moments. Cassius adjusts, as he must, to the strange realities of his new job, but he isn't doing very well at it until a co-worker (played by Danny Glover!) tells him that he'll get more sales if he uses his "white voice." Cassius thinks about it, then tries it, and naturally finds his success-rate skyrocket.Here again, the film has a very clever gimmick. Rather than have its black actors simply do their best "white folk" impersonation, the film actually OVERDUBS their voices with those of white comedians, such as David Cross and Patton Oswalt. If this makes you feel uneasy -- if the blatant replacement of black voices with white ones reads a bit like "censorship" -- that is most definitely the point. Fortunately, it's also funny, and so are most of the film's most pointed satirical jabs. This is a politically-minded film which never feels too preachy, because -- like "Get Out" -- its social criticisms are wrapped-up in such an entertaining package.There is so much more to this film, I have hardly even scratched the surface. A very satisfying film surely could have been made out of what little plot I have already described. And yet, Boots Riley has not settled for a simple workplace satire. His debut film is bigger, and weirder, than most sane people would probably imagine. Every time you think you've finally got your head around the film, it reveals strange and funny new territory.So the film is, shall we say, "overstuffed." That can be a bad thing. I've seen many a film try to pack way too many ideas into a two-hour runtime, only to end up a disorganized mess. What sets "Sorry to Bother You" apart, I think, is the thematic unity of the film. As crazy as the film gets -- and it DOES get crazy, taking a turn into science-fiction at the end which might be one turn too many for some viewers -- everything remains very directly related to the film's satirical concerns.It also helps that the film is bolstered by some very strong performances. Lakeith Stanfield is excellent as Cassius, bringing sweet naivite to a role which requires him to, at times, play a man misguided by profit (or its promise) into morally-compromising positions. Tessa Thompson is kinetic as Detroit, Cassius's artistic girlfriend, whose social-conscience will prove (for him) a point of conflict. And Armie Hammer oozes evil cluelessness as Steve Lift, the founder of a "lifetime-contract housing and employment" empire called "WorryFree," which is obviously patterned after the American prison system. One other note: If you think you've seen Lakeith Stanfield before, it might be because he was the man abducted in the opening scene of "Get Out." Which is a pretty neat meta-connection between the two films.Anyway, I'll readily admit that "Sorry to Bother You" is a strange hot mess of a film -- but I think it's an inspired mess, and perhaps even a brilliant one. If you're in the mood for a comedy that might make you think, but will definitely make you go, "WTF!?" -- well, this is one to check out.