In the very near future, Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield) gets a telemarketing job. Once a coworker (Danny Glover) shows him how to use his White voice, he becomes a âpower caller.â His radical artist girl friend (Tessa Thompson) isnât happy about the change in him, nor is his old friends and new union leader (Steven Yeun), and he has is own doubts as he is now selling slave labor. When he and his boss (Omari Hardwick) are invited to a party by multimillionaire Steve Lift (Armie Hammer), things get really strange.
Sorry to Bother You is a close cousin to Brazil. Itâs heavy social satire, delivered surrealistically, that is never more than a few seconds away from a joke. But the largest joke is on you as it is calling out the viewer on what a useless sellout you are in a world going to Hell. It rips into capitalism, corporate culture, race relations, and even ârealityâ TV, and it would be painful if it wasnât so funny. And like Brazil, thereâs no heroes here, and no real-world answers, although it does try to be upbeat (when it really shouldnât).
Cassius is non-too bright, non-too pleasant (he blames his uncle for his own failings), and far from loyal. He just has a talent for selling. His best friend is less bright. The labor agitator doesnât do any good, starting strikes where no one cares. And his girlfriendâs art happenings are almost enough to make me root for the slavers. But they are as good as this world has. His boss is amoral and Steve Lift is drifting into psychopathy. But they are all just the children of their world, which is pretty much our world. Anxiety about surviving is so high that people are selling themselves into slavery, which is advertised as just the greatest thing ever. The highest rated show is just people getting punched in the face, which is a direct comment on you, the viewer. To go with Brazil, thereâs go deal of Robocop and Idiocracy on display.
With so much to say, such a fleshed out world, quality performances, and so many jokes, Sorry to Bother You should have been approaching masterpiece status, but it doesnât all click. Rapper Boots Riley doesnât have the experience to pull off this complex of a film. Too often the jokes lack the punch they need, or moments will go on too long, or cut too quickly. Characterâs need a bit more development here, and a bit less there. Itâs an amateur digging into a major professional job. He does a respectable job, but any workman-like director with 6 or 8 films under his belt would have done better, and this is a film that cried out for a real artist. I suspect simply another editing pass with the footage they had, by a different editor under different supervision, would have produced a significantly better film. But this is a good film.