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Last spring, Jordan Peele’s socially aware horror flick Get Out captured the attention of audiences and critics, and went on to earn an Oscar, too. Now writer director Boots Riley offers his own commentary with the unconventional comedy of Sorry to Bother You.
Sorry to Bother You climbs the corporate ladder with Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield), who lies his way to a telemarketing job to help him pay the rent. When a successful coworker explains that the way to succeed in the business is to use his “white voice,” Cassius starts getting one sale after another. As his coworkers threaten to organize a union and revolt against the company, Cassius is promoted to Power Caller—one of the company’s top sellers. But he soon realizes that his new job puts him in an uncomfortable position.
In the beginning, the film starts out as a quirky comedy about a young man who’s just trying to make ends meet. Cassius is so desperate for this low-level telemarketing job that he fabricates his entire resume. He deals with ridiculous management and a less than ideal environment. He becomes someone he’s not to make the sale, using a totally laughable, fake “white” voice. And it all plays out in the most over-the-top ways.
It isn’t long, though, before the story takes a turn. This isn’t just a film about the struggle to survive in the workforce—about trying to earn enough to keep from ending up on the street. It’s about what happens when it’s no longer just about paying the bills—when people become so single-minded in their quest for fame and fortune and success that they start to sacrifice the ideals (and the people) that once mattered. It starts getting uncomfortable as Cassius shies away from his coworkers’ plans to protest, but that can just be brushed off as drive and determination. When he’s promoted to Power Caller, however, things get even worse—in a cringe-worthy, stomach-turning kind of way—and while Cassius’s response to the situation seems outrageous, it’s more accurate than we may want to believe.
Somewhere along the way, Cassius’s story spirals completely out of control. What starts out as a playful comedy turns into a rather bizarre morality tale about the dangers of greed. For some, it will be too strange—the story’s twist just too outrageous. But it’s definitely memorable.
Sorry to Bother You isn’t the same old wacky comedy. It has plenty of silliness, but, underneath it all, there’s a method to its madness. It’s definitely a smart and thought-provoking film—and one that you won’t soon forget.
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