In a season with all the typical fare of big-budget and animated films galore, there are times that Hollywood will produce an independent film that is obscure as it is entertaining. We have seen obscure films in the past--2015's "The Lobster" with Colin Farrell comes to mind. Although these films are not made for the mass audience appeal, they can still profit. Case in point: "Sorry to Bother You" falls into that category, however it stills manages to entertain.
In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield) discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a macabre universe of greed. But the upswing in Cassius' career raises serious red flags with his girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson), a performing artist and minimum-wage striver who's secretly part of a Banksy-style activist collective. As his friends and co-workers, including Jermaine Fowler (Salvador), Steven Yeun as Squeeze and Danny Glover as Langston, organize a protest of corporate oppression, Cassius falls under the spell of his company's cocaine-snorting CEO Steve Lift (Armie Hammer).
Others to round out the cast are Omari Hardwick as Mr.______, Terry Crews as Sergio, Kate Berlant as Diana DeBauchery, Michael X. Sommers as Johnny, Robert Longstreet as Anderson, David Cross as Cassius' white voice, Patton Oswalt as Mr.______'s white voice and Lily James as Detroit's white British voice.
This was eerily directed by Boots Riley (Video Short '05). Considering the lack of experience this filmmaker has in the director's chair, this guy is a natural. His characters, across the board, were presented in an almost creepy way--whether they be good or bad guys. Through his direction, these characters simply came to life. However, as much as he directed this well, his writing of this had its issues. The storyline had a tendency to meander and came across in a choppy, disjointed way. I certainly can appreciate Riley's passion of rebelling against the corporate tyranny in our society, but he went way beyond the parameters he needed to go to get his point across. This definitely put the 'B' in bizarre, so much so that I was wondering how this story was even going to develop. If I had to akin this to any film, it would be that of "The Lobster" '15 with Colin Farrell. Both were bizarre, had a message, with a very eclectic cast. One of the assets of this production was that of the special effects makeup designed by the famed Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. These guys have worked on tons of films and it truly showed in this.
As aforementioned, this film was not made for the mass audience appeal which you must know before you take a trip to the multiplex or order it from Netflix. Artistically, it's better on many levels, however it is bizarre and macabre and makes for a downer of a story. You be the judge.
Out of 4 Stars: 2.5 Rated: R 105mins.
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