 by Philip Price
Boots Riley is not a fan of the system or "the man" and if he hadn't made that abundantly clear through the music he's made with The Coup then you'll certainly know how the man feels coming out of his directorial debut, "Sorry to Bother You." This assessment of corporate America though and how it addresses labor and capitalism is only one layer of Riley's feature as he's also here to integrate ideas of activism, of art, and of the importance placed on the individual in our society rather than that of what is for the greater good of the people. There's a lot more than this too, I'm sure, but it's difficult to try and narrow down or consolidate one's thoughts on "Sorry to Bother You" because the film itself feels so sporadic and surreal. Despite that, here we go... While watching "Sorry to Bother You" I couldn't help but to come to concentrate on what Riley's thesis must have been for this piece. It is beyond evident that the guy has an objective and something to say that he wants to communicate in an effective and aesthetically pleasing way, but when you get down to it and clear away all these facets that give off this impression of being just batshit crazy what is it that Riley really wants to spark a conversation around? By the time the film came to an end it seemed it was this idea as phrased by a line in the movie that goes, "if you're shown a problem and have no idea how to solve it, you just get used to the problem" that really cuts to the heart of it all. Given where "Sorry to Bother You" goes and the actions that occur within this company run by Armie Hammer's coke-snorting maniac Steve Lift known as Worry Free Riley is posing that as crazy as what this corporation is doing seems if our society were to become conditioned to such expectations there wouldn't be a second thought given to it. This crazy ass evolution of the story could also be seen more metaphorically than as a literal way to say America is always sacrificing individuals and/or certain demographics for the sake of profit, but as the movie pretty much admits it seems it's meant to be that of a literal analysis. As much as "Sorry to Bother You" is about some heavy-handed topics and touts a plethora of big ideas it is also a movie that doesn't hit its audience over the head with just how important these issues are and how serious the audience should take them. Rather, "Sorry to Bother You" is as if a Paul Thomas Anderson film were flushed through a Spike Lee filter and then stitched together by someone like Charlie Kaufman which is to not only say that it's bonkers, but that it is a lot of fun and relentlessly engaging and-maybe most importantly-consistently funny. Lakeith Stanfield is fantastic as our protagonist Cassius Green (cash is green?) as he grounds this surreal reality he exists within in a way that allows we as audience members to have something to grasp onto as we're taken through this unpredictable bit of statement entertainment. Tessa Thompson is electric as Cassius' fiancée Detroit (her father wanted her to have a real American name) who gets her own storyline that mimics Cassius' in a way that doesn't completely alleviate her from her criticisms she tosses at Cassius as he moves up in the telemarketing realm. There is a contradiction of sorts to what Detroit preaches and what she wants to become, and Thompson must allow Detroit to skirt this line without allowing the character to become ironic and therefore someone to be laughed at. Terry Crews and Omari Hardwick are both strong in smaller, supporting roles and Hardwick is especially good at pulling off his natural swagger while still matching his body language with that of Patton Oswalt's dubbing for his character; or at least he does so in a more natural fashion than Stanfield is able to connect with David Cross' as Cassius is very much still himself for much of the movie without giving into the facade of his "white voice" whereas Hardwick's Mr. ________ has been fully enveloped. Steven Yeun is the face of this activism subplot and while his casting makes sense his character's arc as far as how he becomes entangled in Cassius' personal life feels unnecessary and a little tacked on whereas Cassius' friendship with Salvador (Jermaine Fowler) provides some of the best comedic moments in the film. Be warned, Fowler oozes a presence that will make him a huge comedy star one of these days. Danny Glover, Michael X. Sommers, and Kate Berlant also each show up and leave indelible impressions, but all are to help "Sorry to Bother You" leave the biggest impression possible. It does. There is no question this movie will leave you wanting to discuss it at length, but it also doesn't ever feel focused enough or at least not precise enough to deliver fully the impact it intends to through its methods of deranged diversions. The movie lives to upend your expectation in any way it can while delivering a comedy-coated homily on expectation versus reality and how if we alter one the other will inevitably follow. "Sorry to Bother You" addresses plenty of topics that don't get their day often enough, but it also attempts to say so much that it might ultimately be too much. Whatever Riley decides to do next I will be there for it.
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