Raymond Lawrence Riley, aka Boots Riley, has had quite the illustrious career as a community organizer, activist, and hip-hop artist. His first major claim to fame was founding the hip-hop group The Coup, whose songs were very politically charged. Many of their albums tackled capitalism, politics, police brutality, racial issues, and even working at menial jobs. As time went on, Riley decided to transition from music to filmmaking, even directing some music videos for The Coup. Eventually, Riley started working on a screenplay based around his experiences working as a telemarketer in the Bay Area. Having finished it in 2012, he decided to generate some buzz around the screenplay by releasing a tie-in album. In 2014, Riley got invited to the Sundance Institute development labs to learn more about being a first-time writer/director. Cut to 2018, where his dream project, Sorry to Bother You, is released upon the world.
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Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield) is struggling to make ends meet between having no job and owing hundreds in rent. Luckily, he has the support of his artist girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson) and his friend Salvador (Jermaine Fowler). Things start to change for Cassius when he gets a job at a telemarketing firm, but he has no luck. He gets advice from an older coworker named Langston (Danny Glover) to use his “white voice” to fool the customers. With this, Cassius becomes an overnight success and eventually moves up the food chain and becomes a power caller. However, at the same time, his former coworkers, led by Squeeze (Steven Yeun) go on strike and demand better pay. As time goes on and things start spiraling out of control, Cassius finds himself torn between success and his morals. Once he learns what’s really happening, Cassius must make a decision.
I know I was somewhat vague on what exactly the plot of this movie was, but there’s a reason. There’s so much that happens in the movie, especially in the second half, that I really don’t want to spoil. This is a movie that’s best to go in blind because, believe me when I say, you will be surprised. This movie revels in its absurdity and has great social commentary, almost a cross between Office Space and Idiocracy. This being Boots Riley’s first film, he has great potential as a filmmaker and I’m excited for his next project. Lakeith Stanfield does a great job as Cassius Green, being instantly relatable and likable as someone wanting to succeed. He has a real vulnerability that shows throughout as he struggles between finding success and keeping his friends and morals. The rest of the cast also does a great job and compliment themselves.
If there are any issues with the film, it’s mostly just nitpicks and how others might respond to the movie. Given how weird and out there this is, I can see some audience members being put off by the absurdity. But if you’re willing to go along with it, you’ll find some great social satire and a fun ride. Much like Office Space, this movie shows how miserable and soul-crushing working at an office job can be. Also, like Idiocracy, there’s plenty of social satire that serves as a warning/commentary of the society we live in. But while comparable to other movies, this is still a very original film that stands on its own. Even if you’re not a fan of this movie, there will still be something here that will stick with you. Overall, Sorry to Bother You is a uniquely absurdist dark comedy that’s worth a watch.
