Sorry to Bother You

“Sorry to Bother You” looked like an interesting and entertaining premise. A young black man gets a job as a telemarketer and becomes wildly successful when he uses his “white” voice. The usual happens; he changes when he starts to make money. Most of these things happen in the first half of the movie and they are funny, but there is a weird subtext to everything as a huge company is constantly advertised on T.V., billboards and everywhere the characters go. The second half of the movie is actually quite disturbing. It’s not the usual selling out story; it’s the ultimate selling out story. The huge corporation has a plan to exploit its workers in a very unusual and grotesque way. This is when the film falls apart. Instead of being an innovative comedy it becomes a surreal horror story. It is as if the filmmakers are trying to come up with a new “Get Out!” and they fail miserably. The best part of the film is the cast, especially the lead, Lakeith Stanfield. He plays the part as an innocent who is mesmerized by all that is happening to him. I do not recommend this film at all.