Sorry To Bother You has been one of the hardest films to get a hold of. Though released in July 2018, it didn't get to the UK until December, and even then, in a reduced number of cinemas - I found only one cinema showing it within the two cities I regularly commute between, and that cinema only showed it a grand total of three times, all on working days. When the film finally became available for rental, I was surprised amazon didn't first require me to defeat the dreaded Lord Zanzabax, bring them the Wizard's Orb, and summon the power to unlock the blessed DVD case of Horestria. We need a better system for movie releases. Fortunately, the film was worth the wait.
During the first 45 minutes or so of Sorry to Bother You, my prevailing thought was "so this is it?" The film feels a tad too mumblecore in the opening; a bit too talky, a bit too dependent on the same two locations (drab office and a local bar), and its protagonist - the mild mannered Cassius - didn't seem like enough of a presence to disguise any of this. On top of that, in spite of some quirky visuals and gags, the skeleton of the plot was visible and all too familiar; Cassius starts a job in a telemarketing company in a dystopian vision of modern America, and whilst his colleagues want to unionise, his talent for the job (specifically, for talking in an immaculately "white" voice) gives him a unique chance to leap to the top of the corporate hierarchy; will he choose self interest over personal values? Money over friends?
By the second hour, Sorry to Bother You finds its footing. It gets funnier and far more arresting once we are introduced to the actual guys in charge and their insane scheme. The film ceases to be the boring question of whether Cassius will look out for the little guy, and turns into a kind of Us/Get Out style conspiracy horror - albeit a very silly one. The comparison is more apt considering it shares some of the same actors, and the racial and class subtext, and if you enjoyed either of those two movies you'll get a lot out of I'm Sorry to Bother You. Also, as with those two movies, I have to limit what I say for the benefit of a twist that wholly redeems any weakness of the movie. Go watch it! The chances are, you weren't able to before.
Like Goddamn Gold Dust
Sorry To Bother You has been one of the hardest films to get a hold of. Though released in July 2018, it didn't get to the UK until December, and even then, in a reduced number of cinemas - I found only one cinema showing it within the two cities I regularly commute between, and that cinema only showed it a grand total of three times, all on working days. When the film finally became available for rental, I was surprised amazon didn't first require me to defeat the dreaded Lord Zanzabax, bring them the Wizard's Orb, and summon the power to unlock the blessed DVD case of Horestria. We need a better system for movie releases. Fortunately, the film was worth the wait.
During the first 45 minutes or so of Sorry to Bother You, my prevailing thought was "so this is it?" The film feels a tad too mumblecore in the opening; a bit too talky, a bit too dependent on the same two locations (drab office and a local bar), and its protagonist - the mild mannered Cassius - didn't seem like enough of a presence to disguise any of this. On top of that, in spite of some quirky visuals and gags, the skeleton of the plot was visible and all too familiar; Cassius starts a job in a telemarketing company in a dystopian vision of modern America, and whilst his colleagues want to unionise, his talent for the job (specifically, for talking in an immaculately "white" voice) gives him a unique chance to leap to the top of the corporate hierarchy; will he choose self interest over personal values? Money over friends?
By the second hour, Sorry to Bother You finds its footing. It gets funnier and far more arresting once we are introduced to the actual guys in charge and their insane scheme. The film ceases to be the boring question of whether Cassius will look out for the little guy, and turns into a kind of Us/Get Out style conspiracy horror - albeit a very silly one. The comparison is more apt considering it shares some of the same actors, and the racial and class subtext, and if you enjoyed either of those two movies you'll get a lot out of I'm Sorry to Bother You. Also, as with those two movies, I have to limit what I say for the benefit of a twist that wholly redeems any weakness of the movie. Go watch it! The chances are, you weren't able to before.