Sorry to Bother You (2018)

Sorry to Bother You (2018) is a wildly original, genre-bending satire set in an alternate present-day Oakland. It follows Cassius “Cash” Green, a struggling telemarketer who discovers that using a deliberately cultivated “white voice” turns him into a sales phenom. As Cash rises from the call center floor to the elite ranks of “Power Callers,” he’s pulled deeper into a corporate world of obscene wealth, racialized performance, and escalating moral compromise. What begins as sharp, often hilarious social comedy — riffing on race, labor, and late-stage capitalism — steadily turns stranger and darker. Director Boots Riley mixes biting dialogue and stinging political critique with surreal visuals and shocking plot turns (including a grotesque corporate experiment), so the film alternates between laugh-out-loud absurdity and unsettling, thought‑provoking outrage. The performances, led by Lakeith Stanfield, are energetic and committed, and the kinetic editing, bold production design, and eclectic soundtrack keep the momentum urgent and disorienting. If you watch this film you’ll experience a roller-coaster of tones: witty and satirical one moment, bizarre and surreal the next, with real emotional stakes as Cash’s relationships and conscience fray. It’s provocative and confrontational — entertaining and uncomfortable in equal measure — designed to make you laugh, squirm, and think long after the finale. Ideal for viewers who like their comedies with a sharp political edge and a taste for inventive, boundary-pushing storytelling.

Actors: LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler

Director: Boots Riley

Runtime: 112 min

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

6.0 /10 78 /100 6.9 /10 6.9 /10