Sorry to Bother You (2018) 

Thanks to movies like Get Out and Judas and the Black Messiah, I have become very aware of LaKeith Stanfield and his amazing acting. I always love seeing him pop up in whatever media I’m currently watching. For that reason, along with a verbal recommendation from my sister, Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You has been digitally collecting dust on my watchlist for quite some time, and now, thanks to the shuffle feature on my watchlist, I have an obligation to finally sit down and watch this movie. 

I went into this viewing with a bar already set relatively high. I’ve already mentioned LaKieth Stanfield and my sister’s recommendation, but the fact that my sister kept from spoiling every major story element still left me intrigued, but even more curious as to the reason behind so many positive reviews. To retain this same goal, this is a spoiler-free review of Sorry to Bother You, as I highly recommend a raw viewing experience for one’s full enjoyment. 

A ton of the enjoyment that comes from watching this movie without any prior knowledge is seeing just how original this film is. From the concept to the writing to the execution to whatever Armie Hammer was doing, everything was all so refreshing. This can be an issue for other films, but in this one, its originality constantly had me invested in the plot and in the characters. 

Speaking of characters, I should probably touch on the man I used as an opening to this article, LaKeith Stanfield. While everyone gives great performances, it’s Stanfield as the lead, Cassius “Cash” Green, that really shows how talented he is. He does an excellent job of adding to the style of this film while also giving the audience another powerful performance. Everything from the serious to the more comedic moments were acted to perfection. 

Throughout the film’s runtime, I could only find one major gripe with it. While Boots Riley is does an absolute beautiful job on his directorial debut, there are a few very noticeable hiccups along the way. There are a few little moments, like fades or shots that change the focus around, that felt a little distracting, and while I’ve seen a few complaints concerning the ADR, I thought it was an effectively used technique, even if it could have been improved on. That specific area doesn’t affect my review. The only area that does are those other small moments that show a few bumps a first-time director ran into.  

Again, I don’t see these as detrimental to the film. It’s still a fresh experience and, when combined with all the amazing performances, will become a film that many people will be enjoying for a long time. 

4.5 out of 5 stars