Sorry To Bother You (2018)

Sorry To Bother You

  If you've ever wanted to know what an acid trip feels like, just watch this movie.
  Sorry To Bother You is a film by first-time filmmaker, Boots Riley, about a telemarketer named Cassisus who is trying to make it in Oakland. As Cassisus works his way up the ladder at the company, he realizes that this job isn't as innocent as it seems and that in order to get where he needs to be, he must essentially sell his soul.
  It's been an odd few years for film as art house is becoming more popular and surrealism is becoming more commercialized with films such as Get Out or Mother!. Films like these are polarizing because they are so weird and so out there, that people will either love them and love figuring them out, or they will hate them and consider them pretentious trash. Usually I'm pretty good at figuring where I stand after watching films, but there have been exceptions. Swiss Army Man was one of them, A Ghost Story was another, and Sorry To Bother You has made the list.
  What's so odd about these films is that you can't exactly figure out why certain things work and why certain things don't. Everything is so absurd and self-aware of its own absurdity. I found Sorry To Bother You to be quite a mixed bag in a lot of ways.
  It's strengths were in it's humor and the likeability of its lead character played by Lakeith Stanfield. The satire was sharp and had this "Key and Peele on steroids" type vibe to it. It was bold, and unapologetic in it's approach to making it's points and elaborating on it's themes through comedy.
  I also loved how you never really know where the film is going or where the characters are going to end up. You're just thrown onto this wild, meta, and entertaining ride.
  I was with the film for the first two acts, although the second did seem to lose direction for a minute and drag. However, it was the third act that through me for a loop and left me wondering what on earth I was watching. The plot twist will either make or break it for the audience and for me it kind of broke it. I understand what it was trying to do, and I respect it, but it also cheapened the rest of the film in my opinion.
  Sorry To Bother You deals with really big ideas, but it never tells you what to think or explains them. Some people will like this, others will find it frustrating. For me, I was really glad I watched it because it was such a unique experience, but not exactly sure I would want to experience it again. 6 out of 10 stars (Worth Ticket Price)