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Talk to Me

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Talk to Me (2007)

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Reviews Counted:119

Fresh:96

Rotten:23

Average Rating:6.9/10

Consensus: A riveting look at the life of legendary DJ "Petey" Greene, Talk to Me goes beyond the typical biopic with explosive performances from Don Cheadle and Chiwetal Ejiofor.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for pervasive language and some sexual content

Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Jul 13, 2007 Limited

Box Office: $4,436,352

Synopsis: Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle portrays the one and only Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr.; Petey's story is funny, dramatic, inspiring – and real. In the mid-to-late 1960s, in Washington, D.C.,... Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle portrays the one and only Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr.; Petey's story is funny, dramatic, inspiring – and real. In the mid-to-late 1960s, in Washington, D.C., vibrant soul music and exploding social consciousness were combining to unique and powerful effect. It was the place and time for Petey to fully express himself – sometimes to outrageous effect – and "tell it like it is." With the support of his irrepressible and tempestuous girlfriend Vernell (Taraji P. Henson), the newly minted ex-con talks his way into an on-air radio gig. He forges a friendship and a partnership with fellow prison inmate Milo's (Mike Epps) brother Dewey Hughes (double Golden Globe Award nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor). From the first wild morning on the air, Petey relies on the more straight-laced Dewey to run interference at WOL-AM, where Dewey is the program director. At the station, Petey becomes an iconic radio personality, surpassing even the established popularity of his fellow disc jockeys, Nighthawk (Cedric The Entertainer) and Sunny Jim (Vondie Curtis Hall). Combining biting humor with social commentary, Petey openly courts controversy for station owner E.G. Sonderling (Emmy Award winner Martin Sheen). Petey was determined to make not just himself but his community heard during an exciting and turbulent period in American history. As Petey's voice, humor, and spirit surge across the airwaves with the vitality of the era, listeners tune in to hear not only incredible music but also a man speaking directly to them about race and power in America like few people ever have. Through the years, Petey's "The truth just is" style --- on – and off-air – would redefine both Petey and Dewey, and empower each to become the man he would most like to be. -- © Focus Feature [More]

Starring: Don Cheadle, Chjwetel Ejiofor, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson

Starring: Don Cheadle, Chjwetel Ejiofor, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson, Mike Epps, Martin Sheen, Vondie Curtis Hall

Director: Kasi Lemmons

Director: Kasi Lemmons
Screenwriter: Michael Genet, Rick Famuyiwa
Story: Michael Genet
Producer: Mark Gordon, Sidney Kimmel, Joe Fries, Josh McLaughlin
Composer: Terence Blanchard
Studio: Focus Features

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Release:

Aug 16, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Talk to Me

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
N/R

Tom Meek

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 23 2009 03:16 AM

Boston Phoenix

tomato
2.5/5

Tony Macklin

Talk to Me is an incisive portrait of a provocative figure. It comes very close to caricature, but remains human and lively.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 02 2009 08:19 AM

Fayetteville Free Weekly

N/R

Bob Mondello

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 18 2008 08:01 AM

NPR.org

tomato

Tim Basham

Just as she did in Hustle and Flow, Taraji P. Henson steals many a scene and is wonderful as Greene's flamboyant girlfriend.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 22 2008 09:20 AM

Paste Magazine

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 22 2008 03:15 AM

Sydney Morning Herald

tomato

Urban Cinefile Critics

Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor make a terrific duo, first as enemies, then as colleagues and finally as partners %u2013 until the partnership self destructs.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 14 2008 09:13 PM

Urban Cinefile

tomato
7/10

Stephen Himes

Even Martin Sheen is keepin' it real.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 11 2007 02:38 PM

Film Snobs

tomato
B

Robert Roten

A good movie about a powerful friendship, and it brings a bygone era back to life.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 10 2007 11:58 AM

Laramie Movie Scope

tomato
3/4

Frank Ochieng

Hysterically potent, thought-provoking and deliciously nostalgic. Overall, the proposed chatter is warranted in the movingly impish Talk to Me.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 06 2007 05:06 PM

TheWorldJournal.com

tomato
3.5/4

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Ejiofor and Cheadle are a force to be reckoned with...

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 01 2007 01:37 AM

Cinema Crazed

splat
C

Dennis Schwartz

This straightforward schematic biopic never talks to me.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 28 2007 11:50 PM

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

splat
2/5

Derek Malcolm

A stronger screenplay and more sensitive direction would have made this movie into something far more genuinely uplifting than it is.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 23 2007 09:55 AM

This is London

splat
2/5

Peter Bradshaw

The movie is decent enough, but contains Greene's story in a sentimentalised career arc.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 23 2007 09:43 AM

Guardian [UK]

tomato
3/5

This biopic of Greene, a DJ most Brits will not know, has a limited appeal.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 23 2007 08:28 AM

Sun Online

tomato
4/5

Poignant and often very funny, Cheadle deserves a clutch of prizes come awards season.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 23 2007 05:40 AM

Daily Mirror [UK]

tomato
3/5

Neil Smith

If the picture doesn’t ultimately live up to the raw vitality of Cheadle’s performance, it remains an uplifting snapshot that broadcasts its message with zero distortion. Tune in and you won’t be turned off.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 23 2007 04:38 AM

Total Film

tomato
3/5

Paul Arendt

A traditionally handsome biopic bursting with 1960s period detail and firecracker performances, Talk To Me tackles one of the most volatile periods in American history, but tragically finds nothing interesting to say about it.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 23 2007 03:52 AM

BBC

tomato
3/5

Ruth Ford

The incendiary soundtrack and committed performances keep the film in its groove, which could give Cheadle another well-deserved shot at an Oscar.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 23 2007 03:05 AM

Sky Movies

tomato
3/6

Jonathan Crocker

Thanks to its two leads, the film remains vivid, honest and deeply felt.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 22 2007 04:59 AM

Time Out

tomato
3/5

Helen OHara

There’s terrific chemistry between the leads, but an episodic structure set over 20 years is too sprawling to really allow for a connection.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 21 2007 07:41 AM

Empire Magazine

 
 
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