It starts out breathlessly funny, fast-paced, and energetic before ultimately settling in to a standard biopic formula that's not nearly as compelling.
Talk to Me (2007)
Tomatometer
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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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Reviews for Talk to Me
(N)o matter the factual flaws here, Talk to Me generates so much period appropriate juice and evocative energy that you can't help but feel caught up in the events transpiring before your eyes.
Its dialogue, equal parts uptight honky and jumping jive seems, particularly in the early stretches, to have been generated by a computer.
Cheadle and Ejiofor are riveting together; they have the kind of apparently effortless chemistry that makes every scene they share a delight.
The characters are brought to vivid life with remarkably compelling performances by two of the screen's most versatile actors: Don Cheadle as the freewheeling Greene; and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Hughes, the aggressively ambitious executive.
As Lemmons effortlessly makes her film both a colorful tour of the turbulent '60s and a delicately paced character study, the men emerge as two halves of a whole; often in disagreement, always brothers.
Cheadle makes all these things believable within the same person while showing how being pulled in several directions wears on Petey.
Cheadle gives a performance of contained cool and bluff bravado, suggesting barely a hint of the rage you would expect from a man just out of a nine-year prison sentence.
A vibrant feel for its era and a genuine affection for its characters make the whole thing a solid evocation of a time and a life worth remembering.
Too bad the storytelling, which is somewhat disjointed, isn't as good as the rest of the deal -- but Don Cheadle is so good at what he does you probably won't even notice.
The problem is, the last section of the movie doesn't follow the career path of Greene: It traces the blander character of Hughes.
[A] well-acted film about making the move from the street to the mainstream.
he mood shifts awkwardly from broad comedy to melodrama and social commentary.
Cheadle convincingly layers his outrageousness with off-the-air pain and pathos.
Lemmons, her extraordinary cast and gifted crew deliver laughing, crying and plenty of signifying.
Through the persons of Petey and Dewey, 'Talk to Me' examines two competing approaches by which a black man might achieve success in a white man's world.
Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor are two of the best actors of my generation working today, period.
The biggest problem with Kasi Lemmons' biopic "Talk to Me" is whether it wants to be a comedy or a drama.
Latest News for Talk to Me
October 30, 2007:
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October 28, 2007:
51st London Film Festival - RT's Highlights
It's that time of year when the film world's biggest and brightest descend on London and show some Oscar hopefuls nice and early. RT has been spending time eyeing up the films... More...
October 26, 2007:
CameraCinemas.com: The film captures the euphoric and daring, rebel music drenched energy that fueled radio culture back then, while also tuning in to the organic intensity of the times. ![]()
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August 02, 2007:
Bourne Is Certified Fresh; Hot Rod Hits the Skids; Bratz is Grade-Z; El Cantante Hits A Flat Note
This week at the movies, we got amnesiac spies (The Bourne Ultimatum, starring Matt Damon and Julia Stiles), loser daredevils (Hot Rod, with Andy Samberg and Isla Fisher), salsa... More...
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