Don Cheadle has elevated yet another film: Talk to Me is better than it intends to be. But thank Ejiofor as well.
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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Reviews for Talk to Me
In Talk to Me, director Kasi Lemmons has expertly crafted an uplifting civil rights–era biopic free of false hope and cloying nostalgia.
Talk to Me is more than enough fun as a showcase for Mr. Cheadle's wit and spontaneity and as an inside look at the airwaves' transition from warm and fuzzy comforter to the anything-goes entertainment of today.
The movie also presents '60s turbulence from a black point of view, which is not only bracing but also feels closer to the point of it all.
No matter the tonal peaks and valleys, Talk to Me brings Greene's attitude to the big screen with confidence, led by Cheadle's amazing performance.
What I'm hoping flies under the radar is the unexpected and disappointing transformation of Kasi Lemmons, whose previous pitch-black, haunted sensibility barely makes an appearance in her highest-profile film.
When Don Cheadle stands front and centre, he does special things onscreen, and he makes Talk to Me most worthwhile, despite Kasi Lemmons' unsteady directorial hand.
Brilliant, alcoholic and self-destructive, Greene is the fascinating subject of Kasi Lemmons's funky, R&B-driven biopic -- a vital entertainment that struts confidently between comedy and drama.
In spite of Cheadle's forceful performance, the watered down script fails to capture the rawness and polemic logic of a groundbreaking social commentator who spoke truth power on a daily basis.
As good as Cheadle and Elijofor are, the person I enjoyed most was Taraji P. Henson whose flamboyant performance dominates every scene in which she appears.
Veering from comedy to moving tragedy to a bittersweet ending, TALK TO ME captures the spirit of a man and the times in which he lived. It may not be a masterpiece, but it's pretty damned close.
[Cheadle] brings warmth, humor, and vulnerability to a role that could easily have been a Good Morning, Vietnam-level blunder.
Greene may have known his ceiling; thankfully, Cheadle recognizes no such boundaries. The man just keeps exploring the outer limits of his talent.
About halfway through the movie, it changes direction, becoming less a biographical drama about Petey than a maudlin buddy movie about his relationship with Dewey.
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
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