Year Released: 2007 Directed By: Kasi Lemmons Starring: Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mike Epps, Taraji P. Henson, Cedric the Entertainer, Martin Sheen, Vondie Curtis-Hall (R, 118 min.)
Don Cheadle rarely disappoints. Endearing and chameleonlike, he embraces his performances (Ocean’s Eleven-Thirteen, Hotel Rwanda) with a mixture of comedy and pathos that always leaves us wanting more. So, it’s not surprising to see him take on yet another full transformation as the down-and-dirty radio deejay Petey Greene, who emerged from prison to develop a huge following in Washington, D.C., during the late Sixties and Seventies. With his wild appearance and scratchy cadence, Cheadle embraces the role – body, mind, and voice. The story begins with Petey incarcerated, entrancing his fellow inmates on the prison radio. After getting released in 1966, Petey is determined to get a job as a professional deejay. The wonderful Ejiofor (Children of Men) plays Dewey Hughes, the only black man with a position of power at WOL-AM, a station employing almost exclusively black deejays and targeting a black audience. Conservative and soft-spoken, Dewey is the ying to Petey’s yang. After outrageous protestations, Petey eventually convinces the resistant Dewey to put him on the radio. They form a quick bond and conspire against the ultra-conservative station manager (Sheen) to sneak Petey on the air. As Petey stirs it up and voices what most people are afraid to think, the reactions are electric. Given a morning talk show, Petey opens with “Wake up, goddammit!” and signs off with his signature, “This is Petey Greene's Washington.” The pressures of success lead to indulgences with alcohol and women, much to the frustration of his girlfriend (the amazing Henson of Hustle & Flow). Meanwhile, Dewey takes on the role of Petey’s manager and attempts to guide his career (against Petey’s wishes) toward television and stand-up comedy. Despite its earnest attempts at power drama, the joy of Talk to Me lies in the comedy and the wild performances, particularly those of Cheadle and Henson. The plotline, consisting of the rise to fame, inevitable descent, and even more inevitable redemption, is somewhat tired. But director Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou) has a clear passion for the story that reveals itself in evocative representations of the time and place. During a particularly powerful sequence, Petey helps to calm the riotous people of D.C. after Martin Luther King Jr.’s death. And the music that erupts from the deejay booth is a character all its own. From James Brown to Sam Cooke, the songs set a mood that lingers for some time after.
Antichrist Lars von Trier lives to affront again. Chaos, indeed, reigns. - Marc Savlov The Blind Side John Lee Hancock, director of The Rookie, scores with another sports drama, this time concerning a true football story. - Kimberley Jones Fantastic Mr. Fox Opens Wednesday. - Marjorie Baumgarten The Messenger Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster play two members of the military's casualty notification team, which delivers bad news to soldiers' next of kin. - Marjorie Baumgarten Ninja Assassin Opens Wednesday. - Marjorie Baumgarten Old Dogs Opens Wednesday. - Marjorie Baumgarten Planet 51 In a switcheroo, animated aliens fear the human in their midst. - Marc Savlov Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire Much like the title character Precious, this rough-hewn movie overcomes the unlikely odds for its success. - Marjorie Baumgarten The Road Opens Wednesday. - Marjorie Baumgarten The Twilight Saga: New Moon Edward and Bella are back for more thwarted young vampiric love. - Marjorie Baumgarten Until the Light Takes Us This music documentary chronicles the history, ideology, and aesthetic of Norwegian black metal. - Raoul Hernandez
