Talk to Me Release Date: July 13, 2007 (limited; wider
release: Jul. 27; wide release: Aug. 3) Studio: Focus Features Director: Kasi
Lemmons Screenwriter: Michael Genet, Rick
Famuyiwa Starring: Cedric the Entertainer, Chiwetel
Ejiofor, Don Cheadle, Martin Sheen, Mike Epps, Taraji P. Henson, Vondie Curtis
Hall Genre: Drama MPAA Rating: R (for pervasive language and
some sexual content) Official Website: FocusFeatures.com/TalktoMe
video reviews by
sarah and carmen
place pointer over pic to read description
Plot Summary: 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.
Read
the full Visual Review here Read
the full Visual Review here
REVIEWS:
80% POSITIVE
Post your own views, info and thoughts.
— Comment here
Hugely entertaining
Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News
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.
Don Cheadle is an absolute gas
Jan Stuart
Newsday
Rescued from hagiography and cliche by tart writing and a spark-plug
star performance from Don Cheadle.
3 1/2 stars out of 5
Kyle Smith
New York Post
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.
Uplift without phoniness
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Talk to Me offers uplift without phoniness, history without undue
didacticism and a fair number of funny, dirty jokes.
VISUAL
HOLLYWOOD
Reviews that honor human value, worth
and dignity!
More Photos, Clips, Trailers, Notes, and
Interviews Plus: Unique Visual Reviews,
Video Reviews, and PowerPoint and
PDF downloads!
video reviews by
david bruce place
pointer over pic to read description