Talk to Me

I just had the opportunity to watch this movie at a very first preview in Los Angeles and therefore some things I've seen might be replaced. They told us, that this was the very first screening (the director and some actors were present, too) and they are still working on the final things.

However, I, as most of the audience did, enjoyed the movie very much. It has a great mixture of humor (especially the unbeatable Don Cheadle as Petey and his wife Vernell) combined with a very strong and breathtaking story of the time around the death of Martin Luther King Junior. Even if the story is really deep and not always funny, the director made it possible to view the life of Petey as a very special one, without losing the focus on his fascinating, humor-filled character.

Whenever this movie comes out: Go to the theaters and enjoy - I will definitely go again to laugh and think about this great, special guy! PS: Die spouse of the director, Vondie Curtis-Hall, has a (supporting) role as well, even if he is not listed in here (yet?) on IMDb.

Times are hard. It's the spring of 1967 and the tension culminated alongside the civil rights movement has not only reached its boiling point but is about to boil right over. When the movement's most prominent leader, Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated, his messages of brotherly love and non-violent approaches to change are forgotten. Riots erupted nationwide in over 60 cities as an immense collection of anger was expressed through unrest and displaced ferocity. In Washington D.C., the city was calmed in part by the voice of one man, a radio DJ by the name of Petey Greene. His morning call-in show was the kind of success that unified its listeners and polarized both their spirits and convictions. Petey prided himself on staying true to himself and speaking that truth no matter what the consequence. The people responded to his frank honesty with devotion and respect. So when he went back on the air to talk the people of Washington down off their ledges on the night of Dr. King's death, it was the trust that had already been established that soothed the fire in the souls; they healed together. After that night, Petey's career was never the same. TALK TO ME, the new film by Kasi Lemmons, tells Petey's inspiring story. Only it doesn't so much tell it as manipulate it into a conventional narrative about shared friendship and separate dreams designed for maximum emotional impact.

Petey Greene (Don Cheadle) is first discovered by Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor) as he broadcasts in prison. The two men are instantly placed in juxtaposition to each other in the context of the film. Petey may be in a literal prison but Dewey is in a prison of his own design. The two will need each other to break out and reach the heights of their potential but they must first get past their instinctual dislike for each other. From where Dewey stands, Petey is the kind of black man what gives everyone else a bad name by playing to type and giving into violent, illegal impulses. Meanwhile, from where Petey stands, Dewey has sold his soul to the white man, walking and talking like his white colleagues in an effort to hide his black skin as best he can. The irony is that they both feel that the other is doing a great disservice to the community and that they themselves are role models for the new black identity. Both actors give strong, commanding performances. Cheadle pushes his versatility further as the raucous button-pusher with a turn that is both volatile and reckless. On the other side of the glass, Ejiofor exhibits restraint and an internalized fire that gives his intentions away no matter how hard he tries to mask them. Both could be contenders come awards season if the words coming out of their mouths weren't so formulaic and plain.

While Lemmons may not have made TALK TO ME into the socially telling film it could have been, she does manage moments of insight, tension and brotherhood. Most of these moments are found in the broadcast booths and offices of real life R&B music station, WOL. Prior to getting a job at the station, Petey had grown comfortable speaking his mind to whoever would listen. Whoever would, would always be limited in number. When finally faced with his first time at the mic, expectations are high. After all, Petey has the pressure of being a natural and he's never had to perform for anyone but himself before. He's also never had to watch his tongue before, but he, along with the station owners, soon learns that in order for Petey to be Petey, he's got to just let the words flow. That said, he also learns that a powerful voice comes with responsibility so in order to continue having that voice in such a public and corporate forum, he can only push the line so far. After all, no matter real the station tries to keep it, the white suits who run the show and sign Petey' checks have sponsors to answer to.

It's a shame that a movie with such a funky soundtrack would be lacking in so much soul but TALK TO ME still manages to keep a solid enough groove to keep it alive. I just wish Lemmons had spent more time heeding Petey Greene's message, to keep it real because the truth is what people respond to above all else. Instead, the watered down reality of Petey's path to fame and examination of the relationships that got him there has been mangled and crammed into a pretty picture that the masses can enjoy. The story of a man who told it like it was is told here as politely as Hollywood will allow.

Petey Greene: I'll tell it to the hot, I'll tell it to the cold. I'll tell it to the young, I'll tell it to the old. I don't want no laughin', I don't want no cryin', and most of all, no signifyin'. This is Petey Greene's Washington.

What a fascinating person Petey Greene was. What an important person Petey Greene. Sure he might have just seemed like a sharp-witted loud-mouth smart-ass, but his courage to speak out against the racial injustices of the 60s broke ground for later radio disjockeys such as Howard Stern, Don Imus and a lot more. 'Talk to Me', Kasi Lemmon's latest feature chronicling the rise and fall of radio dis-jockey turned talk show host Petey Greene is flawed but moving.

The film's biggest problem lies in the writing. There's a few parts in the middle of the film that really drag. The dialogue is realistic and often quite funny. Kasi Lemmons directing is adequate, while the cast is sensational. Don Cheadle is hysterical and compelling all at the same time. He perfectly embodies Greene, doesn't create an over-the-top character but a man we can relate and sympathize with. The multi-talented Chitwel Ejofor (Kinky Boots, Children of Men) is just as good in a less showy role as Greene's manager, and Tarj P. Henson is amusing to say the least as Greene's girlfriend. Martin Sheen and Mike Epps are solid in their small roles, and Cedric the Entertainer is decent in a role that really doesn't require much acting range.

All in all, 'Talk to Me' is a powerful movie wrapped around an intriguing real-life story. Grade: B+

I was not sure what to think when I started watching Talk to Me. It gave off an interesting style, but I wasn't sure it would amount to anything. Maybe I was afraid it would depend too much on the black rights subject matter. Immediate impressions aside, I soon found myself immersed in the movie. I was completely inside by the time of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. From there until the end, I felt for the characters and enjoyed the ride. It reveals some things about our culture that other movies are afraid to show, but not in a manner where the whole movie depends on it.

The acting is phenomenal, especially from Don Cheadle as Petey Greene. He makes such a realistic, complex, radical-yet-modest radio talk show host. His emotions flow forth freely from the screen into the audience. Chiwetel Ejiofor also makes a notable appearance as Dewey Hughes, who becomes Greene's manager. The chemistry between these two main characters (and actors) is wonderful. The music editing is excellent and goes a long way to help put an emotional impact on viewers. There is plenty of comedy and equal amounts of tragedy. Towards the end, a point of reflection is achieved which sums up all the main ideas presented throughout the film. The plot itself has its ups and downs, but is ultimately satisfying.

Talk to Me has all the attributes necessary to be a great film. Its structure is original and successfully melds comedy, tragedy, and drama together. Highly recommended if you have the opportunity to see it.

"I'll tell it to the hot, I'll tell it to the cold. I'll tell it to the young, I'll tell it to the old. I don't want no laughin', I don't want no cryin', and most of all, no signifyin'. This is Petey Greene's Washington." Petey Greene

Petey Greene was as big in radio in the mid-to-late 60's as Howard Stern in the 90's only Greene was much more powerful an advocate for and influence over minorities that Stern ever even thought to be. Stern himself admits to Petey's groundbreaking DJ persona, speaking truthfully from the heart.

Talk to me smartly chronicles Greene's astounding rise to national prominence as a Washington, D.C. black advocate, whose only limitation dramatically is that in the end his career and life ended pathetically as a result of hubris and misunderstanding.

Don Cheadle as Petey and Chiwetel Ejiofor as his "Mr. Tibbs" manager, Dewey Hughes, are the acting team of the year, initially despising each other, needling each other to be more than they are, comforting each other in down times, and ultimately responsible for the major successes and failures of their lives. All this with barely a scene overplayed. Even after Martin Luther King's death, when Petey the ex-con DJ goes on the air to help mitigate the destructive revenge of blacks in D.C., Cheadle underplays effectively.

The limitation of Talk to Me is that the story has been told many times before, the typical rise and fall of a star, even though it may be true. In this case it is, and the last third of the film suffers from a clichéd depiction of Petey's degeneration and death, both of which are not half as interesting as his rise to stardom. That he struggled with alcohol his whole life, never became comfortable with stand up comedy or TV talk show hosting, and ominously coughed for cancer are not interesting parts of his life, albeit accurate and dominant in his decline.

However, his failure on his only appearance on the Tonight Show is a memorable caution about being something you are not, being forced into a role not meant for you.

Dieing in his early 50's from lung cancer is a sad denouement to a life that had been broadcasting iconic when he simply told it the way it was from a little studio that let him speak effectively to his people about rights and pride. Over 10,000 attended his funeral in D.C., more than any non-elected person in the city's history. Petey would have been proud.