Sorry to Bother You

Last night I went to my second independent film in as many nights, the absolutely hysterical Sorry to Bother You.  It is full of scathing social commentary but, if you are willing to suspend your disbelief, it is a wild and wacky ride that will keep you laughing from beginning to end as well as make you think.  In a dystopian future Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield) is a young man living in Oakland who longs to make something of himself.  He gets a job as a telemarketer and soon becomes one of the company's best callers just as his fellow co-workers begin a strike for better wages and benefits.  He decides to cross the picket lines to take a promotion but soon discovers that he is promoting a company called Worry Free which has questionable practices.  Because he likes his new lifestyle he continues despite the protests of his girlfriend (Tessa Thompson) and co-workers (Steven Yeun and Jermaine Fowler) until he meets the eccentric CEO of Worry Free (a hilarious Armie Hammer).  This movie has a lot to say about identity, selling out, exploitation, and corporate greed but it never feels heavy-handed because it is a comedy of the absurd with a third act that will either work or not work for audiences.  It worked for me and most of the other members of the audience (another packed screening for an independent film!).  The visual style is surreal and I especially loved the scenes where Cassius is transported to the homes of the people he calls (these calls always seem to happen at an inconvenient time) and when his apartment is transformed in front of our eyes as he makes more and more money.  There is a really funny subplot involving a reality show called "I Got The S*@# Kicked Out Of Me" which has an interesting message about the pleasure we take in seeing the misfortunes of others and another one involving someone becoming famous after a video goes viral which is an interesting commentary on the nature of celebrity.  Stanfield is fantastic as is Thompson and the aforementioned Hammer.  This film is quite irreverent with a lot of profanity but it is one of the funniest and most original films I've seen in a long time!