"Politics and silliness are supposed to be enemies. In fact, the way the alt-right rose by its hiding its true hatefulness beneath a veneer of irony and politically incorrect humor has soured some people on the whole idea of comedy.
"Boots Riley’s Sorry To Bother You reminds us that satire can bring politics and entertainment together with truly radical results. The debut film by the rapper who masterminded the Coup, who recorded six albums from 1993 to 2012 and released a seventh as this film’s soundtrack, it suggests a shotgun marriage among Mike Judge, Spike Lee, Michel Gondry (who gets an explicit homage onscreen in the form of a video directed by 'Michel Dongry'), and the TV show Atlanta. Riley himself has cited Lindsay Anderson’s O Lucky Man and Paul Schrader’s Blue Collar as influences.
Riley’s lyrics for the Coup took continual aim at corporate power ('5 Million Ways To Kill A CEO'), gentrification ('Fat Cats And Bigga Fish'), faux liberals ('You Are Not A Riot'), and double standards in race and class ('Your Parents’ Cocaine,' which gets played during this film) while having the sarcastic wit to name two of the Coup’s albums 'Genocide & Juice' and 'Steal This Album.' Unfortunately, the group had the bad luck to sign to three record labels that went out of business in a row, and they were long better known in the media for the fact that the original artwork for their 2001 album 'Party Music' predicted the World Trade Center’s destruction and had to be changed quickly than for their music. Riley’s debut as a filmmaker brought him more attention and even commercial success than the Coup.
“Sorry To Bother You plows through a long list of topical subjects: the necessity of unions, the fact that well-paying full-time labor has mostly dried up in the US, racist expectations that require constant code switching from middle-class blacks. But the film ultimately comes off as a trippy lark as well. Instead of preaching, Riley is interested in spinning his ideas into further weirdness.
“Sorry To Bother You spends its last third twisting itself into one odd metaphor after another about capitalism and the damage America’s classism and racism wreaks. If it starts to lose its footing in the final 20 minutes and goes from being laser-guided and consistently entertaining to gratuitously odd, it still feels far more together than superficially similar cult films like Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales. Alex Cox’s Repo Man became a hit among ‘80s punks for offering the same basic sensibility and politics. Here’s the equivalent for a new generation." ~ Steven Erickson
This year's "nominees:"
Elsie Fisher - Eighth Grade
Helena Howard - Madeline's Madeline
Lady Gaga - A Star Is Born
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie - Leave No Trace
Boots Riley - Sorry to Bother You
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