Sorry to Bother You

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2:05

Sorry to Bother You

R

Released Jul 13, 2018

1h 45m

Comedy

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

310 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In an alternate reality of present-day Oakland, Calif., telemarketer Cassius Green finds himself in a macabre universe after he discovers a magical key that leads to material glory. As Green's career begins to take off, his friends and co-workers organize a protest against corporate oppression. Cassius soon falls under the spell of Steve Lift, a cocaine-snorting CEO who offers him a salary beyond his wildest dreams.

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Critics Consensus

Fearlessly ambitious, scathingly funny, and thoroughly original, Sorry to Bother You loudly heralds the arrival of a fresh filmmaking talent in writer-director Boots Riley.

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Hannah Giorgis

The Atlantic

Sorry to Bother You is as much a character-driven story about the gentrification of Oakland -- and the Bay Area writ large -- as it is an absurdist anti-capitalist fable.

Sep 10, 2019

Full Review

Jourdain Searles

Bitch Media

A hilarious, intelligent, and socially relevant satire of American business and capitalism, and hands-down one of the best films of 2018.

Feb 5, 2019

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Simon Childs

New Statesman

While Sorry to Bother You is off-the-wall and hilariously bizarre, its message is firmly grounded in the recognisable injustice of a system whose decadence is seeing it teetering on the edge of collapse.

Dec 20, 2018

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Calum Cooper

Source (Scotland)

The concept is brilliant and the characters, both benign and despicable, are a lot of fun to be around. The colour palette is lustrous, the dialogue is enthusiastically snappy, and the comedy is consistently effective.

Jul 14, 2024

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Kate Boyle

InSession Film

It's a brilliant mix of humor and shocking plot twists.

Jul 8, 2024

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M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

Stanfield’s talent is undeniable; a method actor at heart and now should become a household name.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 16, 2022

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Courtney K

idk... i just didn't think it was that good.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/10/25

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Kevin P

A very funny, original, creative, bizarre, and insightful dark comedy that feels ahead of its time with its sharp political satire on modern late-stage capitalism while being filled to the brim with fast-paced shitpost-tier comedy set pieces. The hard turns this movie takes with the plot caught me so off-guard and truly made me excited to see where the hell this was all going. I could never in a million years predict how this movie ended. But upon rewatch, the movie still holds up and still feels thematically cohesive. This is all supported by the film’s excellent direction, acting, cinematography, lighting, and soundtrack. It’s an underrated modern classic and easily one of my favorite modern comedies that has aged like fine wine.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

Full Review

Hank T

The film tries too hard, and comes off as rather slapstick. In truly funny films you don't see the "funny" coming from a mile away

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/04/24

Full Review

Matt

Movie tries to prove a point but really not a movie at all. Just another satire movie that tries to hard making it a hard watch.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/28/24

Full Review

Audience Member

If you're Jonesing for some Darius from Atlanta, LaKeith Stanfield's got your fix (all.night.long)

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/05/24

Full Review

Robert M

One of those movies that critics probably love but regular movie watchers won’t. It’s like 5% comedy and 95% social commentary - which is not really original or thoughtfully interwoven with a decent plot. Comes across as tedious at best and cringey at its worst

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/13/24

Full Review

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Boots Riley

Director

LaKeith Stanfield

Cassius Green

Tessa Thompson

Detroit

Jermaine Fowler

Salvador

Omari Hardwick

Mr. Blank

Terry Crews

Sergio

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Sorry to Bother You: Exclusive Interview

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Sorry to Bother You: Red Band Trailer 1

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Sorry to Bother You: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In an alternate reality of present-day Oakland, Calif., telemarketer Cassius Green finds himself in a macabre universe after he discovers a magical key that leads to material glory. As Green's career begins to take off, his friends and co-workers organize a protest against corporate oppression. Cassius soon falls under the spell of Steve Lift, a cocaine-snorting CEO who offers him a salary beyond his wildest dreams.

Director: Boots Riley
Producer: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Charles D. King, George Rush, Jonathan Duffy, Kelly Williams
Screenwriter: Boots Riley
Distributor: Annapurna Pictures
Production Co: Significant Prods.
Rating: R (Graphic Nudity|Drug Use|Pervasive Language|Some Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 13, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 9, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.5M
Runtime: 1h 45m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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