In the 1960s and ‘70s, Petey Greene (Don Cheadle of Hotel Rwanda, and Reign over Me) got everybody talking, as a “tell it like it is” radio DJ in Washington, D.C. You may have never heard of him but he was so popular in the D.C. area, that when he died more than 10,000 people came to his memorial service. Petey was funny, inspiring and a fierce community activist. He was, at times, also over the top with his self-destructive behavior. He was an ex con man, and Cheadle’s portrayal is right on target. The “git down” Petey you hear and see on-screen, by all accounts is Petey Greene as he was, unlike the shock jock posers of today.  

It was the era when classic soul music was being made at the same time the social fabric of the country was changing because of the Viet Nam War and the Civil Rights movement.
 

When Petey cons his way into an early parole, he looks up Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejofor of Dirty Pretty Things, Children of Men, and HBOs Tsunami: The Aftermath), the brother of a fellow inmate, and someone who had cracked to Petey to come and see him about a job when he got out. Dewey is program director at WOL-AM, a popular urban radio station geared to black music that sees its audience slipping away to edgier DJs.

Dewey is a button-down type, in charge of hiring, and on his way to the top at the station owned by E.G. Sonderling (Martin Sheen). How Petey fast talks his way onto the air for the first time, with Dewey’s help, is funny but it also offers a critical look at how people stereotype one another.

Petey was able to keep it real in prison, and now on the outside, in part because of his sexy girlfriend Vernell (Taraji P. Henson of Hustle of Flow). Now he’s able to connect with the radio audience, not just because he plays good music but he’s always up front with his on air persona.

Petey pulls no punches with his biting social commentary and his invitation to listeners to call him with their thoughts. “Talk to me,” he tells them.

The film’s mix of hilarious circumstances still manages to keep one grounded, even with the events surrounding the death of Martin Luther King Jr. and the impact of the Viet Nam war (with not too subtle connections to Iraq).

Substance abuse and dreams of being on top of the world are the things that limit what Petey and Dewey can do together. If this story were not true, this would be a spoiler. You know things will crash, just not when, and to what extent the damage will be.

Petey’s popularity eventually surpasses that of his fellow star disc jockeys, Nighthawk (Cedric The Entertainer of Charlotte's Web) and Sunny Jim (Vondie Curtis Hall).

We’ve seen excellent biopics in the past about American black men such as Ali and Ray. There are, however, a few notable differences between this film and those pictures. They were internationally known as entertainers by both the public and themselves. Both Petey and Dewey were tough guys but we get a glimpse of that inner self that men generally regard as weakness. That is, love and respect for another man without any homosexual overtones. Talk to Me digs deep in this area.

Director Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou and The Caveman’s Valentine) captures the flavor of Melvin Van Peebles’ How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass (2003), which was an update on the 1971 classic Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. Michael Genet (Spike Lee’s She Hate Me, and who is Dewey Hughes’ son) and Rick Famuyiwa (The Wood) co-wrote the screenplay. 

Take all of the above, add in the great music from the late ‘60s, with a sultry score by Terrence Blanchard, some biting, sarcastic humor about Motown, and you have a movie that is not to be missed. Talk to Me tells quite a story about this slice of American culture. 

If I Didn't Care

This Hitchcockian film noir tells the story of Davis (Bill Sage), a philandering husband with a wealthy wife named Janice (Noelle Beck), who’s an attorney, and a girlfriend in real estate named Hadley (Susie Misner). They subsequently become involved in three murders. 

Davis and Hadley are two losers in the business world. He continually gets telephone hang ups with his efforts to acquire investors for his real estate development plans. Hadley’s hopes to make it through the winter season in The Hamptons hinge on a big sale to a retired couple who would rather be somewhere that it does not snow. For these two to be together, with money, they decide that they must murder Davis’s wife Janice, a successful lawyer. 

Hadley and Davis are attractively unlikable. And before they can get to Janice, someone else is accidentally murdered, making for some awkward moments between Davis, Janice and Hadley. And for a smart woman, who knows her husband is playing around on her, Janice warms to Davis in a strange way after a murder occurs in their home. Detective Linus (Roy Scheider) is a clever local investigator who suspects the trio of something. It comes as no surprise that the strongest character is Scheider’s Linus. Even at the ripened age of 75, he’s a force to behold on the big screen. 

The opening scene of a car and a gunshot is a major clue to the ending of the film. There is a subtle taste of poetic justice along the lines of Death Sentence and The Brave One. The best dramatic moments come quickly and get your attention, in part because they happen fast in contrast to the deliberate pace of most film noir thrillers from the 1940s and 50s. 

This is one of those movies that you like when you see it, and after it’s over and the more you think about it, the better you like it.   

 The Devil Came on Horseback

coming reel soon

Into the Wild