Static on the Dial
Talk to Me / Daniel Carlson
Don Cheadle is one of the best character actors working today, but Talk to Me could mark the first time that his skill at breathing unique life into a performance goes unfortunately head to head with his director. Cheadle’s had the good fortune to work with some genuine modern auteurs, and the films he’s made with P.T. Anderson and Steven Soderbergh have allowed Cheadle enough breathing room to craft small but enjoyable characters: bullheaded ex-con Maurice Miller in Out of Sight, the brief glimpses of Basher Tarr in the Ocean’s Eleven series, and especially Buck Swope in Boogie Nights, in which Cheadle was able to convey so much of character’s sadness and naivete through subtle through just his eyes. But all that’s not to say that Kasi Lemmons is a bad filmmaker, or that Talk to Me is a bad film; she’s not, and it really isn’t. But what starts out as a comedic drama grinning with life eventually loses its central focus on Cheadle’s turn in the true story of 1960s deejay Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene and becomes lost in a maze of good intentions and murky storytelling. By the end of the film, it’s as if Cheadle’s character has been shoved to the background; instead of revolving around him as it once did, the film slowly passes him by.
Petey Greene is in prison when the film opens in May 1966, spinning a few records for his fellow inmates over the PA system when Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an executive at an R&B radio station in Washington D.C, comes to visit his brother, Milo (Mike Epps), who’s serving 20 years to life. Lemmons sets up the differences between the two men well enough, but relies more on viewer instinct than visual keys when establishing the tone of the story. Hughes is a black man in a swanky suit, and while he’s clearly uncomfortable at the prison and embarrassed at having to be there, but Lemmons doesn’t highlight the racial tension inherent in the situation. Hughes bolts after sitting with his brother for only a few moments, but Petey manages to flag him down in the hall and inquire about any open deejay positions. The first interaction between Cheadle and Ejiofor is fantastic, both of them so at home in their mutual characters that they seem to be merely playing off each other instead of acting. Hughes manages to dodge Petey’s questions, but before long Petey makes parole, and winds up visiting Hughes’ station one day to ask for a job. Petey shows up with his girlfriend, Vernell (Taraji P. Henson), in tow, causing exactly the kind of scene Hughes finds so embarrassing. Hughes shuts Petey down and turns him away, and Michael Genet and Rick Famuyiwa’s script lets Petey lash out at Hughes for being the kind of “Sidney Poitier-ass nigga” who kowtows to white culture, as evidenced by Hughes’ clean manner of dressing and precise enunciation. There’s a legitimate conflict here, between two different views of what it means to be a black man at the height of the civil rights movement, but Lemmons never digs deep enough into the material, content to simply mention the issue before moving on. In fact, the only reason Hughes later relents and offers Petey a job isn’t just because, as he says, Petey will say the things Hughes is too afraid to say, but because he embodies a whole new way of being that Hughes hasn’t even considered before. But Lemmons goes a little too broad, focusing more on the mechanics of the story than the emotions that drive them, and as a result some of the finer points get lost in the shuffle.
Petey lands the morning talk show slot at Hughes’ station, run by E.G. Sonderling (Martin Sheen), a stern but not unkind boss who’s willing to give Petey a shot because he trusts Hughes. But is that trust because Hughes is young and makes a believable case about being connected to the community, or because Hughes is black and probably knows how best to run an R&B station in the late 1960s? Where does the line begin to blur between shrewd businessman and social progressive? It’s not a bad question, but again, it’s one that the film never seems to consider worth discussing, and it turns what could have been a smart drama into merely an easy one. Of course, Lemmons is helped along the way by the soundtrack, a fantastic collection of soul and pop from the era that still resonate so well on film that they automatically communicate the kind of story we want to remember about that period in American history; see, for example, Forrest Gump, which is a narrative strung together by nothing more than Boomer rock and fuzzy memories. Still, the music is fantastic, ranging from “Tighten Up” by Archie Bell and the Drells to Gloria Jones’ original “Tainted Love.” The music never stops in the film, flowing through the requisite montages of Petey’s building fame until the film’s darkest moment, and the turning point at which the heretofore competent narrative begins to crack under its own weight: the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., after which Petey hosts an hours-long show in which he encourages his listeners to keep hoping for the better and waiting for the light. He signs off with Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” and for just a moment the confluence of history, storytelling, and musical genius add up to something big, and sad, as if Lemmons is channeling the horror of that actual day almost 40 years ago.
But after such an emotionally unifying sequence, Lemmons seems to run out of steam, and the splintering narrative does its best to keep up with Petey’s burgeoning national profile and the curious relationship between a man who shuns stardom and the manager who tries to experience that fame vicariously. It’s as if Lemmons suddenly decides to stop making a story about a part of Petey’s life and instead document the whole thing, which leads to increasingly shortened attempts at character development in favor of covering more historical ground. Entire plot points are dealt with in expository scenes lasting only a second or two, and attempts to age the actors by 15 years to capture the passage of time look either phony, as in the fake goatee applied to Ejiofor, or are nonexistent, as in Cheadle’s lack of gray hair, weight, makeup, or anything else that would convincingly make him look older.
Such mistakes aside, Ejiofor is still a perfect fit for the role, exuding the quiet dignity he’s brought to his performances in everything from Dirty Pretty Things to Serenity; it often feels as if he’s glided in from some other movie. The awkward exuberance he brings to the role as he gets closer to attaining his dreams is a subtly beautiful thing, as Ejiofor proves how courageous it is to be purposefully gawky in character. And Cheadle manages to be similarly wonderful in smaller moments, especially the mix of bemusement and worry with which Petey regards Hughes as Hughes grows more stereotypically “blacker,” embodying Petey’s characteristics as if he were donning a popular costume. But those moments are few and hard to catch. For all her clear devotion to the subject matter, Lemmons can’t bring herself to reach any real conclusions in the film or even ask the tougher questions for which Petey was known and respected. The fact that the real-life Hughes would later go on to be involved with Radio One, a national corporation that targets urban listeners, is interesting in light of the scene in the film in which Ejiofor’s Hughes warned against the dangers of “becoming the establishment,” but it’s unlikely Lemmons ever considered the parallel. After trampling over Cheadle to get to the broader story, she never knows what to do with it. But at least it sounds good.
Daniel Carlson is the managing editor of Pajiba and a low-level employee at a Hollywood industry magazine. You can visit his blog, Slowly Going Bald.
Broken English | | Sunshine |
Comments
Thank you, Dan -- I was hoping for a tour de force, but it doesn't matter. I'm not missing this one, and maybe lowered expectations will improve the experience.
Posted by: socalledonlycousins at July 20, 2007 8:17 PM
It's kowtow and not cowtow, but other than that, very interesting and thoughtful review. I'd never heard of it, but now I want to see it. It helps that I have a weird crush on Martin Sheen.
Thanks for the correction. I briefly considered making some kind of Texas-ranch-cattle joke in re: cowtowing, but really, that would be a bad idea. --DC
Posted by: Susan E at July 20, 2007 9:29 PM
I love Cheadle, but I'm probably going to miss this one in theatres at least.
A recommendation: If you want to see really good, early Cheadle, see Devil in a Blue Dress.
Posted by: Kevin Longrie at July 20, 2007 9:45 PM
I've been expecting a lot from this film; it saddens me to see that it didn't meet your expectations. Regardless, I'll probably see it, considering the Cheadle.
Posted by: Hannah at July 20, 2007 10:55 PM
Stories that are drawn from true events often make the kinds of missteps you describe. So I'm a little disappointed, but not at all dissuaded from seeing this.
Getting to watch Eijofor and Cheadle sparring onscreen is a dream I didn't realize I had until it became a reality!
Oh, and Kevin L. is 100% right about Devil in a Blue Dress. When Cheadle's onscreen you cannot take your eyes off him. Nothing against the wonderful Denzel but Cheadle should have been the lead in that movie...
Posted by: Jerce at July 21, 2007 10:13 AM
Thanks for the review. I've seen previews of this for a while and was really curious about whether it could work or not...it looks like it's not everything it could be, but still, better than many of the other options. And then there's always Cheadle, a pleasure to watch even when the film falters.
Posted by: clarity at July 22, 2007 2:54 AM
meh. saw the film, liked it until the tonight show debacle, then i wanted to nap. it went downhill fast after that and just became super sappy. being from the dc area i felt you didn't really get a feel for dc either. the only scenes they showed from the city were the capitol and ben's chili bowl. the city should have played a more prominent role in the film since they were name dropping neighborhoods through out the movie. wait for the dvd on netflix.
Posted by: s.eth at July 22, 2007 7:03 PM
Cheadle had me at Picket Fences!!!
Posted by: om at July 23, 2007 12:59 AM
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Don Cheadle and Mike Epps. Can't go too wrong with any of those dudes.
Posted by: LL at July 23, 2007 3:32 PM
Wow; this is the most poorly-written review I've ever read on this site.
I was very surprised to see that it was written by Mr. Carlson. I guess everyone is entitled to an off day but if you people need any editorial assistance, feel free to email me.
"Poorly written" doesn't take a hyphen. Also, the semi-colon after the first word should be a period. Additionally, you would need a comma after "day," since you are joining two independent clauses with a conjunction. I do, however, thank you for your offer of editorial assistance. --DC
Posted by: MillyQPublic at July 26, 2007 6:52 PM
Thank you for both the laugh and the much-deserved comedown. I'm glad you didn't have as much trouble understanding my comment as I had understanding these gems:
"...in which Cheadle was able to convey so much of character's sadness and naivete through subtle through just his eyes."
The offer still stands.
"Hughes is a black man in a swanky suit, and while he's clearly uncomfortable at the prison and embarrassed at having to be there, but Lemmons doesn't highlight the racial tension inherent in the situation. "
Posted by: MillyQPublic at July 27, 2007 1:53 AM
I'm with MillyQ, editorial faux pas notwithstanding. Those two points mentioned were really awkward. In addition, I haven't seen the film yet(I live in a small Carolina city that doesn't always carry the more artistic black films), but is it not possible that the way Cheadle's character dwindles into the background of the film reflects how he has dwindled into the background of history? Until I saw a preview for this film, I had never heard of the man before.
Posted by: New Millennium Craka at August 3, 2007 8:43 PM
I enjoyed the film overall, although it did lose focus, especially after The Tonight Show scenes.
Cheadle and Ejiofor are outstanding character actors, and really carry the film despite the flaws. It's been a long time since I saw DIABD, so I need to check it out again.
Frankly, it quite nice to see minority actors who happen to be outstanding character actors, too. That said, Taraji Henson does a fabulous job as well, although she does seem to be the go-to gal for sassy, rolling the neck, black women characters these days.
Posted by: Daphne at August 5, 2007 10:27 PM
I just saw this movie on saturday. i'm rarely moved to post to this site, but a few things about this review pushed me into it.
first, i'm surprised that mr. carlson did not discuss how funny the film was. i was laughing out loud for much of it, along with most of the people in the theater. the soundtrack WAS excellent, but it was cheadle's wit that kept the movie rolling along in the first half. i thought he turned in an excellent performance along with ejiofor and henson. it does kind of lose its focus at the end, but its still well worth it.
second, i really take issue with some of the assumptions mr. carlson makes about the director's choices. there are several things that i think he misinterpreted but i'll focus on the most important -- the issue of racial identity was not just noted, it was actually the core of the film and developed throughout the plot. the movie, to me, was never a story about just petey green. It was an exploration of two men's evolving notion of self as black men through the development of their relationship. one important point that it seems carlson overlooked is that much was made in the film (the prison scenes, the pool hall) of the fact that both main characters grew up in the projects of washington d.c., but one ended up with a college education and the other with a prison record. so to say that green gave hughes a new way of looking at the world that he hadn't conceptualized before is summarily false -- he lived that experience, too. instead of viewing Hughes as getting stereotypically "blacker" through his style of dress etc, as suggested, you could also consider that Petey green's presence in the mainstream/business realm allowed hughes character to feel comfortable bringing out more of his own sense of militancy, black pride, etc. that is certainly the way i saw it. to suggest as carlson did, that the character was putting on someone elses "blackness" like a suit, misses entirely the points the director was trying to make about racial identity and the conflicts that exist for minorities as they try to exist within the hegemony but hold on to their roots.
Kasi Lemmons has not made a ton of movies, but she did make the incredible eve's bayou, another film which deals with the issues of the black middle class. from what i understand of her she is deeply embedded in the discourse on race, class and gender in america and to suggest that she just wasn't hip enough to recognize certain themes that could have been used in her film is pretty silly statement. the tone of this review seems, at some points, almost condescending as if simmons wasn't savvy enough to see the deeper issues and bring them to the surface.
that leads me to the only other point i want to make before i go back to the shadows: when people deal with race, class, etc in an obvious or heavy handed way folks get mad (especially on this website -- please see any discussion of the movie crash). but i find sometimes in both reviews and responses the level of sophistication is not nearly proportional to the disdain expressed for social commentaries that are considered simplistic. i wholeheartedly agree with carlson when he says the director relied on the viewers' instinct, perhaps too much. there was a lot that was said and done in this movie that may have been only obvious to a cultural insider. BUT, if it had been any more spelled out i wonder if the same reviewer might have called it elementary and pandering.
sorry for the length, but this review just summed up a lot of what i both love and hate about this blog!
Posted by: jill at August 6, 2007 2:40 AM
My husband and I saw this film over the weekend, and we both loved it. Sure, the storyline about Petey Greene may have dwindled at the end, but apparently this is what happened in real life, too. We both thought that the relationship between Greene and Hughes was outstandingly portrayed by Cheadle and Ejiofor--both superb actors. And Taraji P. Henson (from Hustle and Flow) also turned in a fine performance as Petey's girlfriend (would love to see her in a bigger role soon). I think you missed the mark on this review.
Posted by: DivaMommy at August 13, 2007 2:15 PM
