Talk to Me (2007)

Radio Free D.C.

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Talk to Me on DVD

Director Kasi Lemmons returns to the past for the story of Ralph "Petey" Greene (Don Cheadle), an ex-con who became one of Washington DC's most recognizable personalities in the 1960s and all the way up to his death in 1984. Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor) works at a soul radio station with an all-black staff, including DJs the Nighthawk (Cedric the Entertainer) and the coma-inducing Sunny Jim Kelsey (Vondie Curtis-Hall, Lemmons' husband). The white, but sympathetic E.G. Sonderling (Martin Sheen), is the boss. Petey manages to get himself released from prison, re-connects with his loyal girlfriend Vernell (Taraji P. Henson) and jive-talks his way into a job. Even though Petey and Dewey instantly clash, and despite testing the FCC with his language, Petey becomes an instant hit. From there, Lemmons traces Petey's history as his star rises, Dewey becomes his manager and their relationship deteriorates. The entire cast is superb, but Lemmons' major achievement is the way that she has been able to trace nearly 20 years of history while still allowing the film to live in its current moment. Most films of this type have a tendency to hit only highlights, like a stone skimming over the water but never getting wet. Lemmons allows her film to slow down and bathe in real-time emotions. Lemmons has always been good at this type of pause and reflection, most notably in her extraordinary debut, Eve's Bayou (1997), which is surely one of the greatest achievements in African-American cinema, as well as her follow-up, the misunderstood The Caveman's Valentine (2001). The first film had a kind of voodoo mood, while the second employed "magic realism." This new one lives through the spirit of radio. (Please see my longer review at cinematical.com.)

DVD Details: Sadly, Focus Features' DVD doesn't include a Kasi Lemmons commentary track. Instead we get 8 minutes of deleted scenes, a ten-minute featurette about Petey (as seen by the filmmakers, via talking head interviews and clips), and finally an 11-minute featurette about the set design (which actually includes some behind-the-scenes footage). The film comes only with a 5.1 audio track, plus optional English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Transfer & sound are excellent. Trailers at startup include Reservation Road, a self-congratulations for Focus Features, then a trailer for Balls of Fury, plus a plug for HD-DVD.

AskMen.com: Talk to Me

Starring: Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson, Martin Sheen, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Mike Epps, Jim Malmberg, Jeff Kassel, Vicky Lambert, Elle Downs, Ira Zingraff
Written by: Michael Genet, Rick Famuyiwa, based on a story by Michael Genet
Directed by: Kasi Lemmons
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language and some sexual content
Running Time: 118 minutes
Date: July 13, 2007