Sorry to Bother You
A struggling Oakland telemarketer discovers that mastering a “white voice” can buy corporate success, even as it threatens his conscience, relationships, and solidarity with exploited workers.
Overview
A surreal journey through capitalism and identity in a bizarre alternate reality.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- surreal
- irreverent
- political movie night
- indie film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as fearlessly ambitious, scathingly funny, politically incisive, and remarkably original, while noting that its increasingly surreal second half can feel unfocused.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The plot unfolds in an alternate version of Oakland where everyday workplaces and corporate institutions operate with surreal distortions.
Cassius uses a bizarrely high-pitched white voice to sell more effectively to predominantly white customers.
The corporation's plan to create a subservient workforce turns labor exploitation into disturbing physical imagery.
Cassius's promotion places him inside a boss's world of bigoted decadence and morally abhorrent profit-making.
Films like Sorry to Bother You, and why
The Lobster
shared politically charged satire, surreal escalation, and critique of corporate power
Brazil
shared absurdist world-building, anti-capitalist themes, and dark comic tone
Parasite
shared workplace exploitation, class critique, and heightened speculative comedy
Sorry to Bother You
shared surreal visual imagination, grotesque transformation, and unsettling social allegory
Movie Details
- Director
- Boots Riley
- Release Date
- 2018-07-06
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (1855)
Cast
- LaKeith Stanfield
- Tessa Thompson
- Jermaine Fowler
- Omari Hardwick
- Terry Crews
- Kate Berlant
- Michael X. Sommers
- Danny Glover
- Steven Yeun
- Armie Hammer
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Sorry to Bother You about?
- A struggling Oakland telemarketer discovers that mastering a “white voice” can buy corporate success, even as it threatens his conscience, relationships, and solidarity with exploited workers.
- What is Sorry to Bother You like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Sorry to Bother You as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Sorry to Bother You violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Sorry to Bother You as moderate.
- What did critics think of Sorry to Bother You?
- Critics broadly praised the film as fearlessly ambitious, scathingly funny, politically incisive, and remarkably original, while noting that its increasingly surreal second half can feel unfocused.
- Which films are like Sorry to Bother You?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lobster, Brazil, Parasite, and Sorry to Bother You.
- How long is Sorry to Bother You?
- Sorry to Bother You runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch Sorry to Bother You?
- In United States, Sorry to Bother You streams on Philo, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel.
