Official Website

Plot Summary: In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a macabre universe.

Director: Boots Riley

Writer: Boots Riley

Runtime: 1h 45min

Main Cast:

• Lakeith Stanfield as Cassius Green
• Tessa Thompson as Detroit
• Jermaine Fowler as Salvador
• Omari Hardwick as Mr. _______
• Terry Crews as Sergio
• Danny Glover as Langston
• Steven Yeun as Squeeze
• Armie Hammer as Steve Lift

Review by: Erika T

In an alternate universe of Oakland, a black telemarketer, Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield), realizes what he has to do to become successful. He launches a career beyond his dreams as he becomes the sought after "power caller" which leads to great financial success as well. But this career change for Cassius' puts his relationship in jeopardy with his girlfriend, Detroit (Tessa Thompson), a performance artist with secrets of her own. He initially befriends coworkers and together they organize a protest of corporate oppression, but Cassius is lured by his company’s CEO Steve Lift (Armie Hammer), who realizes his talent and offers him a salary and vices beyond his wildest dreams.

Tweet

What I Liked:

In the summer of sequels, prequels, and sequels of prequels, this movie stands out to the
moviegoer that has become numb to your typical billion-dollar CGI blockbuster fest. Granted, I
still enjoy some of those blockbusters (and will likely see the bad ones too), but I can
understand how it becomes exhausting. This film is refreshing with a great cast, a great script,
and a lot of witty comedy. After watching Atlanta, I’ve become a fan of LaKeith Stanfield. He
does awkward, quirky roles really well and this part couldn’t be played by anyone else. It takes
elements that are seemingly relatable to real life and turns them into something so outlandish
that it feels different, particularly the telemarketers’ use of “white voice” that many people of
color understand well.

The film was made with a lot of care which is why I wasn’t surprised that Boots Riley both wrote
and directed this. You can tell it’s his baby. It’s rare that I see a film and am left wanting to seek
out the director’s prior works (Taika Waititi comes to mind), but he’s that kind of director for me.

What I Didn’t Like:

I felt like there were a few threads that could have been tied up before the film ended, but it
wasn’t make or break and I still appreciate it as a quality movie. I also would have preferred
certain parts be introduced sooner in the story to flesh it out more. Also, with the great cast, I
think there were missed opportunities for further development.

Images Courtesy of IMDB