Sorry to Bother You (2018)
83%RT Audience Score: 70%
Awards & Nominations: 19 wins & 57 nominations
Fearlessly ambitious, scathingly funny, and thoroughly original, Sorry to Bother You loudly heralds the arrival of a fresh filmmaking talent in writer-director Boots Riley
Sorry to Bother You is a wild ride that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about capitalism and the American dream. With its absurdist humor and biting social commentary, this film is a must-see for anyone who wants to laugh, think, and maybe even start a revolution. Just be prepared for the unexpected, because this movie goes places you never thought possible.
Production Company(ies)
Apple Corps Aimimage Productions, Diamond Docs
Distributor
Annapurna Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited), Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Oakland, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for pervasive language, some strong sexual content, graphic nudity, and drug use
Year of Release
2018
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 45m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 13, 2018 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 23, 2018
Genre(s)
Comedy/Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick, Terry Crews, Kate Berlant, Danny Glover, Steven Yeun, Michael X Sommers, Patton Oswalt, directed by Boots Riley, written by Boots Riley, produced by Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Charles D King, George Rush, Jonathan Duffy, Kelly Williams, comedy, fantasy, R-rated, box office gross of $17.5M, reviewed by Hannah Giorgis, Jourdain Searles, Simon Childs, Stephen Romei, Mark Kermode, Tim Robey, Brian Eggert, Taylor Baker, Kip Mooney, Robin Holabird, Nicolás Delgadillo, Michael M, Gimly M, Carlos M, Philip P, gentrification, corporate oppression, capitalism, surrealism, social commentary, activism, telemarketing, magical key, material glory, cocaine-snorting CEO, protest, alternate reality, Oakland, California, fresh filmmaking talent, original, scathingly funny, fearlessly ambitious
Worldwide gross: $18,170,707
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $21,382,811
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,690
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,331,822
US/Canada gross: $17,493,096
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $20,585,416
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,402
US/Canada opening weekend: $727,266
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $855,828
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,294
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $3,200,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $3,765,676
Production budget ranking: 1,953
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $2,027,817
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $15,589,319
ROI to date (est.): 269%
ROI ranking: 504
Tessa Thompson – Detroit
Jermaine Fowler – Salvador
Omari Hardwick – Mr. Blank
Terry Crews – Sergio
Kate Berlant – Diana DeBauchery
Director – Boots Riley
Producers – Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Charles D. King, George Rush, Jonathan Duffy, Kelly Williams
Writer – Boots Riley
Director(s)
Boots Riley
Writer(s)
Boots Riley
Producer(s)
Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Charles D. King, George Rush, Jonathan Duffy, Kelly Williams
Film Festivals
Sundance, South by Southwest
Awards & Nominations
19 wins & 57 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (311) | Top Critics (82) | Fresh (290) | Rotten (21)
Sorry to Bother You is as much a character-driven story about the gentrification of Oakland — and the Bay Area writ large — as it is an absurdist anti-capitalist fable.
September 10, 2019
Hannah Giorgis
The Atlantic
TOP CRITIC
A hilarious, intelligent, and socially relevant satire of American business and capitalism, and hands-down one of the best films of 2018.
February 5, 2019
Jourdain Searles
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
While Sorry to Bother You is off-the-wall and hilariously bizarre, its message is firmly grounded in the recognisable injustice of a system whose decadence is seeing it teetering on the edge of collapse.
December 20, 2018
Simon Childs
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
This movie, the directorial debut of rapper and activist Boots Riley, explores the racial, class and financial gulfs of human society. It does so in a way that is bizarrely funny and awkwardly confronting.
December 14, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/5
Stephen Romei
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
Pinballing frenetically between amusement, absurdity and anger, this is an unruly piece which takes pointed pot-shots at coercive capitalism before galloping toward an impressively unhinged third act.
December 9, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
While it’s inevitably disappointing to watch this hot mess fly off the handle the way it does, the movie’s ideas have an odd way of sticking even when the delivery method stalls.
December 7, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
If the ultimate goal of Sorry to Bother You is to expose the big-money puppeteers controlling our culture and turning everyday people into corporate, even literal slaves, then Riley was mostly successful.
March 11, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
…Boots Riley goes for broke, and you’ll either go for that or you won’t.
August 22, 2021 | Rating: 55/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
So blazingly original, it demands to be seen, preferably with an audience that also doesn’t know what it’s in for.
August 21, 2021 | Rating: B+
Kip Mooney
College Movie Review
[Sorry to Bother You] offers a comically insightful look at racism and slavery.
July 22, 2021
Robin Holabird
KUNR (Reno, NV)
Boots Riley has a fresh and unique style that’s all his own, and it’s more than welcome in today’s blockbuster-packed summers.
June 24, 2021 | Rating: 3.5 / 5
Nicolás Delgadillo
Discussing Film
It will inspire a cult following and plenty of fans – but it is not everyone’s cup of tea.
March 25, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Tori Brazier
Flickering Myth…
Plot
In an alternate reality of present-day Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key that leads to material glory, but as his career takes off, his friends and co-workers organize a protest against corporate oppression, and Cassius falls under the spell of a cocaine-snorting CEO who offers him a salary beyond his wildest dreams.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Terry Crews and Omari Hardwick are both strong in smaller, supporting roles.
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