Review: ‘Talk to Me’ on DVD

The best way to describe Talk to Me is not just as one of the best films of 2007, but also as one of the most important. If you haven’t seen this yet, you owe it to yourself to rent the DVD. Director Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou) has really outdone herself with this honest, well-told story of an African-American radio personality who becomes the voice of Washington D.C. during the turbulent 1960’s.

Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) plays Ralph Waldo “Petey” Green, Jr. in this biographical film inspired by the true story of this real-life character. Cheadle is excellent, even more so, if I may be completely honest. Opposite Cheadle is Chiwetel Ejiofor (American Gangster), who plays radio executive Dewey Hughes. Having reluctantly given Greene a shot at being a radio DJ, he soon learns he has stumbled upon a force for bringing the radio station closer to the people of D.C.

The movie’s tension explodes as news reaches the station that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has been assassinated and D.C. unleashes its anger in riots. Seeing his town being torn apart by the raw emotion of the African-American community around him, Greene realizes its his duty to try and bring his neighbors out of their violent rage and convince them to pull together as a community for change, as Dr. King had envisioned. Talk to Me is a very enjoyable movie all around, with lots of humor rooted in real-life, plenty of drama, great music and some wonderful and often intense performances. Combine this with a story of historical significance and you have a film that received far less attention than it deserves.

[rating:4/5]