Talk to Me (2007)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Kasi Lemmons

Writers (WGA):

Michael Genet (screenplay) and
Rick Famuyiwa (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 August 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History

Tagline:

Inspired by a true story

Plot:

The story of Washington D.C. radio personality Ralph "Petey" Greene, an ex-con who became a popular talk show host and community activist in the 1960s.

Plot Keywords:

Radio | 1960s | Washington D.C. | Prison | Disc Jockey

Awards:

4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Don Cheadle	...	Petey Greene
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Dewey Hughes
Bruce McFee	...	Prison Sign-In Guard
Mike Epps	...	Milo Hughes
Peter MacNeill	...	Warden Cecil Smithers
Adam Gaudreau	...	Escorting Guard
Taraji P. Henson	...	Vernell Watson
Cedric the Entertainer	...	'Nighthawk' Bob Terry
Martin Sheen	...	E.G. Sonderling
J. Miles Dale	...	Program Director
Sean MacMahon	...	Ronnie Simmons
Richard Chevolleau	...	Poochie Braxton
Martin Randez	...	Hadley
Todd Schroeder	...	Guard Captain (as Todd William Schroeder)
Vondie Curtis-Hall	...	Sunny Jim Kelsey (as Vondie Curtis Hall)

Also Known As:

Petey Greene's Washington (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:6 | Germany:12 | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Sidney Kimmel Entertainment

Trivia:

An earlier version of this film was in development in June 2000. It was to be titled "Petey Greene's Washington" and star Martin Lawrence. Greene's biographer Lurma Rackley was to write the script but contract negotiations broke down.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Once Petey's career takes off he moves to post-1990-style inexpensive Chinese-made recording microphones, presumably chosen here for their overly-complex but fancy-appearing shockmounts.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Petey Greene: Wake up, goddammit!

Movie Connections:

References "Petey Greene's Washington" (1976)

Soundtrack:

Looking for a Fox

This Movie Talked to Me

As Ralph Waldo Petey Greene Jr., who became a one-man inner-city media explosion in Washington, D.C., starting in the late '60s, Don Cheadle is superb. Petey doesn't just say that word — he means it. He wins over Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the slick, smart program director who is revealed to be a lot less of an stiff than he appears. Directed by Kasi Lemmons , Talk to Me digs into the relationship between Petey and Dewey, whose love/hate relationship is fascinating to watch. The two actors are marvelous. As crazy as he looks in those suits, Cheadle's never looks anything but cool. The rest of the cast is solid, but they mostly stay out of the way of the leads.