hyped garbage

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Kasi Lemmons tells the story of the legendary radio show host Petey Greene. Set in the 60s, the director captures the essence of the time very well especially through funky colour fashion, hairstyle and language. A few of the scenes look staged but the compelling storytelling makes up for this very little flaw. Lemmons tackles various issues while at the same time he prevents the film from being solely issue-based. Additionally 'Talk To Me' is accompanied by a terrific soundtrack.The main focus of the film is the relationship between Greene and Hughes and this relationship is portrayed excellently by the writer, director and of course, the actors. Don Cheadle delivers another monumental performance as Greene. Chiwetel Ejiorfor is superbly restrained in an equally convincing performance. Taraji Henson acts naturally and Martin Sheen, an actor who in my opinion has never let me down where acting is concerned, is fantastic.It is the humour in 'Talk To Me' that makes it different from other rags-to-riches type biopics. Not only is this movie great entertainment but a brilliant reminder of the 60s glamour, history and culture and a story of a man who made a difference.

Is Don Cheadle the greatest living actor? Pauline Kael once wrote that very sentence after seeing a actor named Morgan Freeman in "Street Smart." I don't know if Cheadle is or isn't, but as I got to know his character Petey Greene in this film, I was thinking he did a better job rounding out a character of a DJ than either Robin Williams ("Good Morning, Vietnam")or Eric Boogisan ("Talk Radio.") For an actor to live in a DJ booth during critical parts of the film, that's high praise.Yet, Petey/Don does go outside the booth more than anyone especially seeing his beloved Washington D.C. burning after the MLK assassination. I haven't seen all of Cheadle's work, especially the nominated "Hotel Rawanda," but in the characters I see him create from the big time movie "Boogie Nights" to the fantastic and fantastically under seen rape drama "Things Behind the Sun," (and I'm probably missing more), he is one of the best actors in America, bar none, for creating real characters. Petey is one of his best, because we get to see him as a convict to civic voice to 70's almost-but-not-quite national celebrity on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" and all stops in between. I have never heard of Greene ever before in my life, but Cheadle creates such a vivid character,you feel as though he was a girl-hopping, street-smart, articulate, friend.Cheadle couldn't have pulled off the fine acting without fine actors around him such as Martin Sheen as the radio station boss,Tarj P. Henson as his outspoken and wild girlfriend, and of course, Chitwel Ejofor as the man who becomes his friend and manager after hating his guts. (Long story and a little cliché; but Ejofor is just as brilliant as I'm telling you Cheadle is.) I'm writing this months after seeing the film so I may have missed some good and bad points. Nonetheless, this film is the real deal, and one of this great actor's best roles.

Talk to Me strikes a reflective chord for much of it's 2 hours and especially towards it's end. It features a run through of the middle lives of 2 radio announcers in Washington DC. The clowning and camaraderie is on display early on, and surely the movie's best energy is during it's first 2/3 of the runtime. Towards the last 20 min or so there's a winding down that's noticeable. Nonetheless Cheadle and Ejiofor are sort of like a ying/yang type relationship as Petey Green and Dewey Hughes. The Cheadle character has been in trouble with the law and street smart, while Ejiofor's has worked hard while clean and also being street smart. This was an interesting sort of a bio/docu-drama outlining the two's friendship from early on spanning 2 decades around the Civil Rights era and later. Good acting amid some slower pacing worth the watch.

My wife, before she was my wife, worked in Washington during Petey Greene's time on the radio, but had no idea who he was. Just as the many who live in Washington today probably don't know Tim Russert. This movie shows again the divide that exists in this country when two great men can die without the notice of a large segment of the population. The fact that 10,000 people can attend a funeral and most Americans cannot tell you who this man was is a shame.What really impressed me with this film was the understated way Don Cheadle played the role. He was perfect for the part, and Kasi Lemmons did a superb job of directing Michael Genet's story. I like Chiwetel Ejiofor, and he and Cheadle probably did the roles of their careers here. Taraji P. Henson (Hustle & Flow, Four Brothers) was also great as Petey's companion, and Martin Sheen was a real joy to watch as the station owner.After you find out about Petey Greene by watching this movie, you can always go to You Tube and see the real person. Isn't that great?