Talk to Me

Last night, I saw Talk to Me. I can't believe that this movie isn't getting more buzz.

It's the story of Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene, played by Don Cheadle, an ex-con who becomes a successful DJ/TV host/comedian in Washington, DC. While it has some of the standard biopic cliches -- Guess what? He was an alcoholic! -- it is really more the story of the friendship between Petey and Dewey Hughes, the radio executive who gave him his first job. Hughes is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who I had somehow previously failed to notice is totally hot.

It's hard to say how much of my enjoyment of the movie stems from the fact that it is set in DC. Not the official Washington that we see in so many movies, but the real DC where we live -- "chocolate city" to use a term coined by Greene. For example, Ben's Chili Bowl makes an appearance.

There's also the matter of the music. If you like 60s and 70s Motown and soul music, this is the movie for you. People in the theater were singing along to many of the songs (which was sort of annoying, truth be told). Particularly effective was the use of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" the night that Martin Luther King was shot, and Washington burned. I was totally crying, ya'll.

So, if you're looking for something to see in these dog days of August, I highly recommend this movie.