Talk to Me

In 1966 Washington, D.C., an ex-con (Don Cheadle) talks his way into a disc jockey job at an R&B station, becoming a popular host and community activist. Writers Michael Genet and Rick Famuyiwa and director Kasi Lemmons recount the careers of Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene and his program director, Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor), turning their lives into an epic metaphor for the African-American experience in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. It’s a tribute to the pungent writing and Lemmons’ quirky, light-footed direction that the movie doesn’t stagger under the weight of its ambition. On the contrary, it soars, with a brilliant performance (as usual) from Cheadle, and Ejiofor, in a less flamboyant role, matches him step for step. Taraji P. Henson, Martin Sheen, Cedric the Entertainer and Vondie Curtis-Hall co-star.