Talk to Me (2007 film)
| Talk to Me | |
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| File:Talk to me poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Kasi Lemmons |
| Produced by | Don Cheadle |
| Written by | Michael Genet Rick Famuyiwa |
| Starring | Don Cheadle Chiwetel Ejiofor Taraji P. Henson Cedric the Entertainer Mike Epps |
| Music by | Terence Blanchard |
| Cinematography | Stéphane Fontaine |
| Edited by | Kenny Marsten |
| Distributed by | Focus Features |
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Release dates
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Running time
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118 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4,778,376 |
Talk To Me is a 2007 biographical film about Washington, D.C. radio personality Ralph "Petey" Greene, an ex-con who became a popular talk show host and community activist, and Dewey Hughes, his friend and manager. The movie spans the time period May 1966 to January 1984, ending with the late Greene's memorial service.
The film premiered as the opening night film of the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival, on June 22, 2007. It opened in North America in a limited release on July 13, 2007 and nationwide on August 3, 2007. The film was shot in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and Washington, DC.[1]
Contents
Cast
- Don Cheadle as Ralph Greene
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Dewey Hughes
- Taraji P. Henson as Vernell Watson
- Cedric the Entertainer as "Nighthawk" Bob Terry
- Mike Epps as Milo Hughes
- Martin Sheen as E.G. Sonderling
- Vondie Curtis Hall as Sunny Jim Kelsey
- Richard Chevolleau as Poochie Braxton
- Alison Sealy-Smith as Freda
- Elle Downs as Peaches
- Herbert L. Rawlings, Jr. as James Brown
- Damir Andrei as Frederick de Cordova
- Jim Malmberg as Johnny Carson
Reception
The film received favorable reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 82% based on reviews from 126 critics.[2] On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 69%, based on 32 reviews.[3]
Criticism over inaccuracies
The film has been criticized for allegedly not being true to the details of his life and career and for inventing incidents and rearranging locations, such as Petey's appearance on The Tonight Show, which never actually took place.[4]
Greene's surviving family members did not cooperate with the making of the film and criticized it for taking liberties with his portrayal and those around him,[5] such as showing Dewey Hughes giving a moving eulogy at Petey's wake, when in reality Hughes did not even attend the funeral.
In response to these criticisms, producer Joe Fries responded that the film was merely "inspired by" Greene and not a factual recounting of his life.
Awards and nominations
- African-American Film Critics
- Best Director: Kasi Lemmons (Winner)
- Best Actor: Don Cheadle (Winner)
- Best Supporting Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor (Winner)
- Image Awards
- Outstanding Motion Picture (Nominated)
- Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Don Cheadle (Nominated)
- Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Taraji P. Henson (Nominated)
- Outstanding Director in a Motion Picture: Kasi Lemmons (Winner)
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Chiwetel Ejiofor (Nominated)
- Outstanding Writing for a Motion Picture: Michael Genet & Rick Famuyiwa (Winner)
- Independent Spirit Awards
- Best Male Lead: Don Cheadle (Nominated)
- Best Supporting Male: Chiwetel Ejiofor (Winner)
- Gotham Awards
- Best Ensemble (Winner)
- Satellite Awards
- Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy: Don Cheadle (Nominated)
- Best Supporting Actress: Taraji P. Henson (Nominated)
References
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- 2007 films
- English-language films
- Official website not in Wikidata
- 2000s drama films
- American films
- African-American films
- American biographical films
- American drama films
- Films directed by Kasi Lemmons
- Films set in Washington, D.C.
- Films shot in Toronto
- Films about radio people
- Focus Features films
- Sidney Kimmel Entertainment films
- Film scores by Terence Blanchard
