Review of Talk to Me

Halfway into the movie, I was ready to declare Talk To Me a favorite. Up to that point, it was the most joyous movie of the year, full of vibrant, colorful energy and some sharp humor. Then, at one point, Talk To Me completely derails itself, and I was left wondering if the movie ever really accomplished anything.

Talk To Me is the biographical story of two popular Washington D.C. personalities, Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Ralph "Petey" Greene (Don Cheadle), and it's the Boogie Nights of radio jockeys. Starting out in the year 1966, the big shot radio station director Dewey reluctantly visits his lifer brother in prison, where he meets the jive-talkin', slick-walkin', afro-wearin' Petey, a prison celebrity thanks to his stint as the DJ. Petey tells Dewey that he'll be out in 5-10 years, and he expects a job at Dewey's station. But Petey gets released sooner than expected, which at first puts a whirlwind in Dewey's life, but soon proves to be a blessing. The budding friendship between them is what drives the first half of the movie, and it's a treat to watch. Dewey plays the straight man to Petey's craziness, which provides a lot of laughs. When Dewey succumbs to Petey's craziness, the radio station owner played by Martin Sheen takes over the role of the straight man.

However, as Petey starts to lose interest in Dewey's master plan to make him a superstar, we lose interest in the film as well. All the attempts to hit dramatic notes fail, as it hits one cliché moment after another instead. This wonderfully engaging life story becomes yet another silly fame-and-fortune TV movie.