Talk to Me | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Kasi Lemmons |
Written by | |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Stéphane Fontaine |
Edited by | Terilyn A. Shropshire |
Music by | Terence Blanchard |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Focus Features [1] |
Release dates |
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Running time | 118 minutes [1] |
Country | United States [1] |
Language | English |
Budget | $15 million [2] |
Box office | $4.7 million [3] |
Talk to Me is a 2007 biographical film directed by Kasi Lemmons and starring Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Taraji P. Henson, Cedric the Entertainer, and Mike Epps. It is 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 film spans the time period May 1966 to January 1984, ending with 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.
Petey Greene is in prison when he meets Dewey Hughes, who is there visiting his brother. Dewey treats him with disdain, calling him a “miscreant." In their conversation, Petey discovers that Dewey is a radio executive. Petey subsequently assists the warden by talking down a fellow prisoner and shortly afterward obtains his release.
Petey shows up at Dewey’s radio station in Washington, D.C., WOL, and claims that Dewey promised him a job upon his release from prison. As a result of causing a ruckus at the station, he is rebuffed. Petey then begins picketing the station drawing larger and larger crowds. To stop the protests, Dewey finally asks Petey to meet him at a pool hall. Dewey easily beats him in a game of Nine-ball, but decides to give Dewey a chance on the air.
Dewey takes over a shift on the station, but it is disastrous as he vomits from nervousness and insults Berry Gordy. Station owner E.G. Sonderling demands that he be removed at once and not given a job. Later, Dewey, dejected, goes to have a drink in a bar where he hears the patrons talking enthusiastically about Petey. He decides to give Petey another chance. In order to do so, he locks the staff in their offices and takes over the studio. Petey starts his show, and once Mr. Sonderling is released from his office, he demands that the police be called to eject Petey. As they are arguing, all the telephone lines light up with listeners wanting to talk to Petey. As a result, he is given the job. “Telling it like it is”, Petey becomes highly popular on the air. His girlfriend, Vernell, catches him with another woman, and he is kicked out of his home and moves in with Dewey temporarily.
Petey is on the air when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated, and becomes a voice of reason as rioters run amok in the streets of Washington in the aftermath. He is the MC for a free James Brown concert at Georgetown University meant to calm tempers, but shows up drunk. Nonetheless, his remarks are well-accepted by the crowd, and James Brown tells him that he can introduce him anytime.
Petey’s popularity gains him his own television show, and his star continues to rise. Dewey gets him invited onto The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, but Petey is reluctant to go on. Vernell tells Dewey that Petey doesn’t want to go on, but Dewey insists it will be fine. Petey goes on, alienates the audience, and his appearance is a disaster. Dewey and Petey fight backstage, and both are arrested and spend the night in jail.
Some time passes, and Dewey now owns the station. Vernell visits him and prevails on Dewey to reconcile with Petey. They play pool together, and finally express their love and admiration for one another. Petey soon dies, and Dewey gives a fond eulogy in front of a large crowd of Petey’s fans.
Talk to Me had its world premiere as the opening night film of the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 22, 2007. [2] It opened in theaters on July 13, 2007 and made $400,000 in its opening weekend. [2]
On Rotten Tomatoes, review aggregator, the film has an approval rating of 82% based on 126 reviews and an average score of 6.95/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A riveting look at the life of legendary DJ 'Petey' Greene, Talk to Me goes beyond the typical biopic with explosive performances from Don Cheadle and Chiwetal Ejiofor." [4] On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 69 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [5]
Michael Rechtshaffen of the Associated Press wrote in his review: "Again demonstrating why he's one of the most versatile actors around, Don Cheadle gives another prize-worthy performance as Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr., the irrepressible radio DJ whose keepin'-it-real style made him a trusted voice on the airwaves during the turbulent late '60s and early '70s. [...] Also keeping it real are those rich period touches contributed by production designer Warren Alan Young and costume designer Gersha Phillips, whose fabulous creations for Henson appear to have come directly from the blaxploitation attic." [6]
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. [7]
Talk to Me was released on DVD on October 30, 2007, [15] and September 7, 2010, as a wide screen edition. [16] The film was released on Blu-ray on March 22, 2010. [17]
Kasi Lemmons[a] is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She made her directorial debut with Eve's Bayou (1997), followed by Talk to Me (2007), Black Nativity (2013), Harriet (2019), and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022). She also directed the Netflix limited series Self Made (2020), and an episode of ABC's Women of the Movement (2022).
Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a Laurence Olivier Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards. In 2008, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and in 2015, he was appointed Commander (CBE) for his services to the arts.
Eve's Bayou is a 1997 American Southern Gothic drama film written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, who made her directorial debut with this film. Samuel L. Jackson served as a producer, and starred in the film with Lisa Nicole Carson, Jurnee Smollett, Lynn Whitfield, Debbi Morgan, Meagan Good, and Diahann Carroll. The film premiered at the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in theaters on November 7, 1997. The film grossed $14 million domestically on a budget of $4 million, making it the most commercially successful independent film of 1997.
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Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress. She has received several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Tony Award and six Emmy Awards. In 2016 and 2024, Time named Henson one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
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Rick Famuyiwa is a Nigerian-American filmmaker and television director. He is best known for the films The Wood (1999), Brown Sugar (2002), and Dope (2015), as well as for his work on the television series The Mandalorian, for which he directed five episodes and served as an executive producer for the third season. His films have been nominated for or won multiple awards, including in 2008, when he received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture for the film Talk To Me (2007).
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 American romantic fantasy drama film directed by David Fincher. The storyline by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord is loosely based on the 1922 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The film stars Brad Pitt as a man who ages in reverse and Cate Blanchett as the love interest throughout his life. The film also stars Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas, and Tilda Swinton.
Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene, Jr., was an American television and radio talk-show host. A two-time Emmy Award-winner, Greene overcame drug addiction and a prison sentence for armed robbery to become one of the most prominent media personalities in Washington, D.C. On his shows, Greene often discussed issues such as racism, poverty, drug usage, and current events among others.
Terilyn A. Shropshire is an American motion picture and television editor. She is the daughter of Thomas B. Shropshire, a corporate executive.
WOL is an urban talk AM radio station in Washington, D.C. This is the flagship radio station of Radio One. It is co-owned with WKYS, WMMJ, WPRS, and WYCB and has studios located in Silver Spring, Maryland. The transmitter site is in Fort Totten in Washington.
Talk to Me may refer to:
The 4th St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards, retroactively known as the St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards, were announced on December 21, 2007.
Dewey Hughes is an African American former radio personality and was Petey Greene's manager.
The 40th NAACP Image Awards ceremony, presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), honored the best in film, television, music of 2008 and took place on February 12, 2009 at the Shrine Auditorium. The show was televised live on Fox and hosted by Halle Berry and Tyler Perry.
The African-American Film Critics Association is an organization that honors excellence in cinema, specifically focusing on African-American and minority films, filmmakers, and artists. The AAFCA Awards recognize outstanding achievements in various categories such as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and more.
This article lists the winners and nominees for the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. The award recognized an actor who delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role within the given eligible period.
The 47th Image Awards, was presented by the NAACP, commemorating roles, talents, and achievements of people of color in film, television, music and literature during the 2015 calendar year. This ceremony was hosted for the third time by Anthony Anderson on the TV One network.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a 2019 drama film written, directed by and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor in his feature directorial debut. The film is based on the memoir of the same name by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. It was screened in the Premieres section at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and began streaming in most territories on Netflix on 1 March 2019. It was selected as the British entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. It received widely positive reviews with praise going to Ejiofor's direction and the acting.
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