Review of Talk to Me (2007) by Phil M — 15 Dec 2007

Makers of Hollywood biopics face an interesting challenge every time out of the gate: weathering the terrain of a genre that has been traveled a thousand times before, in every conceivable style, tone, and story structure.

Kasi Lemmons' "Talk to Me" is a wonderfully rollicking biopic, one that is able to overcome the obvious pitfalls of biography filmmaking with assured direction and incredible acting.

Don Cheadle plays Petey Green, a lifelong convict who became a radio superstar and outspoken voice of urban wisdom in 1970s Washington, D.C. His performance is all gusto and energy, and he is electric to watch. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays the straight-laced program director who starts out as Petey's sworn enemy and ends as his best friend and manager. He continues his long string of wonderful, intelligent performances. And Taraji P. Henson, so great in "Hustle & Flow" and "Smokin' Aces," plays Petey's long-suffering but knowledgeable and empowered girlfriend in a performance just as electric and powerful as Cheadle's. She should be Oscar nominated for this role.

"Talk to Me" starts like gangbusters, and director Lemmons mines familiar biopic territory with firm belief in the story, characters, and her own personal style. As the film moves, however, the drama slows to a crawl, and by the end has nowhere to go but typical inspirational territory. But none of that overwhelms that fact that "Talk to Me" is a strong, entertaining film with wonderful performances and a great story well-told.