Director: Kasi Lemmons
Starring: Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cedric the Entertainer, Elle Downs, Mike Epps, Taraji P. Henson, Martin Sheen, Vondie Curtis-Hall

- Reviewed by Vickie

Don Cheadle slides into his first starring role since his Oscar-nominated turn in Hotel Rwanda and, once again, he plays a real-life guy who became a hero to many. This time, though, the setting is 1960s Washington, D.C., and Cheadle’s onscreen alter ego—flamboyant disc jockey Petey Greene—battles demons both inside and out.

The story, loosely based on Greene’s life, follows Petey from his small-scale radio work at a convict in Lorton Penitentiary to his rise through the broadcasting ranks as a result of his irreverent demeanor and unapologetic style. Decked out like Superfly, he’s aided professionally by Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the mild-mannered program director at WOL-AM, who decides to give Petey a shot on air despite the serious misgivings of the station’s manager (Martin Sheen) and fellow DJs (Cedric the Entertainer and Vondie Curtis-Hall). And, on the home front, his personal support system comes from longtime girlfriend Vernell (Taraji P. Henson in a role tailor-made for a supporting-actress Oscar nod), who’s at once Petey’s most ardent supporter and most wounded ally.

Directed by Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou) and blessed with a kick-ass soundtrack, the film has a rock-solid first hour but slowly begins to unwind—or wind down—in its latter half. Cheadle is at his best when Petey is frenetic, energetic and outrageous but, as the character begins to sink into depression and darkness, so does the vibe of the film and the second hour felt a little like it was as lost as its lead character. In the beginning, it’s an engaging underdog story with subplots about race and class; by the end, it’s another cautionary tale about allowing the excess of celebrity to destroy one’s life.

Cheadle is wonderful, though, and so is Ejiofor, who remains one of the most tragically underrated actors out there. Their yin and yang characters have fantastic chemistry, and watching them act off of one another was incredibly entertaining. Henson, as mentioned, turns in another terrific supporting performance that’s simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking, and even Sheen—in a somewhat smaller role—manages to wring some gravitas out of someone who could have been a throwaway caricature.

Overall, Talk to Me makes for a great star vehicle for its lead actor, but stumbles a little...only a little!... as a wholly compelling biopic.

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