Back to trending
Sorry to Bother You

Sorry to Bother You

Fantasy · Science Fiction · Comedy · 2018

In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, black telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success – which propels him into a macabre universe.

Movie details

Sorry to Bother You

“Destiny is calling.”

2018 Fantasy · Science Fiction · Comedy 1h 52m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, black telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success – which propels him into a macabre universe.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Sorry to Bother You?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Repo Man

Repo Man

Comedy · 1984

A down and out young punk gets a job working with a seasoned repo man, but what awaits him in his new career is a series of outlandish adventures revolving around aliens, the CIA, and a most wanted '64 Chevy.

They Cloned Tyrone

They Cloned Tyrone

Comedy · 2023

A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy lurking directly beneath their neighborhood.

Dream Scenario

Dream Scenario

Comedy · 2023

Hapless family man Paul Matthews finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom.

Amazon Women on the Moon

Amazon Women on the Moon

Comedy · 1987

Centered on a television station which features a 1950s-style sci-fi movie interspersed with a series of wild commercials, wacky shorts and weird specials, this lampoon of contemporary life and pop culture skewers some of the silliest spectacles ever created in the name of entertainment.

South Park: Joining the Panderverse

South Park: Joining the Panderverse

Animation · 2023

Cartman's deeply disturbing dreams portend the end of the life he knows and loves. Meanwhile, the adults in South Park are wrestling with their own life decisions, as the advent of AI is turning their world upside down.

Brazil

Brazil

Comedy · 1985

Low-level bureaucrat Sam Lowry escapes the monotony of his day-to-day life through a recurring daydream of himself as a virtuous hero saving a beautiful damsel. Investigating a case that led to the wrongful arrest and eventual death of an innocent man instead of wanted terrorist Harry Tuttle, he meets the woman from his daydream, and in trying to help her gets caught in a web of mistaken identities, mindless bureaucracy and lies.

Ladies First

Ladies First

Comedy · 2026

An arrogant but charismatic ladies' man finds his life of money, power and casual flings upended when he wakes up in a parallel world dominated by women.

I Love Boosters

I Love Boosters

Comedy · 2026

A group of shoplifters take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven by stealing from her stores and reselling them at a lower price — what they call 'fashion-forward philanthropy'.

Beau Is Afraid

Beau Is Afraid

Comedy · 2023

Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic odyssey back home.

Dogma

Dogma

Fantasy · 1999

An abortion clinic worker with a special heritage is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels trying to exploit a loophole and reenter Heaven.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Boots Riley

Written by

Boots Riley

LaKeith Stanfield

LaKeith Stanfield

Cassius Green

Tessa Thompson

Tessa Thompson

Detroit

Jermaine Fowler

Jermaine Fowler

Salvador

Omari Hardwick

Omari Hardwick

Mr. _______

Terry Crews

Terry Crews

Sergio

Kate Berlant

Kate Berlant

Diana DeBauchery

Michael X. Sommers

Michael X. Sommers

Johnny

Court is in session

Put Sorry to Bother You on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.