Talk to Me (2007 film)
Encyclopedia
Talk To Me is a 2007 biographical film
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 movie spans the time period May 1966 to January 1984, ending with the late 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. The film was shot in Hamilton, Ontario
, Canada
and Washington, DC.
, 81% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 117 reviews. On Metacritic
, the film had an average score of 69 out of 100, based on 32 reviews.
, which never actually took place.
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, such as showing Dewey Hughes giving a moving eulogy at Petey's wake, when in reality Hughes did not even attend the funeral.
In response to these criticisms, producer Joe Fries responded that the film was merely "inspired by" Greene and not a factual recounting of his life.
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
about Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
personality Ralph "Petey" Greene, an ex-con who became a popular talk show host and community activist, and Dewey Hughes
Dewey Hughes
Dewey Hughes is an African American former radio personality and was Petey Greene's manager.Dewey Hughes was born in Washington, D.C.. Hughes was introduced to Petey Greene by his older brother Milo at Lorton Reformatory and hired Greene to work as a disc jockey at WOL...
, his friend and manager. The movie spans the time period May 1966 to January 1984, ending with the late Greene's memorial service.
The film premiered as the opening night film of the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single...
, on June 22, 2007. It opened in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in a limited release
Limited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
on July 13, 2007 and nationwide on August 3, 2007. The film was shot in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Washington, DC.
Cast
- Don CheadleDon CheadleDonald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
as Ralph Greene - Chiwetel EjioforChiwetel EjioforChiwetelu Umeadi "Chiwetel" Ejiofor, OBE is an English actor of stage and screen. He has received numerous acting awards and award nominations, including the 2006 BAFTA Awards Rising Star, three Golden Globe Awards' nominations, and the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his...
as Dewey HughesDewey HughesDewey Hughes is an African American former radio personality and was Petey Greene's manager.Dewey Hughes was born in Washington, D.C.. Hughes was introduced to Petey Greene by his older brother Milo at Lorton Reformatory and hired Greene to work as a disc jockey at WOL... - Taraji P. HensonTaraji P. HensonTaraji Penda Henson is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Yvette in Baby Boy , Shug in Hustle and Flow and Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009...
as Vernell Watson - Cedric The EntertainerCedric the EntertainerCedric Antonio Kyles , known professionally by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American actor, comedian and director...
as "Nighthawk" Bob Terry - Mike EppsMike EppsMichael Elliot "Mike" Epps is an American stand-up comedian, actor, film producer, writer, singer, and rapper. He is best known for playing Day-Day Jones in Next Friday and the sequel-to-the-sequel, Friday After Next, and also starring alongside Ice Cube in All About the Benjamins...
as Milo Hughes - Martin SheenMartin SheenRamón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
as E.G. Sonderling - Vondie Curtis Hall as Sunny Jim Kelsey
- Richard ChevolleauRichard ChevolleauRichard Chevolleau is a Jamaican-Canadian actor. Although born in Kingston, Jamaica he was raised in Toronto.After completing High School he studied the Meisner Technique of acting....
as Poochie Braxton - Alison Sealy-SmithAlison Sealy-SmithAlison Sealy-Smith is a Canadian actress, born and raised in Barbados.Sealy-Smith attended Mount Allison University where she studied psychology on a scholarship. She is the founding director of Obsidian Theatre, a company that specializes in Black Canadian drama...
as Freda - Elle DownsElle DownsElle Downs is a Canadian actress who has appeared in film and television since 1996.Downs was born in Toronto, Ontario, and is a sixth generation Canadian of African Canadian and Native American descent. Her father was born in Kingston, Jamaica...
as Peaches - Herbert L. Rawlings, Jr. as James BrownJames BrownJames Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
- Damir Andrei as Fred De Cordova
- Jim Malmberg as Johnny CarsonJohnny CarsonJohn William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
Critical reception
The film received favorable reviews from critics. On the review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 81% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 117 reviews. On Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the film had an average score of 69 out of 100, based on 32 reviews.
Criticism over inaccuracies
The film has been criticized for allegedly not being true to the details of his life and career and for inventing incidents and rearranging locations, such as Petey's appearance on The Tonight ShowThe Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
, which never actually took place.
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, such as showing Dewey Hughes giving a moving eulogy at Petey's wake, when in reality Hughes did not even attend the funeral.
In response to these criticisms, producer Joe Fries responded that the film was merely "inspired by" Greene and not a factual recounting of his life.
Awards and nominations
- African-American Film Critics
- Best Director: Kasi LemmonsKasi LemmonsKasi Lemmons is an American film director and actress, most notable for her work on the films Eve's Bayou, The Caveman's Valentine and Talk to Me....
(Winner) - Best Actor: Don CheadleDon CheadleDonald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
(Winner) - Best Supporting Actor: Chiwetel EjioforChiwetel EjioforChiwetelu Umeadi "Chiwetel" Ejiofor, OBE is an English actor of stage and screen. He has received numerous acting awards and award nominations, including the 2006 BAFTA Awards Rising Star, three Golden Globe Awards' nominations, and the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his...
(Winner)
- Best Director: Kasi Lemmons
- Image Awards
- Outstanding Motion Picture (Nominated)
- Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Don CheadleDon CheadleDonald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
(Nominated) - Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Taraji P. HensonTaraji P. HensonTaraji Penda Henson is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Yvette in Baby Boy , Shug in Hustle and Flow and Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009...
(Nominated) - Outstanding Director in a Motion Picture: Kasi LemmonsKasi LemmonsKasi Lemmons is an American film director and actress, most notable for her work on the films Eve's Bayou, The Caveman's Valentine and Talk to Me....
(Winner) - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Chiwetel EjioforChiwetel EjioforChiwetelu Umeadi "Chiwetel" Ejiofor, OBE is an English actor of stage and screen. He has received numerous acting awards and award nominations, including the 2006 BAFTA Awards Rising Star, three Golden Globe Awards' nominations, and the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his...
(Nominated) - Outstanding Writing for a Motion Picture: Michael Genet & Rick FamuyiwaRick FamuyiwaRick Famuyiwa, born on June 18, 1973, is an emerging Nigerian American Hollywood writer and director of films such as The Wood , Talk To Me , and Brown Sugar . His most recent film is the...
(Winner)
- Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
- Best Male Lead: Don CheadleDon CheadleDonald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
(Nominated) - Best Supporting Male: Chiwetel EjioforChiwetel EjioforChiwetelu Umeadi "Chiwetel" Ejiofor, OBE is an English actor of stage and screen. He has received numerous acting awards and award nominations, including the 2006 BAFTA Awards Rising Star, three Golden Globe Awards' nominations, and the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his...
(Winner)
- Best Male Lead: Don Cheadle
- Gotham AwardsGotham AwardsThe Gotham Awards is an annual ceremony of awards presented to the makers of independent films which takes place in New York City...
- Best Ensemble (Winner)
- Satellite AwardsSatellite AwardsThe Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama...
- Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy: Don CheadleDon CheadleDonald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
(Nominated) - Best Supporting Actress: Taraji P. HensonTaraji P. HensonTaraji Penda Henson is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Yvette in Baby Boy , Shug in Hustle and Flow and Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009...
(Nominated)
- Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy: Don Cheadle
External links
- Trailer at Yahoo! MoviesYahoo! MoviesYahoo! Movies , provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yahoo! Movies also includes red carpet photos, actor galleries, and production...