Movie Reviews

Michael Gibson/Focus Features Film

Review in a Hurry:  Don Cheadle plays real-life radio personality Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene Jr., an ex-con who became a popular D.C. disk jockey during the turbulent ‘60s. Keeping it real, Cheadle is nothing less than superfly, baby, in this solid but standard biopic. Ya dig?

The Bigger Picture:  Even if you’re not familiar with Petey Greene’s life and career, you can probably chart Talk’s trajectory early on, as the pic sticks to the familiar rise-and-fall formula of a showbiz icon. Still, Cheadle’s platinum-worthy performance as the original shock jock helps crank this jam to 11. 

The story starts in the slammer, where Petey’s jokey disc-jockey style is a hit with fellow inmates (think Good Morning, Vietnam for the cons). After his release, the “s--t-talking, pimp-walking” rabble-rouser scores an on-air gig at an R&B station by convincing the uptight, buttoned-down program director (Chiwetel Ejiofor) that Petey’s the voice of the people.

Station owner Martin Sheen protests his hiring, but Petey’s un-PC humor and controversial social commentary strike a resonant chord with the masses. His growing influence is later confirmed when he calms angry mobs who burn the city in response to Martin Luther King’s assassination.

It’s not easy being Petey Greene. He becomes dissatisfied with mainstream fame, starts drinking heavily, damages his friendship and business partnership with Ejiofor and gets all shagadelic with a chick who ain’t longtime girlfriend Taraji P. Henson.

Having recently played more introverted roles (e.g., the overrated Reign on Me), Cheadle lets loose and gets his groove on here, channeling Petey’s passion and growly vocal patterns. Though Talk doesn’t always smoothly transition between its broad comedy and message-heavy drama, Cheadle convincingly layers his outrageousness with off-the-air pain and pathos. He receives strong backup from Ejiofor and the feisty Henson, who looks foxy in her funk-tastic threads!

The 180—a Second Opinion:  What’s with all the fake facial hair? That’s jive, man! Cheadle gets saddled with—and upstaged by—a scary ’stache and sideburns that get bigger and badder (and I mean bad, not badass!) as the movie goes along. Are we witnessing the evolution of style—or the birth of the Chia Pet?