The 'Talk'Of Washington

The Baltimore Sun

Kasi Lemmons' movie is called Talk to Me, but what it really does is sing to you, in the argot and cadences of soul, jazz, rock and rhythm and blues.

This fact-based story of the Washington, D.C., broadcast personality Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr. (Don Cheadle) and his partnership and friendship with WOL-AM program manager Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor) spills over with a musical energy that makes even familiar scenes jiggle and bounce. And Cheadle is astonishing. Whether he's dancing in his underwear with his ex-stripper girlfriend or pulling off a Richard Pyror-esque stand-up confession, he makes you feel that Petey's heart pounds to a funky beat.

Talk to Me (Focus Features). Starring Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Taraji P. Henson, Martin Sheen. Directed by Kasi Lemmons. R. 118 minutes.

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