When local radio station program director Dewey Hughes (Chiwetel Ejiofor) stops by the prison on a visit to his convicted brother, a haughty Greene demands a job at his detainment's end. Unaware of the weight of his words, Hughes responds with sarcasm, "Give me a call when you get out."

  Petey's conniving determination eventually lands him a regular spot on-air (to Hughes' dismay), which becomes an ideal platform for illuminating injustice and catalyzing change. His uncanny goulash of soul music, sidesplitting humor, and social commentary escalates him to on-air deity. And when this rootsy, plebian polemic makes him "the voice of the people," Greene provides stability and hope to people fractured and lost.

Playing on the eccentricity of 1960s culture, Talk To Me's slapstick-saturated-start made me wonder initially if I was in for an African-American Austin Powers. However, realistically dynamic writing and smart attention to detail restored the quirky chaos into a bitingly honest memoir of the deep pain usually preceding great progress.

  This kind of story is too complex to end at the credits - a whole people in Petey's legacy continue to echo another of their great advocates:

We'd rather die on our feet Than be living in our knees Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud. -James Brown

I give Talk to Me 4 out of 5 truths be told.

  ============================

Andrew is a writer, photographer, and musician who equally enjoys evenings and mornings. He works at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall and spends much of his free time creating lists full of tasks that only whittle down future free time. He considers pepper-jack cheese a most handsome union of pungency and spice. You can reach him on his blog at thispres entsojourn.blogspot.com