Danny Glover Barely Appears in His Most Critically Acclaimed Movie
Danny Glover has appeared in dozens of movies since making his film debut in 1979’s Escape from Alcatraz. Despite his varied filmography, the acclaimed actor never won an Academy Award. Thankfully, in 2022 Glover received an honorary Oscar for his contributions. Still, most fans probably know the actor best from the Lethal Weapon series. But they might not realize that Glover’s most critically lauded movie is actually one they’ve likely never even seen.
Danny Glover has starred in many beloved movies
In the 1980s, Glover rose to stardom with movies like Places in the Heart, Witness, and Silverado. He also played Mr. Albert Johnson in the Steven Spielberg-directed period drama The Color Purple. In that film, he co-starred opposite three Oscar-nominated performances from Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Margaret Avery. Then just two years later, he joined Mel Gibson in director Richard Donner’s 1987 hit Lethal Weapon.
In the years since, Glover reunited with Gibson for three sequels to that blockbuster, still one of the most popular buddy cop movie of all time. But Glover has continued to star in a wide range of movies from virtually every genre. He plays the U.S. president in the 2009 disaster movie 2012, kickstarted a horror game-changer in Saw, and was a key part of the ensemble cast in Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums.
But he has a small role in his biggest hit with critics
However, while Glover’s films range from critically reviled to award-winning, none of the above movies boasts the best reviews of his career. Instead, that honor belongs to 2018’s Sorry to Bother You. With a 93 percent Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the surreal satire from first-time director Boots Riley is the most beloved film in which Glover plays a key role. Ironically, the actor doesn’t even have much screen time in the movie.
For those who haven’t seen it — most people, given its $18 million gross, according to Box Office Mojo — Lakeith Stanfied stars as a Black telemarketer who excels at work when he adopts a “white voice.” Glover’s character, Langston, is the one who suggests that approach. So even though he isn’t in Sorry to Bother You a ton, Glover’s role is imperative. Ironically, the actor’s highest-grossing movie, Jumanji: The Next Level, came out the following year.
Is ‘Sorry to Bother You’ currently streaming online?
Many actors in Sorry to Bother You have gone on to become much bigger stars. Stanfield himself was Oscar-nominated for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah. And co-stars Jermaine Fowler, Steven Yuen, and especially Tessa Thompson have only gained more traction in Hollywood. So fans of theirs might be interested in catching up with Glover’s surprise critical smash.
Thankfully, Sorry to Bother You is available to stream at home. According to JustWatch.com, the movie is streaming for subscribers of fuboTV, AMC+, DirecTV, and Spectrum. But even fans who don’t have any of those can see Sorry to Bother You for free with ads on Tubi. It’s not a bad way for Glover fans to keep busy as work on Lethal Weapon 5 continues to progress.
