In a multiplex universe dominated by remakes, reboots, sequels, prequels and derivative mainstream fare, we raise a glass to “Sorry to Bother You” for pushing the envelope, pushing the buttons on incendiary topics and pushing the boundaries of conventional storytelling.

This movie is bat-bleep crazy even as it makes solid and thought-provoking arguments. It veers all over the place, at times scoring major laughs, on occasion working quite well as a social satire and a screwball romance. But it also falters with some running jokes that stumble and collapse, and a few cringe-inducing scenes that aim for provocation but seem forced.

On balance, though, writer-director Boots Riley and the risk-taking ensemble cast deliver a unique and offbeat and weird and memorable blend of comedy, fantasy and sci-fi wackiness.

Lakeith Stanfield has the chance to carry a film with his lead performance in “Sorry to Bother You,” and he knocks it out of the park.

Stanfield plays Oakland resident Cassius Green, a likable and smart and goodhearted guy who hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, professionally speaking. Cassius and his life-force of a starving-artist girlfriend, Detroit (the wonderful Tessa Thompson), live in the garage — not an apartment ABOVE a garage, but the actual garage — of the house owned by Cassius’ Uncle Sergio (Terry Crews), who is facing his own financial struggles and is on the verge of losing his home. Detroit believes in Cassius and is emotionally invested in their future together, but at some point, Cassius is going to have to fulfill his potential, or it’s gonna be goodbye, Detroit.

When Cassius lands a “job” at a gigantic telemarketing firm called RegalView that pays only commission and offers no benefits, it hardly seems like a game-changer, especially because Cassius is terrible at making sales — until a wise veteran played by Danny Glover tells Cassius to use his “white voice” when making his sales pitch. All of a sudden, Cassius is a better closer than Mariano Rivera in his prime.

Granted, the black-guy-doing-the-white-guy-voice is a tired bit by now. How many stand-ups over how many years have done variations on that routine? But “Sorry to Bother You” acknowledges that even while running with it. When Cassius affects his white-guy voice, it’s a tremendously obvious overdub, with David Cross reciting the lines as Stanfield mouths the dialogue. (Patton Oswalt does the white-guy line readings for another male character, while Lily James is the white-gal vocal stand-in when Detroit invokes a Caucasian delivery.)

Boom! Just like that, Cassius Green (as in “cash is green”) becomes a superstar at the firm, joining the elite telemarketers on the higher floor and quickly scoring multimillion-dollar deals. The transactions are highly illegal and morally repugnant, but Cassius is having such a great time enjoying his newfound success he can’t be bothered with such trivial concerns. But the more we learn about RegalView’s primary client, a “lifestyle” company called WorryFree that offers to ease one’s financial burdens via a contract that sentences you to a lifetime of what is essentially prison labor, the more we hope Cassius will wipe the dollar signs from his eyes and focus on what’s really important.

It’s easy and certainly not inaccurate to compare “Sorry to Bother You” to “Get Out,” in that both films are lower-budget hybrid satires from talented directors who take sharp jabs at race relations in America while also dishing out outrageous laughs and bloody shock moments. While I didn’t find the former as accomplished and memorable as the latter, “Sorry to Bother You” stands on its own as a welcome slap to the senses.