Dope
Dope
In Theaters: Jun 19, 2015 Wide
Runtime: 1 hr. 55 min.
Rating: R (for languge, drug
content, sexuality/nudity, and some violence- all involving teens)
Genre:
Drama, Comedy
Directed & Written by Rick Famuyiwa
Rated R for profanity,
nudity, sexuality, ethnic slurs, drug use and violence, all involving teens
Distributor: Open Road Films
Film Review by
Kam Williams
Excellent (★★★★)
17 year-old Malcolm (Shameik Moore) was raised by a single-mom
(Kimberly Elise) in a rather rough section of L.A. where he’s turned out to be
more of a milquetoast than a menace to society. He’s actually so nerdy he’s
formed a funk band called Oreo with a couple of fellow geeks, Diggy (Kiersey
Clemons) and Jib (Tony Revolori). The tight-knit BFFs carefully negotiate their
way through the perilous gauntlet lining their path to school, doing their best
to hide the fact that they do “white sh*t” like getting good grades in hopes of
going to a good college and making it out of the ghetto.
Malcolm has his
heart set on Harvard, which just might happen, given his high SAT scores. In
terms of his application, he still has to finish his personal essay and then do
a decent job in his upcoming interview with esteemed alumnus Austin Jacoby
(Roger Guenveur Smith), the check-cashing magnate.
However, what might
prove more of a challenge is simply keeping his nose clean the rest of senior
year. After all, he encounters danger on a daily basis, whether it’s bullies
trying steal his sneakers or neighborhood gangstas pressuring him to join the
Bloods.
Malcolm’s unraveling starts when, against his better judgment,
he accepts an invite from a girl he has a crush on (Zoe Kravitz) to a drug
dealer’s (Rakim Mayers) birthday party at an underground nightclub. His first
mistake is even entering the seedy, subterranean rave. His second is asking
Nakia to dance, because she’s also the object of the macho birthday boy’s
affection.
Then, when a gunfight suddenly breaks out, Malcolm grabs his
backpack and runs for his life, unaware that his rival in romance has hidden a
stash of contraband there. So, the next thing you know, Malcolm’s on the run
from a number of unsavory characters who covet the carefully-packed powdery
substance.
Thus unfolds Dope, a cleverly-scripted, coming-of-age comedy
reminiscent of the equally-sophisticated Dear White People. Narrated by Forest
Whitaker, this laff-a-minute, fish-out-of-water adventure mines most of its
humor at the expense of an emboldened 98-pound weakling who’s used to having
sand kicked in his face.
The picture was directed by Rick Famuyiwa
(Brown Sugar) who keeps you entertained by turning more than a few conventions
on their heads. The film also features a very pleasant soundtrack which includes
a couple of crowd-pleasing tunes by 11-time, Grammy-winner Pharrell Williams.
A rollicking roller coaster ride around the ’hood that’s basically a
hilarious cross between Kid and Play’s House Party (1990) and Harold & Kumar Go
to White Castle (2004).