Review of Dope (2015) by Maksim B — 25 Nov 2015

One of the most precious gems of 2015 and already an instant indie-classic, Dope is a stylish, smart, entertaining and cheerfully refreshing coming-of-age story. Delightfully original and with star-making leading performance by Shameik Moore this indie-comedy is not only a funny teen ride, but also a sort of hidden, but sharp satirical take on the typical Hollywood gangster thrillers.

Malcolm is an extremely talented senior high-school geek, whose strive for obtaining a full scholarship at any of the top Ivy League colleges is quite impressive. When he and his geek friends get the chance to enter a night club they accidentally get involved in a clash between drugs gangs and somehow Malcolm takes the wrong backpack which happens to be full of drugs. When it turns out that the person on whom Malcolm's recommendations depend is actually a drugs kingpin and unless Malcolm distributes the stash he has, the talented boy is not going to obtain the much needed help.

By blending with loads of dialogue-based humor, funky atmosphere and nice pacing, Rick Fumuyiva's movie stands out from all similar deliveries with its refreshing and cheerful towards life. Never taking itself too serious, the movie is also a harsh take on social generalization and gangster life, while it cheerfully refers to the glorious 90s and delivers infectiously hilarious moments. Add up to the equation the discovery of Shameik Moore and you end up with a must see and delightfully entertaining movie.

If every year has its one or two indie, art-house movies that become classics, we could definitely say that Dope joins "Me and Early and The Dying Girl" as the best deliveries in this category for 2015.