Review of Dope (2015) by Henry J — 18 Jan 2016

Dope is a one-of-a-kind film in that it borrows many elements from different movies, but spins them in such a way that you'd swear they created a brand-new genre; this movie gleefully goes all over the place and it is a BLAST! The story follows three nerdy, black, outcasts living in the projects of Los Angeles who are obsessed with 90s hip-hop culture and upon being invited to a drug dealer's party, get mixed up in an insane adventure that will change their lives forever.

Starting with the acting, these three kids blew me away, newcomer Kiersey Clemons was hilarious as a very forward lesbian, Tony Revolori from The Grand Budapest Hotel was completely unrecognizable until about halfway through and provided a lot of the laughs, and the starmaking performance from Shameik Moore is easily the most enjoyable thing about this film and his charisma will take him places.

Their characters are so well fleshed-out with their effortless chemistry, their willingness to be themselves, and the fact that they have a rap-rock band with surprisingly catchy and impressive songs; you'd swear these were based on real people.

Once the main plot kicks in, shit goes bananas as they end up in one predicament after another and this is where the hilarity of the film lies as you try to see how they will get ahead of each rising obstacle.

The soundtrack is also one of the film's greatest strengths with tons of hip-hop classics, a particularly great use of Korn's, Freak On A Leash, and Pharrell Williams writing the original music for their band, Awreeoh.

By the time we reach the end of the film, it begins to focus more on the arc of the lead character, Malcolm, and at first you're rooting for his changes, but then by the time the credits roll you reflect and realize that the film does give a bit of a conflicting message on how to achieve your goals and it feels a bit jarring juxtaposed to the up-beat tone of the rest of the film.

Apart from that, this film is a complete breath of fresh air in the coming-of-age genre that had me cracking up and moving to the great soundtrack throughout; a true hidden gem!