Review of Dope (2015) by Kyle T — 12 Jan 2016

It is hard to say Dope isn't a film for everyone. But I can see it not being everyone's cup of tea. For one thing, there are a large amount of references to '90s hip-hop and Urban culture in general, so I'll admit some of the jokes and references went a little over my head, but it didn't keep my from thoroughly enjoying the movie. The story is simple enough. Malcom (Shamiek Moore) lives in a very dangerous neighborhood. Violence and drugs surround him and his single mother works hard to keep things afloat. He is a geek, who along with his geek sidekicks, Jib (Grand Budapest Hotel's Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), get picked on and beat up at school. They all have every intention of making it into good colleges and taking care of their families. After spending one wrong night with the wrong crowd, Malcom inadvertently ends up with a massive amount of a street drug nicknamed "Molly" in his backpack. Now, he has to elude dangerous parties who want to take possession of it and he also needs to do something we really wouldn't expect of young Malcom-sell it, that is if he wants to keep his friends and family safe. On his adventure of avoiding hooligans and selling the drugs, Malcom also has to make interviews with education professionals in hopes of achieving his goal of getting into Harvard. There's a lot of twists, turns and surprises, some fun, some scary, that I'm certainly not gonna spoil.

The message in Dope isn't really anything new: Kids from the projects have it hard, aren't afforded as many opportunities, but through hard work and dedication they can make a better life for themselves. We've seen it in many films before. What makes Dope so involving is its execution. It never gets super serious even though the stakes in the film are very serious. It doesn't go as far as to make light of the subject matters it deals with but it doesn't even hint at the melodramatic territory similar films eagerly jump into. The script is solid, in fact I have a feeling this will end up being one of my favorite screenplays of the year simply because it is so fun and anti-cliché. The cinematography is also top-notch. Cinematographer Rachel Morrison makes the city of Inlgewood a character itself but doesn't make the shots so large and grandiose we lose focus on our main characters. (As of right now I don't know how much of the film, if any, was actually shot in Inglewood as I cannot find any shooting location info on the film.).

And then there's the cast. A lot of the credit is gonna go to Moore for taking on such a difficult role and carrying much of the film, and deservedly so. But there is a great supporting cast here, particularly Clemons who's character is tough and sarcastic because she has to be, but she is always there to back up her friends. Other talented actors like Keith Stanfield and Zoe Kravitz do what they can with small roles but they simply aren't given a lot to do here as this is primarily the story of Malcom and his two friends.

Dope is not a perfect movie by any stretch-which brings to mind how the story drags in some places and tries to stretch too much film out of such a small amount of material. The ending is also a bit anti-climatic as it all kinda goes out with a whimper rather than the bang such an interesting story needed. But overall writer/director Rick Famuyiwa has crafted a film that deserves to be seen and is a nice break from the rampaging dinosaurs currently inhabiting the multiplex. (That's not to say you shouldn't go see Jurassic World also-you totally should!) Don't miss this opportunity to support a good small film and connect with some likable characters and an interesting story.?