Review of Dope (2015) by Phil P — 10 Sep 2015

"What about my pound cake?!".

There's clearly some of the director 'Rick Famuyiwa' on 'Dope' - probably a lot actually. 'Malcolm' comes across as a very personal character, even if the events aren't. The 90s love, the hip-hop soundtrack and geek moniker of the main character. They all seem specifically chosen, connected too by the director. This all leads to an immensely like-able film and showcases several stars in the making.

'Malcolm', 'Diggy' and 'Jib' are a bunch of high school friends who listen to 90s hit hop and play in a punk band. Not too mention there specific sense style matching their 90s musical influence. It's fair to say they stick out in their rough neighbourhood. It's also noted that they get picked on for liking a lot of "white guy shit" - manga, punk, skateboarding etc. They don't match their surroundings. 'Malcolm' is the 'main' character here and arguably stands out more than the other two.

His school has regular drugs checks and is full of drug dealers, crip and blood members and has a metal detector at the entrance. Things are made all teh worse when at a party the police raid it and 'Dom' (a dope seller) drops his 'lunch' (as they call it) in Malcolm's bag. This pushes 'Malcolm' into something he's tried to avoid - he's aiming to go to 'Harvard'. The story revolves around 'Malcolm' and his friends trying to get rid of, offload and without causing their death or being locked-up.

It's a teenage comedy drama at its heart with an adventure-like progression. There are a couple of interesting characters a hacker who laments on sex, a promiscuous women who ends up pissing in a bush and her brother who's pretty thick (and of course the pound cake guy). It was surprisingly funny, similar to 'After Hours' in its list of colourful oddball characters. In a sea of samey teenage comedies set in high school 'Dope' stands out. It also stands out in its dealing with drugs, it's not all negative and descent into a life of crime - ending with a showcase for 'Malcolm's (rightful) arrogance that a teacher says early on.

'Dope' is an immensely like-able film. It has a free-flowing adventure feel and has a great balance of its serious and tongue-in-cheek side. All with an excellent soundtrack behind it. With fantastic music throughout like Korn's 'Freak On A Leash' or A Tribe Called Quest's 'Scenario' and some strong comedy moments that don't feel forced. All in all it's an easy watch, (if you don't mind all the swearing) it's got a positive message that ins't forced or thrown down your throat. It's a lot of fun and a joy to watch.