Review of Dope (2015) by Walter M — 13 Aug 2015

All through high school, Malcolm(Shameik Moore), Jib(Tony Revolori) and Diggy(Kiersey Clemons) have formed their own clique through their unusually high grades, love of nerdy subjects like 90's hip hop and a mixed track record with young women. One day, coming home from school, they make a wrong turn and end up in Dom's(A$AP Rocky) territory. But Dom means no harm to Malcolm. All he wants him to do is deliver a message to Nakia(Zoe Kravitz). That in turn leads to an invitation to a party a local nightclub which Malcolm figures is better than anything else he had planned that night. It is also where all the trouble starts...

With interludes of humor and wit, "Dope" is on the one hand a playful movie about identity. On another level, the movie also manages to treat its subject of young people at risk with all seriousness and respect while also handling some of the more improbable details well. Even as gifted as they are, Malcolm, Jib and Diggy first have to navigate their neighborhood before learning how to do so in the rest of the world, as Malcolm has one eye on attending Harvard. At the same time, being in a high school that is unprepared for them does not make it any easier.