Review of White Boy Rick (2018) by John C — 13 Sep 2018

Based on an incredible true story, young Richard Wersche Jr. (Richie Merritt) and his father, Richard Wersche Sr. (Matthew McConaughey), live in abject poverty peddling modified guns to criminals in 1980's Detroit. After his drug addict sister leaves them and a surprise visit from the FBI, Ricky Jr. is coerced into selling drugs as an informant for the Bureau in order to keep what remains of his family together.

Before one of the film's world premiere screenings at Telluride Film Festival 2018, Matthew McConaughey came on stage with a foreword introducing "White Boy Rick". McConaughey enthusiastically stated that, after reading the script, he was excited to dive into its much-needed look at poverty in the United States and the deep-seeded impacts it can have on families suffering through it. Unfortunately, "White Boy Rick" is an underwhelming narrative mess lacking clear vision or focus in its storytelling and themes.

One's always told to show, not tell, in any sort of creative endeavor, and with a tale so focused on the legendary rise of someone such as Ricky, the film is sadly missing a strong narrative througline chronicling his amazing story. "White Boy Rick" glosses over many, many details showing the fourteen-year old boy gain prominence in Detroit's drug rings, and his involvement with the FBI (Jennifer Jason Leigh is utterly wasted as one of Rick's recruiters) similarly comes and goes in scattered intervals. As such, one never sees him become a kingpin or true informant, arguably the centerpieces of the film. The film leaves its audience more confused on what's happened and will happen rather than engaged and engrossed.

Instead, a large chunk of the plot involves stiltedly paced, unrelated scenes (stitched together with a poor editing job) meander across several drug dealers and the muddled, barely developed dynamics between them, each other, and Rick. And while Rick's centerpiece story is bafflingly shrugged off, too many subplots-including Rick becoming a teenage father, his sister's disappearance, a critical injury, and more-are thrown at the wall hoping to stick, but don't.

Worse still, the film's narrative weakness is reciprocated with an underwritten lead part for Richie Merritt's Rick. Merritt gets nothing of substance to chew on, which is an absolute crime given how fascinating Rick's story is. If anything, "White Boy Rick"'s epilogue is its best part as a recording of the real Rick Wersche mournfully details the outcomes of the film with raw, uncharacteristically shocking emotion.

It's a shame, really, because McConaughey is great as Rick Sr. His love for his family is immaculately conveyed, especially when the morally questionable things he does to support it start taking their tolls, though his relationship with Rick Jr. ultimately feels underwritten and one-sided on the latter's part.

There are glimmers of substance in "White Boy Rick" (at one point, Rick Sr. argues over his gun business being a constitutional right while condemning the illegal drug trade), but they're ultimately relegated to one-off remarks and shots that come off as mere afterthoughts. The imagery of poverty, white and black relations, and drug transactions can be striking at times, but nothing is done with these promising moments of potential. That's really just the film as a whole.

Grade: C-.