Dope (2015) Review!!

Synopsis – Life changes for Malcolm, a geek who’s surviving life in a tough neighborhood, after a chance invitation to an underground party leads him and his friends into a Los Angeles adventure.

My Take – Trust me, just don’t make an assumption about this film because of its drug synonym title! As much as I enjoy Hollywood Blockbusters, it’s always nice to get a nice fresh independent film during the summer season to get away from all the superhero’s and explosions that have become routine over the past few years. This is a film that fits the criteria. There’s an energy and heart here that’s absent in many feature films today. You can tell this was a project where those involved had a drive to bring their vision to the big screen. While the John Hughes-esque story of teens getting into trouble is familiar, the focus on a geeky African-American in an urban climate manages to make it feel somewhat fresh and relevant in today’s social climate. It takes advantage of it’s environment and does and excellent job of capturing urban L.A. Coming into the film I expected something along the lines of The Girl Next Door (2004) only without the porn angle. Both films do involve a trio of nerds coming of age through harsh and seedy realities after all. What I got however was a movie more in-tune with Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) mixed with Boy N the Hood (1991). A movie with sage-worthy thoughts and unique perspective told with a structure that is at times cinematically jarring. A satire of the highest order that hits the funny bone as well as aims directly for the heart. The film reminded me of the inner-city-set films of the 90s (the very period with which the three main characters are obsessed about), but with less violence and more laughs. The movie uses humor to add entertainment value to the story, but also as a different way of approaching some very important issues, including ongoing problems of the society at large. The film is produced (and partially narrated by) Forest Whitaker, while Sean Combs and Pharrell Williams share executive producer credits. It also doesn’t hurt that the movie is so well-written and well-directed by Rick Famuyiwa (Brown Sugar, The Wood) and has a strong, though little-known cast. The story follows a highly intelligent black high school senior Malcolm (Shameik Moore) and his two friends, multi-racial Jib (Tony Revolori) and lesbian Diggy (Kiersey Clemons). Now, I only use these labels because these characters use them for themselves. (They also refer to each other using the n-word, a situation which is used both for laughs and social commentary.)

Here’s another label the three use for themselves: geeks. Malcolm, Jib and Diggy geek out over 1990s-era rap and hip-hop. They see the 90s as a golden age for these kinds of music and they dress accordingly. In their spare time, however, we see them practicing in their punk rock band. Yup, the three main characters use lots of labels, but they defy them at the same time. For example, even though they see themselves as geeks, it doesn’t mean that they’re not cool or are incapable of getting along with non-geeks. In short, these labels describe the characters, but don’t define them. And that distinction is really what this movie is about. Even though they live in one of the rough neighborhoods in L.A., Malcolm seems intent on rising above. He is just hanging out with his friends and working at getting into Harvard when a chance meeting with a neighborhood drug dealer named Dom (Rakim Mayers aka A$AP Rocky) gets him invited to Dom’s birthday party at a local club. The party doesn’t exactly go as planned. Malcolm ends up leaving with Nakia (Zoë Kravitz), a girl who Dom thinks belongs to him, but seems more attracted to Malcolm for being “different from the others” . The next day, Malcolm discovers that he has also left the party with a significant amount of Ecstasy (aka Molly) and a gun that does belong to Dom in his backpack. When a cell phone in the bag rings, the caller demands the drugs. Before Malcolm can hand off the contents of his backpack, the cell phone rings again. It’s Dom, calling from jail and warning Malcolm not to turn over the drugs to the other caller. Malcolm is caught in the middle. No matter what happens, the three friends seem destined to shed at least some of their labels, and maybe gain some new ones. The episodic nature of the film is part of its charm. Side stories involving Malcolm’s crush on the drug dealer’s girlfriend Nakia and the budding popularity of the trio’s band are given time to breathe and go on tangents. Writer/Director Rick Famuyiwa cares less about story structure than about getting the audience to identify with Malcolm. His foibles might have graver struggles than those you or I may have faced but being a teen means everything we did back then had immediacy and consequence. I for one can see myself in Malcolm even though the gravest issue I had to deal with at his age was not getting the part I wanted in the school play or being kicked out of the annual school dance. What works? The film utilizes very interesting editing techniques and jumping of time. The characters are fast and fun for the most part.

The plot is one of the most interesting I’ve seen constructed in a while. Almost no bit of dialogue is wasted although, it could have for more character development. The pace is lightning quick but the film does begin to feel a bit long as it resolves its complicated plot threads. But by the time it does, the energy is restored and you go out on a fun note. Malcolm, Jacoby, Lily, and Dominique were some of the most interesting characters of film. The other strong area of the film is it’s performances. The three leads all are great and share a fantastic chemistry with one another. Shameik Moore must be given considerable praise for his role here, which can only be described as a breakout performance. His human characteristics, carefully painted by Famuyiwa, his conflicted personalities, and his subtle arrogance, all traits that, in the end, make him very likable. His portrayal of Malcolm didn’t seem forced at all. It was very natural and Shameik brings a huge likability factor to Malcolm. With his comedic timing and serious tone to the film. Alongside Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel) & Clemons, two supporting roles that, again, go far and beyond the call of supporting roles, Moore is a talent who you find yourself being unable to take your eyes off of throughout the entire film. I found Lily character to incredibly interesting and would have loved to see her included in more of the plot as rival love interest. Kravitz‘s character felt left out of the film and wished she had returned to the movie a lot sooner. What do we learn that she has in common with the main character other than the fact that he likes her?. Well nothing much actually. Nevertheless the characters in this film really bring life into this film. Which is very important since plot isn’t the only thing that makes up a good story. Oh, and the soundtrack is one of the best I’ve heard in a film this year. On the whole, ‘Dope’ is a fascinating coming of age story with great performances, energy, and a fresh take on the genre. The film deserves all the praise that it has been receiving. Hopefully the film will get more popular over the years. Along with the young talent that came along. Give it a watch!