Dope (2015) Reviews

• Promising set up, but after 15 minutes story takes a nose-dive

  peter-stead-740-4869632015-09-06

  Every technical aspect, direction, soundtrack, performances gets a gold star. But the story just gets sillier with each second, culminating in a preachy ending which seems to want to shoehorn depth into a film which has been lacking it for the most part. The easiest comparison here is with House Party, but where the comedy in that film was outlandish, it was at least believable and organic. Malcolm as the hero is given many a test, but whereas a typical Hero will meet these tests in a way that really says something specifically about him, the waves really part suspiciously quickly for Malcolm. He gets jumped by his high school bullies and he gets them to back down by pointing a gun at them. Implausibly, they are not packing. He is made to sell the MDMA he found in his backpack - like a drug king pin would trust someone who he had never met, and surprise surprise this is Malcolm's opportunity to screw the screwer. It ends up a clichéd, lazy exercise that, apart from some early set-pieces, manages to be neither funny nor dramatic.

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• Optimism in a hopeless place

  StevePulaski2015-06-19

  Rick Famuyiwa's "Dope" opens by providing its titular term with three distinct definitions - to paraphrase, the word can mean an illegal drug, a stupid person, or an affirmation of something's greatness. For the next one-hundred and ten minutes, the film works to illustrate all of those features in some way or another through a lens that's unique, refreshing, and respectful to its characters and their cultures. Our main character is Malcolm (Shameik Moore), a black teenager carefully surviving in his crime/drug-ridden neighborhood of Inglewood, California, Despite being influenced by modern forces like the internet and Bitcoin, he loves nineties hip-hop and the culture of yesteryear, and so do his two closest friends, Jib ("The Grand Budapest Hotel"'s Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), who play in his punk band. Malcolm is going for what seems to be the impossible, which is applying for Harvard and forging a successful career path post-high school. However, in the mix of taking his SAT and writing his college entrance essay, Malcolm gets caught up in the underworld of illegal drugs and crime in the most unconventional way possible. After being invited to a party thrown by a drug dealer (rapper A$AP Rocky), Malcolm works to craft a name for himself by getting invested in the online drug-drealing world, using the help of a local hacker and Bitcoin to create a huge influx of revenue for him and his friends. Famuyiwa attempts to do the same thing to African-Americans that John Hughes did with the middle class high school population in the 1980's, which is cut through the stereotypes, the incredulous romances, and what adults perceive teenagers to be like to really get to the heart of them as people. People with choices and decisions to make that are often times as big or as impacting as the ones adults make. The difference is, however, adults come equipped with life experiences where teenagers generally come equipped with their own instincts and peer pressure in their decision-making. "Dope" shows the constant struggles of being a moral teenager engulfed in a society driven by illegal behavior and surrounded by peers who are nudging you onto a more dangerous pathway than on which you'd like to travel. The fact that it pays homage to the music and the urban movies of the 1990's is interesting because "Dope" doesn't focus on an anti-hero in a gritty neighborhood, much like the films of that era did. Instead, adhering to the principles of Hughes, it turns to the geek and, in turn, humanizes and paints him as a character trying to find himself in the mix of all this madness. Famuyiwa and cinematographer Rachel Morrison crossbreed the early 1990's hip-hop culture with the contemporary technology of the mid-2010's, causing a culture shock of epic proportions in "Dope"'s aesthetic variety. "Dope" has the cinematic look of acid-washed jeans, the feel of a sun-soaked day at the beach, and the smells of everything from acne cream, sunscreen, and marijuana ostensibly infused into every scene. It's the kind of aesthetic that's so detail-centric it almost channels the likes of Wes Anderson, minus the meticulous symmetry in every scene. 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, echo the sentiments of Cuba Gooding, Jr. in "Boyz 'N The Hood," another conflicted soul caught in between being moral in a morally bankrupt area or taking the easy way out. Alongside Revolori and Clemons, two supporting roles that, again, go far and beyond the call of supporting roles, Moore is a talented who you find yourself being unable to take your eyes off of throughout the entire film. Above all the aesthetic and character charm, "Dope" is a surprisingly optimistic film. It doesn't get bogged down by environmental cynicism, even when Malcolm has to turn into the kind of people he never wanted to associate himself with. Famuyiwa takes a brave step in the opposite direction of his peers, capturing acts like drug-dealing and backhanded deals in a light that accentuates joy and positivity, but it's all this that make "Dope" an even more fascinating character study, coming of age story, and a subversive tale about life in an urban area.

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• Irresistible Fun

  bloodclay2015-06-20

  "Dope" is not the movie that you probably expect when hearing the title. I want to stress that. The word itself has negative connotations (with most thinking immediately of drugs when they hear it), and though it certainly deals with things of that sort, it isn't really that simple. The few definitions of the word are addressed at the beginning of the film, most notably as a slang term referring to something that is "very good". This definition, my favorite of the few, seems to capture the movie in the best light. Essentially, this is a coming-of-age picture. Our main character is Malcolm, a high-school senior who's obsessed with 90s hip-hop culture, and who constantly shows this affection by emulating the fashion and language of the time. He's a straight-A student with perfect SAT scores and seems to have everything under control - despite a few bullies - until he finds himself taking a chance invitation to a drug dealer's birthday party along with his two best friends. From there, he's taken on a crazy adventure littered with bad choice after bad choice, all the while juggling college applications and interviews that will surely determine his future. Writer/Director Rick Famuyiwa strips the film of any tired clichés or stereotypes for African-American characters, and surprisingly manages to infuse details that question the issues of racism and class discrimination. But above all, he makes a really fun movie. The writing is sharp and humorous, with the acting from the main trio - Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, and Kiersey Clemons - complimenting it excellently. And though it's undoubtedly rough around the edges, its wit and ceaseless energy make it irresistible.

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• Overrated

  KineticSeoul2015-10-05

  I want to say this is a dope movie, but I personally don't think it really is all that. I mean I think one of the reasons why some people like this movie is because of the protagonist. Who is this geek that is into the 90's, that a lot of geeks and maybe nerds can relate with. He is unique in his own way, but he is relatable. So before watching this movie, I had no idea what this movie would be about. I first thought it would be a endearing movie about a group of retro geeks and the relationship between then and their pursuits. However this movie is about 3 friends who are geeks that are into 90's style and music that gets entangled in a drug trade. This is a coming of age movie that I really wanted to enjoy because of the unique group of friends in this. The set up however started out really interesting and enticing, but started to go downhill after few minutes in. And when the who drug aspect of the movie kicked in, the movie got boring. I think this movie would have had something if it kept going with the set up it had from the beginning. The acting is pretty good and believable though, especially the interactions. And I did like the message about racism and discrimination but it just didn't connect that well in the end. Because it felt like it was going in a entirely different vibe out of nowhere. It just lacked the impact or the endearing charm I wanted out of it. I didn't really like this movie nor did I enjoy it all that much. This movie is a bit bizarre but not in a good way either. Despite the Slippery-slope direction, this movie just kept faltering. And I am not those people that nitpick movies for it's exposure or point fingers at a film because of my own morals. Which some reviewers are bashing on this film because of. However this movie didn't do it for me. 5.5/10

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• Disappointing! Stop using this movie as a Hood for Dummies or Black Culture 101

  leeleechick2015-07-12

  Note: This was written before Chi-Raq came out which was 10 times worst! *In Flavor Flav voice* "Don't believe the hype!!" (Public Enemy,1988) As someone who grew up as an 80's baby and 90's kid to early teens, I had high expectations for this film. I was so excited to see this movie. My background in break dancing (bgirling) is all about 80's- 90's hip hop. I love Kid N Play's House Party, In Living Color, New Jack Swing and Hip Hop Artists! I enjoyed the classic 1999 movie "The Wood" starring Omar Epps and Taye Diggs, another movie by the SAME director as "Dope," Rick Famuyiwa. The beginning of the movie "Dope" was GOLD with the cinematography style, comedy and 90's nostalgia, BUT right in the middle this movie CRASHED into a DISASTER as the plot unraveled and dragged on FOREVER to ridiculous unrealistic circumstances!! So what went wrong? The reason there is a lot of HYPE for this movie and high ratings is because "Dope" serves as a Black Culture 101 and Hood for Dummies for people who have NOT been exposed to diversity BELOW middle class. The older age crowd sees this movie as a tool to learn on what's "in" or cool now for the new generation. Also the people who are at the top of the Sundance film festival, the decision makers REALLY PUSHED this movie. Then you have the black folks that just like this movie for the hip hop and 90s references and turn a deaf ear to the black stereotypes and terrible message. People are SO mind blown and so intrigued with the cool factors of this film like the rappers and celebrity cast, 90's beats, culture, social media and party scenes through out the movie, that they MISSED and IGNORED the underlying NEGATIVE message that says "If you're from the Hood, you stay Hood. And that's what you'll always be. There's NO way out, so CONFORM." This movie also had the NERVE to imply that college was only a WHITE thing and that selling drugs is the ONLY WAY out the hood for a black male. *SPOILER Alert* I haven't wanted to walk out in a movie theater in a long time. When this movie got to the part that was SUPPOSED to be a clever plot twist, where Malcolm's only ticket out the hood turns out to be a TRAP to conform and push drugs, I LOST IT!!! Malcolm's Harvard Alumni interviewer and could-have-been mentor Austin Jacoby was the drug lord and head of the entire drug operation. He turned out to be the final mystery person that Malcolm had to deliver the money for the backpack of drugs to. What a simpleton coincidence! So stupid! Why would a successful Harvard grad still be pushing drugs to the youth on the streets? Here you have someone also from "the bottoms" from the same hood that made it into Harvard but stayed in the drug game, getting kids to push dope AFTER making it "successful" out the hood. That communicates "Look kids, even when you make it to the top universities, you still need to sell drugs and destroy your black communities and lives. Getting lil n**** shot up for you." I know there are plenty of people who did shady things they felt they needed to do to get by while in the Hood, but once they were out they DIDN'T return to destructive ways. The high school security guard is the same OG from The Wood, the blood gang "Stacey" who appears to turn his life around and takes a regular job is MORE of a role model than his Harvard connection that stayed in the drug game. It gets WORST! *Another SPOILER* At the end Malcolm blackmails or outsmarts Austin and convinces him to get him into Harvard by threatening to expose his drug operation. He somehow outsmarts an older OG and elite Harvard alum grad. Then in his STUPID essay to Harvard he talks about selling drugs in this "woe is me, I'm from the hood" fashion. He gets into Harvard through blackmailing Austin and crappy essay. The attempt to be "DEEP" or profound made me want to walk out because he was justifying selling dope and the end climax scene PALED in Comparison to 90's movie classics like Boyz N the Hood, Higher Learning and Above the Rim. The irony is that the male lead character "Malcolm" looks like Ricky from Boyz N the Hood (1991) who had a football scholarship to get out the hood (but died before he could). Ricky chose sports as his way out the hood. Malcolm's way out was selling dope in pill form on the Internet. This movie does the COMPLETE opposite of what classic 90's hood/urban movies taught us, but yet the main cast are 90's obsessed nerds??? Another part that was unrealistic and just plain stupid is when the nerd Malcolm pulls out a gun with shaking nervous hands on the Blood gangster leader at night in the hood on the street. Then the gang lead backs off scared of him. What "blood" gangster is UNARMED in the hood, in the worst side of Cali at night???! Later at the end, that same Blood leader nods at him in respect to give him "props." The gang leader doesn't challenge him seeing he is obviously shaking and most likely wouldn't shoot. He also doesn't retaliate being punked in front of his gang crew. YEAH OKAY SURE! I will end with this: "Dope" was not DOPE! It did not have the "Jazz" (A Tribe Called Quest) or "JUICE" (1992 movie)! Read in between the lines. Don't be simple.

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