Dope: The Could, the Should and the Empty

When a bunch of 90's hip hop culture obsessed teens in Inglewood decide to attend a drug dealer's birthday party, they are flung into a whirlwind of betrayal, crime, and Bitcoins. Rick Famuyiwa writes and directs this modern dramedy that follows a senior struggling with his identity in American culture, whether it be the stereotyped black identity of dropping out of school, joining gangs, and only going to college if they're athletic, or sucking up to the big schools by using the stereotypical "I never met my dad and I'm stuck in the hood" story to their advantage. Dope's protagonist, straight-A geek Malcolm (played terrifically by Shameik Moore, who I cannot praise enough), aspires to attend Harvard while maintaining a small punk band with his friends Jib and Diggy, played by Tony Revolori (Zero in Grand Budapest Hotel) and Kiersey Clemons (of Amazon Prime's Transparent fame). Revolori and Clemons both do great playing Malcolm's friends, especially Clemons as their best lesbian friend whose parents take to church every weekend to pray the gay away from (hilarious!). This film is snarky, raunchy (especially when Malcolm's virginity is tested by a coke-addled seductress), and extremely modern, remembering not only do we live in an age of technology, but an age where a lot of possibilities that we often forget can come back in ways you would not imagine.



With a bit more focus here, I can honestly say that Dope has the best screenplay of the year thus far. Famuyiwa delivers the punches and the punchlines, mixing humor and drama in a way that I need to point to Birdman for a decent comparison. You will laugh, you will think, and for some of us (meaning most of us that didn't grow up as a lower class minority), you will wonder how much differently you would react in Malcolm's situation. He approaches his unique problem of indentured drug dealing with a sense of awareness of what is expected of him and what he wants to do to buck that trend. This film is about identity and being who you are without letting racism and stereotypes affect you, and so we have the perfect character to follow with Malcolm, who knows who he is and who he wants to be but goes through an identity crisis nonetheless in refinding himself.

The music is also terrific here, which was produced by Pharrell Williams but composed by Germaine Franco. The punk style of Malcolm and his friends' band definitely owes inspiration to both hip hop of the 90's and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, but it fits perfectly and the rest of the score keeps the pulse going. Famuyiwa keeps the story and direction taut yet fluid, wasting no time while telling his tale but still remembering to flesh out the characters and let the plot flow. Although I laughed more often than not, there were several scenes that were very intense, reminding us that even though this movie is mostly fun and games, real life is not and people die every day in it.

When it comes down to it, I feel like Dope was a more modern version of Boyz n the Hood, taking that similar leaving-the-ghetto-and-coming-of-age story and making it not only current but more complex, remembering that life is not about race or sexuality; it's about identity and self-fulfillment.


Verdict: You SHOULD recommend this film to all mature audiences, as there is a decent amount of titties on screen but nothing more, and the cinematic treat of a story removes any negativity that you may or may not feel from that.