Directed and
written by Nigerian-American Rick Famuyiwa, Dope is a movie I read
about and have been curious to see. After watching it, I was glad I did. The
movie is funny and smart, and the style of presentation—where things run ahead
and then take you back to reveal more about the events—was at first confusing
but became cool afterward. Dope delivers the goods when it comes to
comedy and makes sure you, the viewer, find every scene captivating enough to
want to finish the movie.
By the end of
the movie (which wasn’t as grand as I hoped, leaving me wondering what else I
could have wanted), I wished more was happening to keep the reel rolling.
Here’s a movie about three high school students with good grades who couldn’t
fit in with any crowd. They turn into drug dealers and hackers overnight to
save their hides.
Dope starts
with an opening narration from director Rick Famuyiwa, and we’re gently
introduced to the lead cast, led by Malcolm Adekanbi (Shameik Moore), a high
school senior obsessed with the '90s. His dress style and hairstyle might make
you think the movie was set in the '90s. Along with his friends Jib (Tony
Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), they’re more like geeks and formed their
own band to deal with feeling ostracized.
While going
about their lives, the group gets invited to a club party organized by a drug
dealer, who uses Malcolm to get a girl he’s dating to show up. While there,
things get heated, and they have to bail from the club. The next day, Malcolm
discovers his school bag, which he took to the club and left behind the
counter, is now filled with drugs and a gun.
Now they must
find a way to return the drugs to the original owner while evading the cops and
other drug lords who want the stash from these inexperienced high school
seniors.
The movie’s
cinematography is worth appreciating, especially considering the production
cost, and the cast is not easy to forget. Watching a movie where the leads are
relatively unknown yet deliver their roles with such perfection and fun is
something else worth noting. Shameik Moore (a rapper I didn’t know) takes the
lead in this movie, backed up by Tony Revolori (The
Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)) and Kiersey Clemons, who was just
awesome. Also in the cast is Zoë Kravitz, the daughter of Lenny Kravitz.
Although her acting wasn’t spectacular, it was fun to see her face.
This movie might slip under the radar for most, but don’t be fooled by the mini-budget of $700,000. It’s good and worth your time, so go see it.
