Dope

The trailer was a great visual feast but it doesn't show the scale of the movie and how excellent it is. 3 kids from Inglewood, CA, a town we're usually not asked to care about, have to wise up about drug dealing. I actively tried to find a bad performance, and I couldn't find a single one. Unlike many other "black" films, this one has comedic elements and tries to get you to laugh using memes and potty humor. Typically, this would carry a negative connotation, but in the case of this movie it is excellently executed and the pace is so quick that you don't even care how juvenile it is. I encourage everyone to watch this movie when it releases in June, specifically on the 19th. I'm sure it won't have the story it did at Sundance, however. Open Road may change a few elements of the story, which would be a shame. I'm giving this one a 9/10, just in case the movie isn't as good as it once was at Sundance, so bear that in mind.

As I was driving to the movie theater to see "Dope" (R, 1:43), I was thinking about how that word is usually used as a slang term and in one of three main ways. Then, as the movie opened, those three definitions appeared on the screen. (Thank you, filmmakers, for making it so easy for me to decide how to open this review.) In short, dope can mean a stupid person, something really cool or refer to an illegal drug. All this begs the question, which of those definitions applies to this film? Short answer: all of them.

The movie centers on 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.

"Dope" takes place in one of the rougher neighborhoods in L.A., another circumstance that 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 (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" (and maybe because he can help her pass her GED). 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. 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.

He receives instructions from Dom as to where to take the drugs, but he and his friends are still being pursued by that first caller (Amin Joseph). Malcom, Jib and Diggy take the drugs to a fancy house where Dom sends them and they meet their contact's young adult children (Keith Stanfield and Chanel Iman). Daddy's not home, so the five of them decide to hang out. Things don't go much better at the house than they did at the club the night before, so Malcolm and his friends are forced to improvise. They concoct a plan to get rid of the drugs with relatively little risk to themselves and the possibility of some significant rewards. They enlist the help of an old acquaintance from band camp (who also happens to be both a druggie and a hacker) by the name of Will Sherwood (Blake Anderson). Their audacious plan may solve all their problems, or it may land them in jail – or worse. No matter what happens, the three friends seem destined to shed at least some of their labels, and maybe gain some new ones.

"Dope" reminds me of the inner-city-set films of the 90s (the very period with which the three main characters are obsessed), 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 in our inner cities and the use of labels in our society at large. The film's pedigree certainly contributed to its effectiveness. "Dope" 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.

Malcolm and his friends are appealing and sympathetic characters, but make some morally questionable decisions. While the script makes light of their circumstances, it also slyly comments on them, but without suggesting definitive right and wrong answers. This is a coming-of-age movie that is both enjoyable and thought-provoking. There are a few too many loose ends for my taste and I found much of the plot to be a little too morally ambiguous, but this is still one of the best urban dramas in the past 20 years. To sum up this review, let me suggest some slightly altered meanings for the film's title: Dope can refer to some of the movie's main characters, the curse of their neighborhoods or anyone who won't at least consider seeing the film because of labels they may have already assigned to it. "B+"

Grab a coming-of-age film with 3 innocent teens, slap an R (MA15+) rating on it and you get this very 'dope' film. Dope is easily one of the most interesting and by far unique films of the last few years. You go in expecting one thing, and come out of it getting something far from what you wanted. Usually that would be a bad thing, but this film was so intelligent and different that you can't help but leave with a smile on your face. I was expecting some sort of run of the mill coming-of-age comedy after seeing the trailer, but the film is much more complex than that, incorporating lots of themes and ideas that make you think while also keeping up the fun entertainment the whole way through. It was just a really refreshing thing to see in a world where most films today are just borrowing from other successful films. This movie has fantastic performances, an entertaining and fun plot that takes turns you never expect, and a great visual style that makes this stand out on its own in the Coming-Of-Age film genre.

Lets talk about these performances shall we, because these are three that will most likely get severely overlooked this year but i don't think it is the last we have heard of some of these actors. Your main guy Shameik Moore did an incredible job at playing Malcolm, this teenager who is trying to keep in line with school and college whilst all of these problems come his way that force him to be someone more than just the geek. He was great at conveying that this guy really wants to do good in the world but sometimes things happen that force you to act against your own instincts. He handled the serious intense scenes well, he delivered so great on the comedy and has definitely opened the door on his movie career. The other great performance was Tony Revolori who was so funny and witty and played his character well. I loved him in last years 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' so i had no doubt he would be great in this and he did not disappoint. His character could very easily been the dopey side character who is only around for comic relief but he proved to be an integral part of the film. But my favourite performance had to be by Kiersey Clemons who absolutely killed it in what is her breakout roll. She brought so much life and personality not only to her character but also to the film and made it infinitely more funny and entertaining. I can't wait to see her in more things because i loved her in this.

Lets talk about the plot, storytelling and structure of this film because it was mostly very very well made and told. I have to give a load of credit to the writers of this film because the plot for this film did not go in any direction i could've thought of in a million years. It was so engaging and there was a sense of urgency to the film, like, you always are wanting to know what will happen next and where the film is going to take you. Incredible writing that worked really really well. While i was watching the film i wasn't so thrilled with the first 15 minutes or so, i felt that it was taking too long to introduce these characters and showing things that didn't look like they were leading anywhere. But by the end of the film, everything about the beginning pays off, you get this very interesting before and after that incorporates some interesting themes about being yourself and thats where the film does great at incorporating some positive messages.

The film got a little patchy at times, where it was kind of dwelling on one thing when i wanted to move on to see what was going on with something else, but that was very quick and minor and didn't hurt it that much. In the end, this film was full of awesome, refreshing ideas that took the coming-of-age genre i love to new heights. Packed with comedy, some well used action, as well as incorporating crime and drama elements, this really was a complete package and is an indie film you should definitely check out and have a 'dope' ride. - 8.4

"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.

If you watch a lot of films, you develop an instinct for what is happening behind the camera. Some films -- heck, most films -- are all about the money, the box office, the payoff.

Not so with auteur Rick Famuyiwa's DOPE. Running at an overlong 1:45, you sense that money might have been the last thing on this writer/director's mind when he crafted the script; created some of the most endearing characters in modern film; carefully snuck into the dialog his puns, life lessons and bon mots; extracted top performances from his team; and ultimately created an experience that more "overwhelms" the viewer with images and ideas than "overpowers."

I liked it. I really liked it. But I go out of my way to catch films that most mainstream viewers don't, because film as a medium fascinates me.

The other IMDb members have done some great reviews and I don't want to repeat what has been said.

I do want to add this: technically the film is almost perfect. There is nothing obviously wrong with any scene, trope, performance ... it all works. And passion? There is tons of passion, nicely hidden in the script, obvious only in the way the film alternates back and forth between fast noisy action, and contemplative self-absorbed scenes of the type you would be more likely to find in a Woody Allen picture. Even with voice-over.

It has everything but pacing -- and that is the critical flaw. Famuyiwa tried so hard to cram so much into DOPE that the film lacks internal rhythm. By the very end, the viewer, while appreciative of the characters and the story, is pretty much lost.

One hopes that in his next project Famuyiwa will pay more attention to the viewers and less to his own "bucket list" of things he wants to cram into the story.

In that way, what starts as merely good ... could be great.