Dope (2015)

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.

Director:

Rick Famuyiwa

Writer:

Rick Famuyiwa

Stars:

Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons

6 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
ASAP Rocky	...	Dom (as A$ap Rocky)
Blake Anderson	...	Will Sherwood
Bruce Beatty	...	Mr. Bailey
De'aundre Bonds	...	Stacey
Julian Finch	...	Mario (as Julian Brand)
Quincy Brown	...	Jaleel
Kiersey Clemons	...	Diggy
Kimberly Elise	...	Lisa Hayes
Rick Fox	...	Councilman Blackmon
Christopher Glenn	...	Crip 1
Ricky Harris	...	Tannehill James
Chanel Iman	...	Lily
Wyking Jones	...	SAT Proctor
Amin Joseph	...	The Voice
Kap G	...	Fidel X

Storyline

A coming of age comedy/drama for the post hip hop generation. Malcolm is a geek, carefully surviving life in The Bottoms, a tough neighborhood in Inglewood, CA filled with gangsters and drug dealers, while juggling his senior year of college applications, interviews and the SAT. His dream is to attend Harvard. A chance invitation to a big underground party leads Malcolm and his friends into an "only in Los Angeles" gritty adventure filled with offbeat characters and bad choices. If Malcolm can persevere, he'll go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself.

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Plot Keywords:

african american | geek | hip hop | tomboy | bitcoin | 

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Taglines:

It's hard out here for a geek.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

18A

Did You Know?

Trivia

LaKeith Stanfield, who plays Bug in the film, is depicted as a member of the Bloods gang. In the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton (2015), Keith portrays Snoop Dogg, who is affiliated with the Crips. Both films were released in 2015 and deal with themes about early 90s hip-hop in LA.

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Goofs

In the beginning of the movie, Malcolm is seen putting on Aqua Blue sneakers (Air Jordan 3) but when he is on his bike in the following scene, his shoes are White and Red. In the next shot, they are back to the Aqua Blue version.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Malcolm: Soon the world is only going to buy and sell products using bitcoins.

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Connections

References Game of Thrones (2011)

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Soundtracks

Bitch Better Have My Money
Written by AMG (as Jason Lewis)
Performed by AMG
Courtesy of Select Records

User Reviews

Irresistible Fun

"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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

19 June 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dope

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,100,010, 21 June 2015

Gross USA:

$17,506,470

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$17,986,781

Company Credits

Production Co:

i am OTHER, Forest Whitaker's Significant Productions, Revolt Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1