White Boy Rick (2018)

The story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison.

Director:

Yann Demange

Writers:

Andy Weiss, Logan Miller

Stars:

Matthew McConaughey, Richie Merritt, Bel Powley

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew McConaughey	...	Richard Wershe Sr.
Richie Merritt	...	Rick Wershe Jr.
Bel Powley	...	Dawn Wershe
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	FBI Agent Snyder
Brian Tyree Henry	...	Detective Jackson
Rory Cochrane	...	FBI Agent Byrd
RJ Cyler	...	Rudell 'Boo' Curry
Jonathan Majors	...	Johnny 'Lil Man' Curry
Eddie Marsan	...	Art Derrick
Taylour Paige	...	Cathy Volsan-Curry
Bruce Dern	...	Grandpa Roman 'Ray' Wershe
Piper Laurie	...	Grandma Verna Wershe
Raekwon Haynes	...	Edwin 'Nugg' Crutcher
Ishmael Ali	...	'Freaky Steve' Roussell (as Ishmael 'Ishdarr' Ali)
James Howard	...	Chief Homicide Inspector Hill

Storyline

Set in 1980s Detroit at the height of the crack epidemic and the War on Drugs, WHITE BOY RICK is based on the moving story of a blue-collar father and his teenage son, Rick Wershe Jr., who became an undercover police informant and later a drug dealer, before he was abandoned by his handlers.

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Plot Keywords:

detroit michigan | drug trafficking | three word title | color in title | gender in title | 

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Taglines:

Witness the rise of America's youngest hustler, dealer, kingpin, informant, legend.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout, drug content, violence, some sexual references, and brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bruce Dern and Jennifer Jason Leigh also starred in The Hateful Eight (2015).

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Goofs

The bulk of this story is set in the early / mid '80s. However, Wershe Sr. tells his son that he is seeing someone about a "40 Cal". The .40 S&W cartridge debuted January 17, 1990.

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Quotes

Richard Wershe Sr.: Straight talk? Your mother and I. We didn't plan on Dawn.
Richard Wershe Sr.: You didn't plan on you either, but in the end things worked out.
Rick Wershe Jr.: Dawn is a junkie, I'm shitting into a big. Well that turned out well.
Richard Wershe Sr.: What can I say, you know? I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy.

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Connections

References Serpico (1973)

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Soundtracks

Juicy Fruit
Written by James Mtume
Performed by James Mtume and Tawatha Agee
Licensed by Mtume Publishing Inc.
Published by Mtume Publishing Inc.

User Reviews

Just okay

I was expecting a movie that showed the rise (and fall) of the youngest gangster in America, but I ended up getting a movie with an identity crisis. It didn't know if it wanted to be a crime drama or a family drama. Too many details were skipped or fast forwarded, like Rick's rise to power in the second half of the movie. Then it all comes down crashing so fast, I felt like they ran out of time trying to tell the story. The acting was average, I didn't see any particular standout performances, and it was hard to feel empathy for any character. Overall, an okay movie, worth streaming maybe somewhere down the road.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 February 2019 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

A kokainkölyök

Filming Locations:

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$29,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,860,431, 16 September 2018

Gross USA:

$24,011,188

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$25,957,482

Company Credits

Production Co:

LBI Productions, Protozoa Pictures, Studio 8

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1