"Dope" is Dope is Overused....but True.

It is rare to get a film that is original, clever, funny,and takes you to an unfamiliar environment. Dope is certainly one of those films. Directed by Rick Famuyiwa, the film follows the story of Malcolm (Shameik Moore),  his friends Jib (Tony Revolori), and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), who are high school geeks obsessed with hip hop culture of the 1990s. This fun for them, and at the same time not so fun for them because they grow up in Inglewood, California where gangs run the streets. They are constantly picked on for not just being geeks, but black geeks, as they are told people of their color should not be interested in things like punk rock and Game of  Thrones.  After an incident at a party, Malcolm ends up finding drugs, belonging to a gang member, in his backpack. This leads Malcolm and his friends in a string of misadventures as they come up with ways to get rid of the drugs, and while at the same time Malcolm must get into Harvard and woo his crush, Nakia (Zoe Kravtiz). While a touch over time, Dope succeeds to present and interesting, charming, and funny story with adventurous and relatable characters. 



This film has a talented and intriguing ensemble. But the real stars are the three leads. Jib is a very funny comrade to Malcolm. He can be cowardly and reluctant at times, but Revolori shares a dynamic chemistry with Moore and Clemons. Because of this, I did not really mind some of the cowardly or stupid things he does or says, because it seems believable. So believable in fact, that I laugh at his words and actions instead of being annoyed by them. Diggy is Malcolm's lesbian friend, is also very funny as well as relatable. The good thing is that her character is not fully written around the fact that she is lesbian. She is actually a fleshed out, funny, and interesting character besides that little trait of hers. The charm that comes from Jib and Diggy is that they seem like real people and real friends people currently have or had. Then there is the main lead, Malcolm. Let me just say that Shameik Moore does a terrific job in playing this character. I find that he is very charismatic and interesting to watch. I hope this guy gets more worthy acting roles in the future that leads him into well deserved A-list stardom. With that said, Malcolm is a great lead for the film. I find myself relating to him the most, because not only am I kind of a black geek, but there was a time that I was obsessed with 90s pop culture like music, movies, style, etc. In fact, I'm still kind of am! But I think he's relatable to anyone, because even though 90s hip hop might not be everybody's current obsession, there is an interest they might have that makes them look like an outcast to society. And that's how Malcolm feels. He has a hard enough time growing up as an African-American youth in the rough neighborhoods of Inglewood, but on top of that he's a geek. So he's an outcast to even some of his people. But this characters provides witty and funny lines, as well as a respectable intellect that he is worthy to follow along on this crazy adventure of his. 


The only criticisms I have is that Zoe Kravitz's character as too much of an absence. The character seems interesting enough, and Kravitz does a good job in the role, but I could not get too attached to her because is she is not in much of the film. Then when she does return to the movie, it's like "Oh yeah, you're in this movie too". Another thing is the film may have been around ten minutes too long. There are certain scenes around the third act which could have acted as a good ending to the film, but maybe they wanted to tie a few loose ends. Personally I think they could have been ignored. But despite that Dope provides an adventurous and charming coming-of-age story with a lot of heart and themes of friendship, finding your identity, being comfortable with your identity, growing up, and responsibility. It's one of those films that mixes bits, pieces, spices, and all sorts of little flavors of genres into one whole cohesive movie that really works and is very entertaining. Yeah what the hell, it's been said a million times by other critics and audiences who have seen the movie, but Dope is dope!



GRADE: AE