Dope

"A movie about nerds who love 90's hip-hop showing up a gangster? Yes, please!" was my initial reaction to this movie when I saw it on Netflix. So, last night, I stayed up and watched the movie. And...? Well, I think there's plenty of enjoyable things in this movie, but there's also just some dumb stuff that I can't get past that make this movie a little odd to me.

First of all, I really like Malcolm. He is an enjoyable lead, relate-able and is well developed, not to mention that the actor gives a solid performance. It's easy to care about this character.

I also really liked the set-up of the movie. It had an interesting idea and seemed to have a good way of carrying it out.

Thirdly, I also loved the comedy. There are some legitimately funny moments in this movie.

But...... Let's get into the bad.

This is a bland looking movie. The cinematography is pretty standard, the set design in lack luster, and, outside of Malcolm's clothing, nothing really draws your eye to the screen. Just blah.

The side characters. I have no connections to these side characters. Dicky I only remember because she was a lesbian. That's her only character trait. The other friend is also bland. He's so bland, I don't even remember his name. But the WORST was Malcolm's love interest. I don't remember her name, either. She just seems so self- centered, and all we know is that she dated this one guy and wants to go to Six Flags. Not enough to make me invested in her.

Lastly, the film doesn't know when to end. Seriously. It has, like, 4 different endings. I thought it was over when Malcolm revealed his plan to a man that screwed him over. The music swelled, and the line was given a lot of emphasis. But, NOPE! There's another ending where Malcolm gives a big speech, the music swells, and then there's a line with a lot of focus on it. Is it over? Nope! Chuck Testa! Then there's a boring third ending with the a fore mentioned love interest that we don't care about. There was a fourth ending, and that one is the best. It just ends with a sort of cliff hanger, and I appreciated that ending. The first ending and last ending are just fine. But, they just had too much to cram in and it became too crowded.

So, this film is pretty funny and mostly enjoyable, but I don't think I'm going to watch it again any time soon.

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.

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.

Coming out around the same time as Straight Outta Compton, which also deals with a group of friends in crime filled Cali that has a ton of music, Dope was a bit overshadowed in early August when it hit theaters. Make no mistake though, this is a really good film. It's highly entertaining, fast paced, and easily one of the most original screenplays of 2015 and perhaps of the past few years.

We follow a group of 'nerds' as they call themselves who are highly intelligent but also love 90's rap and jamming out themselves as their own band Awreeoh. It just so happens that they get caught up in a dangerously tricky situation involving some 'dope'. It's fair to say that most of what happens in the film is a bit too coincidental, it is. But what I loved most was this group of nerds and their reactions to each coinciding event. Shameik Moore plays the lead character, Malcom, and he does so wonderfully. If Moore plays his cards correctly, I think we will hear about this kid for years to come.

More importantly, you really buy into the groups dynamic. It never feels fake even when the situation surrounding them gets to be far- fetched. But I guess that also brings me to one of my negatives which is that after the first half or so it turns into Malcom's story. The first 45 minutes are great mainly because of the group's various endeavors. It's not a bad thing necessarily, it was just a tad less interesting. There's also a message behind the film that arises around the last 15 minutes or so and I can definitely see where it would be jarring to people. It doesn't take you out of the film per se but it is something you just have to accept.

So Dope's first half is up in there in my most entertaining 45 minutes of 2015. The last hour is fine but it definitely brings the film down a notch. If anything, Dope is worth watching if you're a fan of rap, a nerd, or you would like to see one of the best performances from someone who likely won't even be considered for an Oscar. Or maybe you just want to check in and see how you're favorite rappers Tyga and ASAP Rocky did on the big screen. Either way, check out Dope.

+Moore's breakthrough role

+Music

+Original idea turns out to be so fun

+Nerds seem like actual nerds

-Second half takes a big dip in quality

7.9/10

Dope is suave, fresh and actually Dope. It is an original, coming of age film featuring 3 high school students, who gets involved with a troublesome gang, & later circumstances forces them to mature from geeks to drug dealers in a snap. The "dopeness" of the film is largely due to its consistent charisma and energy, plus the sheer volume of assets to like. Despite its grassroots setting, there is no melodrama to be found here as the script focuses on being light, engaging & seriously funny. The soundtrack was an absolute nostalgic treat, headlining 90s hip hip like its nobody's business. The lead actors were very relatable as they perfectly nailed their roles from innocent, hormonal adolescents, to desperate for a way out teens. What takes the cake however, is the films main message that is again, original & unique but also powerful. The films shares with us that there is a way to get out of a bad social construct, to make something of yourself. How the film reaches this messaging however, is riddled with questionable plot turnouts and Hollywood sugarcoating. Besides this, seeing Dope was an enjoyable experience. It is well directed, acted and boasts a storyline rarely seen before. For that, the film deserves a 7/10.