There has been quite a lot of buzz surrounding Dope since it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last winter. Now that the film is about to be released to audiences, how does it live up to the hype?
Let’s just say that it is a solid, fun and insightful film, but it does not pack the whopping punch we expected it would have, given all the fanfare.
Dope stars a trio of young actors who portray a trifecta of teens that are trying their best just to make it through and survive high school in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the country, Inglewood, California.
Shameik Moore is the lead, Malcolm, and this is truly his story. The Grand Budapest Hotel scene-stealer Tony Revolori is Jib and Kiersey Clemons is Diggy. The three of them have bonded over comic books and most of all, ’90s hip hop music that is reflected in their look and even the tunes their band plays. For those of us who likewise share an affinity for that era of the true expansion of hip hop into the masses, Dope is a fantastic trip. But, honestly, it surprised us by being so much more.
Dope could be thought about as a coming-of-age comedy that focuses on the emergence of the word dope with its hip hop meaning of “things that are really cool.” It is that, but it is also about the word’s other meaning, drugs.
See, Malcolm is in his senior year of high school and he has dreams of attending Harvard in the fall but to get there is complicated to say the least. When he stumbles on an enormous amount of drugs, somehow it is connected to his alumni interview and our goody two-shoes must find a way along with his two friends of getting rid of the loot and making a bank of cash without anyone finding out or worse, getting caught.
Moore is a revelation. He delivers his lines with bravado that combines a fear of the future and an assuredness in his gifts and talents that impeccably captures the emotional rollercoaster that is being a teenager. Through his characterization we see that the old adage of judging a book by its cover is not only wrong and completely off the mark, but that sometimes that cover is thrust upon us by society and often one has to embrace it in order to not only survive, but break out of the bonds that are holding us back.
Revolori continues his hot streak and Clemons also breaks a few stereotypes with her portrayal. A few others shine as well, most notably Zoe Kravitz and Blake Anderson.
The film is produced by Pharrell Williams, Forest Whitaker and Sean Combs, among others with Whitaker also serving as the film’s narrator. One can easily tell that this is a passion project for all those involved and that determination to get this story out should be rewarded with audiences lining up to see it. It is funny. It is timely. And it is most of all, entertaining as can be, and yes, you’re going to want the soundtrack.
Grade: B