There is a terrific line in the film White Boy Rick—teased in the trailer—where someone responds the extraordinary true story of Rick Wershe Jr. (Richie Merritt) with, “Would you believe a 15-year-old kid was working for the federal government?” To which his father Richard Wershe Sr. (Matthew McConaughey) responds, aghast that it is even questioned, “But… he was.”
After inhaling the heartbreakingly raw movie, one can see why White Boy Rick (his nickname given to him by one of his associates that sticks) it is so hard to wrap your head around the fact that this happened to the Detroit native in the mid-80s.
As is the case with most biopics, the challenge is giving a stunning and vast story its due in the cinematic three-act format. Director Yann Demange manages to (mostly) keep this gritty drama compelling and do justice to Rick and what happened to him. The word “justice” in that previous sentence was absolutely on purpose, given that is the furthest descriptor from the truth to accurately capture the cards that the young hustler were dealt.
Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but his thirty-plus years spent in prison are the longest in Michigan history for a non-violent offender.
As the film commences, Wershe and his boy are at a gun show. In a matter of moments, it is painted impeccably what these two are all about on one hand and on the other, we know exactly the pool we will be swimming in for the next two hours. Wershe is not going to win any father of the year awards. He and his 15-year-old son are in many ways equal partners in this gun-sales business that papa operates out of the trunk of his car and the basement of his home.
The FBI approaches, led by Jennifer Jason Leigh’s Agent Snyder, and dictates that Rick either aids them—and the Detroit PD Narcotics Office—by running crack on the streets of the Motor City, or his father is going to jail for selling weapons that are used in murders. Just like that, White Boy Rick becomes a drug dealer… something he’s quite adept at. His job is to be an informant and as a benefit (besides his father not going to prison), he gets to keep the cash from the prolifically profitable gig.
Demange works the story that ebbs and flows over three years with a steady hand. His film wavers on occasion as it works its way through some challenging times that must be touched upon due to the rich scope of Rick’s story. Yet, at the same time, they drag down the momentum of the overall arc of the true tale itself. That perfectly illustrates the minefield that is telling someone’s story in the medium of film. There is so much that needs to be included, yet its mere existence up on the screen can hinder the power of the entire effort.
Saving it completely are the performances of all involved, particularly our leading father-son dynamic duo. McConaughey is sublime as a father who keenly knows the life he has created for his children (his daughter Dawn, played by Bel Powley, is a drug addict) rarely has a happy ending. Yet, he is doing the best he can. Detroit is a poor city and opportunities for folks are scarce. One can have a lot of sympathy for their collective plight. That is largely why a seriously faulted couple of souls are worth cheering for in White Boy Rick. There is no scenario where this thing ends OK, history and headlines have told us that. Yet, through McConaughey and Merritt’s stunning turns, our heart strings are firmly intertwined in their characters’ dark fate.
Merritt is a find. The young actor beat out a slew of other performers to tackle the titular role and makes an announcement with his talents. Creating a compelling soul that audiences will want the best for, given that he starts the movie as a gun runner and closes it as a kingpin, is an almost impossible endeavor. In the hands of the young thespian, our heart breaks at his fate. There is a light he brings to the character that is blinding, even though the dark and dirty streets of Detroit overpower with the opposite of illumination.
Merritt and McConaughey have a chemistry that is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking. Desperate times call for desperate measures and one cannot help but wonder if these two had been in a different locale in a different decade their collective destiny may have been different. The fact that that is our sentiment after witnessing White Boy Rick speaks volumes about the two actors’ astute turns.
The supporting cast is sensational. Bruce Dern is divine as Grandpa Roman ‘Ray’ Wershe, while Piper Laurie fans the family fires tackling Grandma Verna Wershe. You know that if Leigh is in your film, it automatically gets elevated. That is definitely the case with her latest as even her performance has us conflicted because so much of what happens to Rick is due to the situation she put him in to being with. RJ Cyler’s Rudell ‘Boo’ Curry is Rick’s best friend and he to crafts a captivating character in a landscape that is filled with less than savory souls.
White Boy Rick is the rare movie biography that captures the spirit of what it is that made a true tale stand out in the pages of history in the first place. This chronicle of a teenager—tapped to be an FBI and local PD informant—is at its heart a searing indictment of an economic and justice system that has failed.
Grade: B