‘Dope’ Is A Fresh ’90s-Inspired Coming Of Age Adventure: ‘Superbad’ Meets ‘Go’
By Peter Sciretta/June 19, 2015 1:00 pm EST
Four days in, Rick Famuyiwa’s Dope is the best film I’ve seen so far at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. A coming of age story for the “post hip hop generation” best described as a mix of three films: Doug Liman’s Go, Greg Mottola’s Superbad and John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood. I’m posting this review the morning after the premiere and its being reported that six studios are rabidly bidding to distribute this film — its insanely accessible movie for a Sundance film and will sure to be a hit that lives on past its festival and theatrical runs. Read my Dope review after the jump.
The story follows a group of modern-day over achieving geeks obsessed with 90’s music, fashion and pop culture. At the center of which is Malcolm, a high school senior whose dream is to attend college at Harvard. A chance encounter leads the group to an underground party which kickstarts them on an outlandish yet somehow plausible adventure filled with the worst choices possible.
The film has a lot to say about growing up black in a bad neighborhood with bigger dreams than can be afforded. It’s about subverting expectations and staying true to yourself in the most impossible no win situation. The film provides an interesting portrait of “The Bottoms” area of Inglewood California, filled with gangsters and drug dealers. Inglewood native Famuyiwa said during the question and answer session that the area presents those that grow up there with choices, usually either horrible or worse.
Dope is much deeper than its pop culture throwback shell, featuring high school characters with complexity and authenticity played by a trio of amazing young actors — Shameik Moore gives a breakout performance as Malcolm and we get to see more of Tony Revolori, probably best known as Zero from Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel.
Forest Whitaker provides some sparse voice over narration and Zoe Kravitz is provided as compelling bait for Malcolm’s crazy sprawling adventure (Famuyiwa said that Zoe was the movie’s Penny Lane, a complimentary reference to Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous).
While the story is linear for the most part, the screenplay offers us a few flashbacks which sometimes further connect the characters and stories like a well constructed puzzle.
Dope is charming and poignant — an incredibly relatable urban dramedy that works on almost every level.
/Film Rating: 9 out of 10
