Dope

Score:B+

Director:Rick Famuyiwa

Cast:Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Zoe Kravitz, A$AP Rocky

Running Time:103 Minutes

Rated:R

"I'm not like these other n- - - -s." That's what Malcolm (Shameik Moore) tells his crush Nakia (Zoe Kravitz) early on in Dope. But the realities of life in "The Bottoms," an especially poor section of Inglewood, California, will put that mission statement to the test.

Until his senior year, Malcolm has eschewed the violence and drug dealing that's crippled his neighborhood, preferring to skate and make music with his friends Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons). But when an obscene amount of MDMA finds its way into Malcolm's bag due to a mix-up, what's a bright kid to do?

Dope has a style all its own, but like the best rap tracks that Malcolm listens to, it knows what to sample. There's some Risky Business here, some Ferris Bueller's Day Off there, and in one section, Pulp Fiction. (There are also too many similarities to The Wackness, but we'll just move on.)

The cast, mostly filled with actors with light résumés, is uniformly fantastic, particularly Shameik Moore in the lead. Malcolm can't help but be charming, even when he's nervous or inserting himself in situations beyond his capabilities. Like Malcolm, Moore has a bright future ahead of him if he makes the right choices.

Director Rick Famuyiwa (The Wood) keeps the tone light, except for one tense scene which sticks out like a sore thumb. He also toys with the structure, sometimes rewinding scenes to show what happened before Malcolm arrived. It gives it some flair but doesn't always work. And when a third-act twist reveals itself, the film feels a little too clever for its own good. It then undercuts that cleverness by having Malcolm read his painfully obvious college admissions essay in voiceover.

Still, Dope is both consciously retro and exceedingly of the moment. Its effortless vibe makes it a perfect summer movie, especially if you're looking for a break from superheroes. In a word: It's dope.

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About Stephen Davis

Stephen Davis
I owe this hobby/career to the one and only Stephanie Peterman who, while interning at Fox, told me that I had too many opinions and irrelevant information to keep it all bottled up inside. I survived my first rated R film, Alive, at the ripe age of 8, it took me months to grasp the fact that Julia Roberts actually died at the end of Steel Magnolias, and I might be the only person alive who actually enjoyed Sorority Row…for its comedic value of course. While my friends can drink you under the table, I can outwatch you when it comes iconic, yet horrid 80s films like Adventures in Babysitting and Troop Beverly Hills. I have no shame when it comes to what I like, and if you have a problem with that, then we’ll settle it on the racquetball court. I see too many movies to actually win any film trivia contest, so don’t waste your first pick on me. My friends rent movies from my bookcase shelves, and one day I do plan to start charging. I long to live in LA, where my movie obsession will actually help me fit in, but for now I am content with my home in Austin. I prefer indies to blockbusters, Longhorns to Sooners and Halloween to Friday the 13th. I miss the classics, as well as John Ritter, and I hope to one day sit down and interview the amazing Kate Winslet.

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