Rick Famuyiwa, who writes and directs Dope, manages to accomplish something quite tremendous Dope, which is depicting youth culture in a way that doesn't feel like the executives from the Poochie episode of The Simpsons were in charge of it. Instead, modern technology and slang is weaved into the story in a manner that only helps advance the characters or the energy of the story. It never felt like I was watching a distorted version of "kids-these-days", especially when it came to actually giving a heart and soul to the main characters.
This ability to take potentially troubling story elements and turn them into something far more engrossing extends to our lead character, Malcolm. Shameik Moore deserves tremendous amounts of kudos for making the protagonist of Dope as fascinating as he is, with Moore giving the gawky personality several moments real vulnerability that feel downright tangible. Watching him navigate a world of crime and drugs becomes simultaneously humorous (like a scene with him dealing with an important criminal and his two bags) and tragic in the hands of Moore, whose the type of actor who I can assure you we'll be seeing much more of in the years to come.
Occasionally, scenes in Dope tend to drag on a bit, but to be fair, it's hard to blame editor Lee Haugen for having a tough time breaking away from the zesty energy brought out by the majority of Dopes set pieces. Instead of feeling overwhelming, the relentless "go-go-go!!!" style of the story matches the exuberance nature of ones teenage years, where possibilities seem endless. Of course, rarely in real life do those possibilities involve inadvertently procuring a backpack of narcotics, but ya get my point.
That theme helps give Dope a unified vision that only exemplifies the movies virtues. It's hard not to get suckered into its vigorous tale thanks to some strong writing and especially the notable acting (Clemons, Moore and Revelori have a very witty and real dynamic and Blake Anderson steals the entire show). A shame the movie isn't faring better at the box office, but hopefully Dope and its numerous charms are discovered by viewers in the future.
This ability to take potentially troubling story elements and turn them into something far more engrossing extends to our lead character, Malcolm. Shameik Moore deserves tremendous amounts of kudos for making the protagonist of Dope as fascinating as he is, with Moore giving the gawky personality several moments real vulnerability that feel downright tangible. Watching him navigate a world of crime and drugs becomes simultaneously humorous (like a scene with him dealing with an important criminal and his two bags) and tragic in the hands of Moore, whose the type of actor who I can assure you we'll be seeing much more of in the years to come.
Occasionally, scenes in Dope tend to drag on a bit, but to be fair, it's hard to blame editor Lee Haugen for having a tough time breaking away from the zesty energy brought out by the majority of Dopes set pieces. Instead of feeling overwhelming, the relentless "go-go-go!!!" style of the story matches the exuberance nature of ones teenage years, where possibilities seem endless. Of course, rarely in real life do those possibilities involve inadvertently procuring a backpack of narcotics, but ya get my point.
That theme helps give Dope a unified vision that only exemplifies the movies virtues. It's hard not to get suckered into its vigorous tale thanks to some strong writing and especially the notable acting (Clemons, Moore and Revelori have a very witty and real dynamic and Blake Anderson steals the entire show). A shame the movie isn't faring better at the box office, but hopefully Dope and its numerous charms are discovered by viewers in the future.
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