These last few weeks have been a rough time for movie releases. Last week’s “[We Are Your Friends](http://move.themaneater.com/stories/2015/9/2/we-are-your-friends-spins-its-wheels/#.Vex2HyxViko)” broke records for the fourth worst opening of a release over 2,000 theaters, and that makes sense, given that I saw it in an entirely empty theater. The new entry in the Transporter series, “The Transporter Refueled,” currently sits at an 18 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but that looks like two thumbs up compared to the 7 percent “Hitman 47” received a couple weeks ago.
With all that in place, it was a blessing to see this summer’s breakout hit “Dope” was getting a rerelease in Columbia’s theaters, shining like a diamond in the faces of the other junk being thrown at viewers.
“Dope” was a passion project by Rick Famuyiwa, who wrote, directed and produced the comedic coming-of-age film. The story follows a trio of self-described geeks growing up in a rough part of Inglewood, California. They worship ’90s hip-hop, starting their own band to imitate the music they love, and they dress in clothes resembling those from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Their too-smart-for-his-own-good leader Malcolm, played by Shameik Moore in his very first movie role, and his two friends Diggy and Jib, Kiersey Clemons and Tony Revolori respectively, get invited to a party by local drug pusher Dom, played by A$AP Rocky. At the party, they accidentally get mixed up with a drug deal and have to get rid of the drugs all while Malcolm tries to get his college application letter to Harvard ready and avoid the Crips chasing them down.
For the most part, everything in the film comes together nicely. Famuyiwa’s directing is fresh and quick, giving energy to the film when needed but stepping back and breathing when necessary. The most impressive camera work came at the main party scene, where disc scratches and rewinds actually affected the camera, which was hypnotizing to watch.
The performances were, all-around, very impressive. Clemons and Revolori did a great job at comedic backup. Blake Anderson, the long-haired guy from “Workaholics,” appears late in the film to get the laughs going just as the plot started getting more serious. Famuyiwa wrote all the gangsters and thugs as lovable idiots despite them technically being the “bad guys,” and the scenes with them using “Track My iPhone” and trash-talking Malcolm over the phone were hilarious. But by far the best and most surprising performance came from Shameik Moore. His twitchy mannerisms and geeky snicker in coalition with him being a relatively new actor completely engrossed me. He wasn’t playing a character — he was the character, and I cannot wait to see what he does next.
The funky soundtrack brought life and energy to every scene. Pharrell Williams was an executive producer and also helped curate the soundtrack, which shows in the catchiness of the hip-hop jams played by Malcolm and friends’ band Awreeoh (pronounced Oreo). The only problem I had with the songs was that, when Awreeoh performed their songs at parties or at band practice, the lip syncs were way off and the whole scene looked fake, which took me out of the movie.
The only other main problem I had with the film was in the story. In concept, it seems simple: Nerdy kids get mixed up with drugs and have to get rid of them while growing up along the way. But Famuyiwa adds in so many extraneous parts that don’t flow with the rest of the story. Malcolm has a love interest, but she doesn’t really affect his actions in any way. The drug dealers give some commentary on drone strikes, then all of them are shot and drones are never mentioned again, which ended up making the scene seem like an excuse for the director to give his two cents on a controversial modern issue. But to be fair, I would rather have the plot too full of ideas and not hit them all rather than stick close to a single focus and miss the mark entirely.
In the end, “Dope” is a passionate, fresh and unique film that stands out among the rest and should not be overlooked.
_MOVE gives “Dope” four out of five stars._