Review of Dope

Initial Thought: At first glance I honestly wasn't truly excited about it. I mean it sounded interesting, but it didn't have my full attention. Then I saw the trailer and it looked like a fun ride. With the trailer and many people telling me how great it was I decided it was time. Also when I was a baby my parents lived in Inglewood for about 18 months. So it really is interesting to see how life is portrayed there even if it's in a fictitious setting. My theater is playing it so I went and checked it out.

Characters/Acting: This has a mixture of relatively new and unknown actors, rappers, and a few veterans of Hollywood. It's quite a good selection too. Everyone really proves they have the skills that I'm sure will boost many of their careers. I thought every character was well portrayed. There were just so many colorful characters. I actually thought Diggy was a pretty attractive woman here. She may have been a butch lesbian, but I just wasn't confused like other characters on here. It might also be the fact that I have seen pictures of her dressed like a woman. Shameik Moore was excellent. I thought he really pulled off the nerd vibe. I actually knew quite a few people that were just like him when I was in high school. He is definitely a new favorite of mine whom I hope to see many times in the future. Zoe Kravitz kind of gave off of the vibe of Nia Long from Friday. I wonder if that was intentional. Anyways she is such a beautiful actress. I would have liked more of her here. I might have had a heart attack if Chanel Iman looked at me like she did to Malcolm. She is just so beautiful with the kind of body that I have to try to keep from staring at. She is a model who actually has some pretty good acting chops. Also the fact that she has never actually acted on film before this makes her even more admirable. Keith Stanfield is a pretty good young actor. I wish his part was bigger like it was in Short Term 12. He gets pretty outshined here since his part was very miniscule. Apparently the guy who played Stacey was actually Stacey from another film by Rick Famuyiwa. Tony Revolori was alright, but I thought he was the least interesting of the main trio. His character didn't add too much other than being a friend. Jaleel and Fidel were some rather intensely funny characters. The scenes involving them were just too funny. Kimberly Elise has gotten pretty under the radar after Diary of a Mad Black Woman. It was good to see that she was still around here. Blake Anderson was pretty funny. He brought up a few topics I have heard people mention about with the whole terminology issue. One thing I wasn't expecting was that Forest Whitaker was the narrator. Anyways everyone here really made this fun, funny, and just plain enjoyable.

Story: Three nerdy friends end up getting pulled into the drug business after a drug dealer's party gets crashed. The situations they get themselves in are pretty hilarious. There are a few moments of dark humor here and there, but it's for the most part harmless laughs. I mean at some points the humor is a bit gross out, but it's done in such a way that you can't help being amused and laughing. In all actuality it has a much deeper intelligence to it than just the laugh out loud comedic atmosphere. For that I really had respect for this story. Even though the song lyrics were a little corny I actually thought the band sounded nice. I even admit the song was catchy. I have several scenes in my head that I thought were either funny or just really well done. The ending was fantastic. It gives off a slightly ambiguous moment that makes you think you know what happened. Is it really what we think we know or is it something else. Either way it was pretty well done and definitely keeps you invested from beginning to end.

Directing/Writing: Rick Famuyiwa is one of those directors who sits under the radar. He doesn't even have many films. I did see Our Family Wedding. I thought that one was surprisingly pretty good for something I didn't even know about before watching. I have to say he one upped with this one. It's such a well written comedy that invites a much deeper intelligence than you expect. The dialogue is particularly witty. I hope to more from Famuyiwa in the future.

Final Thought: I absolutely loved this movie. The characters were well written and even better portrayed. It had a mixture of great comedy and intelligence to it. There is never a dull moment throughout. It really pulled me in from beginning to end. I haven't laughed this hard at a movie in awhile. If you haven't seen this I definitely recommend going. It's quite worth the watch.