As Hollywood uses ‘90s nostalgia solely to cash in our generation’s glossed-eyed fondness for a past era — and why else would something like Fuller House exist — what’s most refreshing about writer/director Rick Famuyiwa’s (Brown Sugar) latest, Dope, is not how it uses this charm to establish its quirky characters and tone, but rather to signify the universal confusion of transitioning from youth into adulthood. It’s a potent character study, but beyond this, the technical suave, wit and laughs packed throughout are more than satisfying enough to make this an instant crowd charmer.
Three high school seniors, Malcolm (Shameik Moore), Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), live out their pre-college days as if the spirit of the ‘90s never died. Jean jackets, gold chains and high jeans are regular outfit choices, their hair is always tall and in order, and they can never stop singing the praises of — what they consider to be — the glory days of hip-hop. So, of course, they aren’t necessarily the hippest kids in their class. But that’s okay, because they got each other’s company to help them pass the time thank to their chipper pop band and extended bike rides throughout the neighborhood.
And during these treks, Malcolm continuously admires the beautiful high school dropout Nakia (Zoë Kravitz) from afar. Deeply in love with her, his insecurities always get the better of him and he, therefore, can never muster the courage to talk to her. But he soon finds the strength through the help of local drug dealer Dom (A$AP Rocky). Dom wants Nakia to come to his extravagant birthday party, and uses his recent acquaintance to get her to come. Charmed by Malcolm's insecurities, she tells Dom that she’ll come solely if their middleman is invited too.
So with that, Malcolm and his friends enter the best night of their high school lives. Drinks are thrown down, music is in full swing and he even gets a brief dance with his crush. But just as the party comes to a screeching halt, our three leads soon unwilling find themselves in the life of crime, and it turns out their petty crimes may end up Malcolm’s only way to get into Harvard. Particularly when they're actions are intertwined with a powerful local figure. It’s Superbad meets House Party, with a twinge of Breaking Bad and Friday thrown into the mix.
As expected by that synopsis, though, the story here is a little more convoluted and bloated than it really needs to be — particularly considering the breezy tone Famuyiwa’s aims for. Even broken down slightly, the ways events unfold in Dope are hard to swallow, and this somewhat kills the relatable fun of the project. So it’s a testament to the characters, and the performers behind them, that the wavy narrative appears as plausible and relatable as it does. Moore especially guides the film with a coasted introspective, thrusting the intelligence and sensitivity of his Malcolm commitment and heart to spare.
But in his first acting role, Rocky displays not only a fine talent for dilated comedy but a confidence in front of the camera some professional actors didn’t obtain at this point in their careers. A rapper’s transition to acting always ends up with mixed results, but based on his work here, Rocky is as assured and astute an actor as any around him. Much like Kid Cudi or Tupac before him, he knows how to coast by on his charm, and this lets him make an impression while letting his other performers also shine. Were he not the professional musician, there’s reason to believe he’d impress more if he fined tuned his skills. This could be for Rocky what Boyz n the Hood was for Ice Cube. Seriously.
Also, while Revolori already proved himself with The Grand Budapest Hotel, he also gives a fun enough supporting turn here. Even more charming in her limited screen time than him, however, is Transparent star Clemons, who also really has a chance to shine in the years to come. And for the first time in her career, Kravitz demonstrates a knack for playing a casually sensual personality with no fear to show her wit and edge. While criminally underused, Bruce Beatty’s Mr. Bailey plays a humorous understated voice of reason, and even Workaholics’ Blake Anderson is pretty funny as druggie expert Will Sherwood.
Despite Dope’s hobbled narrative, the cast’s bouncy energy make Famuyiwa’s assertive attitude endearing without every becoming irritating. This agreeable charm and pure eagerness works nicely alongside the film's genuine intelligence and great attention to character growth. Famuyiwa uses the sensitivity of the characters to guide us through this messy narrative, and that makes the story seem all the more relatable. Famuyiwa carries his typically well-handled care for characters throughout his noisy narrative, and, at 41, does a surprisingly strong job creating agreeably realistic, down-to-earth dialogue for his teen protagonists. This while also making sure their motivations and interests remain well focused, admit the craziness.
Sizzling with style, smart but gleefully unsophisticated and funny enough to forgive its rough patches, this is a solid entrée into the ever-growing coming-of-age genre, and one with enough spunk to impress admit its recent peers. Though it doesn’t have the same visual pose and forthright independence last week’s Me & Earl & the Dying Girl had, there’s more than enough charm and charisma in here stand out and then some. So if a passably watchable teen comedy is what you desire, don’t say nope to Dope.