the audience applauded

Lack of good storyline.

A Disappointing Continuation

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

OK, there's a hell of a lot right with this film but it does also just stray off the rails a bit in places. Basically, I felt it got a bit silly in parts but that didn't really spoil the whole. The best thing(s) though are the three friends, especially Shameik Moore - he's so watchable it's untrue. Also Kiersey Clemons just charms the camera to death!Classic old school hiphop makes the film more enjoyable, and it's a feelgood way of spending 90 minutes.A bass in ya face 7 straight outta 10 from me

Rick Famuyiwa's "Dope" begins with an oncreen definition, more or less attempting to explain the definition of the title. Within seconds of the opening scene, viewers discover there is more to dope than its drug connotation. Similar to the title's definition, this movie surprises viewers with a deep underlying theme, and unique qualities many would not guess this movie could provide. Overall, "Dope" is one of a kind, where quick judgements cannot be made. This creative film provides viewers with unique characters, an entertaining soundtrack and plot, and influential theme that has not been replicated. The unique aspects of this movie begin with Malcolm, a straight A high school student who lives in the slums of Los Angeles. Malcolm is a character rarely replicated in movies, considering his African American descent and geeky personality. In this way, Famuyiwa goes against social stereotypes, by creating a main character unlike many others. As the movie continues, Malcolm and his two close friends, introduce viewers to their daily struggles of navigating inner-Los Angeles neighborhoods and their accompanied lifestyle. Eventually, the characters mistakenly find themselves in the midst of a large drug deal, only further complicating their lives. The struggles Malcolm endures, coupled with his creative and intelligent solutions, develop a plot like no other. The soundtrack further amplified the unique aspects of this film. The teens have a punk band where their songs are continuously played within the movie. Produced by Pharrell Williams, the soundtrack provides catchy songs that blend the characters personalities to the plot line of the movie. The unique '90s rap collection helps describe Malcolm's personality and his overall love for 90's style, hits and fashion. Although created in 2015, the musical references to the 90's provided a refreshing aspect to this film compared to others. Similar to the songs and characters of this movie, the theme was extremely unique compared to other films of this day and age. Famuyiwa created a theme very relevant to social problems today by addressing racial stereotypes and the negative consequences associated with them. Malcolm, a character who deeply cares about his academic performance and future, finds it hard to connect with others within his inner city community. Overall, Malcolm's surrounding environment and social status only hurt his chances of success and opportunity. This theme was addressed several times throughout the movie, creating a deeper relationship between viewers and Malcolm. Normally, films do not address these common social problems, however this movie not only focused on Malcolm's struggles, but also displayed his creative and intelligent solutions to his problems. Overall, the theme was extremely influential and unique compared to modern day films. Ultimately, Malcolm concludes the movie by stating "I don't fit in. I used to think that that was a curse, but now I'm slowly starting to see maybe it's a blessing." This statement not only summarizes Malcolm's ability to overcome his situation and struggles, but also describes the movie in and of itself. "Dope" is not an average film with a plot and theme that has been replicated many times before. It is unique, and that makes all the difference.

Dope tells the story of Malcolm who is a promising college student who finds himself on the wrong side of the tracks when he attends an underground party and it is at this 'party' that Malcolm unwittingly acquires a large stash of drugs which two rival drug-dealers both claim to be their property. One of the drug-dealers is in police custody, but the other dealer is at large and will stop at nothing to get his hands on the drugs.In what I felt was a cross between Boyz N The Hood and City Of God, Dope is a film that to me tried to be everything all at once; it's a coming-of-age film, then it becomes a cat-and-mouse film, then it's a romance film, then it's a crime-caper type film. There's nothing wrong with combining all of these things, but in order to work a film like this has to have some kind of focus and that's really where a film like Dope falls down. In trying to do everything at once, it doesn't actually manage to really do anything very well and some of the strands of the story don't seem to get followed through properly (such as the drug-dealer chasing Malcolm for his drugs and what happened to Dom after he got arrested?). The romantic subplot between Malcolm and Dom's girl was underdeveloped (which was a shame as they clearly had a few things in common).I also felt that Dope was a film that just tried far too hard and seemed to sledgehammer its point home at almost every given opportunity; I think the worst example of this was when the girl kept hitting the white guy for using the N word - I mean I understand the message that Famuyiwa was trying to get across, but he completely overdoes things here and it made me cringe due to the heavy-handed and clumsy way that Famuyiwa played out this scenario.Dope is also chocked full of hipster dialogue but in an unfocused film with no solid narrative structure a lot of it just comes across as trite and boring. I could also criticise the film for offering nothing new to the genre, but that would be unfair as many films of this nature still have stories that are worth telling (no matter how unoriginal they are), but Dope was a film I could never get into and it's basically because it lacked any real intensity, it was unfocused and I never felt any connections to any of the characters. There is a twist to the story at the end which was quite amusing, but most of this film just fell flat for me.The only positive thing that I've got to say about this film is that the acting was generally good (particularly between the 3 leads), but I'm struggling to think of anything else that I liked about it in all honesty.

Judging from its theatrical trailer, Dope gave the impression of nothing more than some geeky teenager struggling to get through his last year of high school. Fortunately, it lived up to the slang definition of a term most often associated with illegal narcotics. Utilizing a cast of not necessarily the biggest names in Hollywood and Forest Whitaker as the narrator for the first ten minutes, the film perfectly takes hold of several different aspects. The first is that all too common theme of teenage popularity and acceptance among peers. Malcolm portrayed by Shameik Moore along with his two best friends, Tom boy Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) and Jib (Tony Revolori) are often bullied in and outside of school as demonstrated by them almost having their bikes stolen after going down the wrong street.A more underlying theme tackled during the film is the lack of belief in inner city children held by those charged with educating them. We get a strong glimpse of this when Malcolm meets with his counselor and expresses dreams of going to Harvard University after graduation. His dreams are quickly dismissed as arrogant and unrealistic, and Malcolm is told not to be optimistic prior to his interview for college admission. Despite the lack of support, Malcolm remains hopeful and close to his friends. With an excellent blend of comedy, endless one-liners, and a unique set of characters including Zoe Kravitz, daughter of famed musician Lenny, the film displays how a shy young man with aspirations of leaving his poverty stricken neighborhood undergoes a drastic transformation similar to that of Walter White in Breaking Bad. By the time the film ends, the same people that once struck fear into the heart of Malcolm and his friends now have a great deal of both reverence and fear of him. His turning of the tables on his counselor, admission interviewer, and school bullies cause us to view him as somebody more than ready to take on literally any challenge thrown his way. This transformation is great for a few reasons. It defies the stereotypes often time associated with people from Malcolm's neighborhood. Also, it leaves us wondering who Malcolm really is shortly before the credits roll. Is he a geeky kid who awkwardly loses his virginity to the daughter of one of his future rivals? Or is he a mastermind of one of the most brilliant undercover drug operations executed not for profit but for survival? Is he both? Are there other personalities lying dormant that might come out in a possible sequel chronicling his years as an undergraduate? However the audience chooses to view him, it is practically impossible not to root for whatever alter ego is running his mind at the time. His transformation is also great as we get a chance to see a young black male escape such a neighborhood doing something other than putting on an athletic uniform or picking up a microphone and dropping a mixtape. The inspiration of a minority from the "ghetto" being more than just an entertainer is refreshing. Overall, we'll score this production as a good example of what can happen when the heart and desire outweigh the circumstances. The results can be… dope.