Matthew Percefull
When summer is in full swing, I’m often in the mood for a good coming-of-age film. Something about the summer heat brings a sense of longing. Longing for a time when summer was a period of freedom. Coming-of-age films come in many shapes and sizes. It’s a subgenre that must constantly reinvent itself to keep up with its subject matter. Youth culture not only evolves at a rapid pace, but it can also vary drastically depending on the location, time, and culture in which the story finds itself. For a while, American audiences were only really getting these stories from one perspective: the outcasted white kid. The genre was flooded with the same high school, Breakfast Club-esque aesthetic for many years. As more POC directors have gotten opportunities to tell their stories, we’re finally getting to see new life in the coming-of-age film. Dope is a film that highlights an authentic upbringing, blending ’90s hip-hop aesthetics with contemporary culture.
Dope follows Malcolm (Shameik Moore, future voice star for the animated Spider-Verse series), an intellectually gifted student from an area of Inglewood, California called “The Bottoms,” with dreams of attending Harvard. Malcolm and his friends, Jib (Tony Revolori of The Grand Budapest Hotel) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons of Hearts Beat Loud), are alienated by their peers due to their academic pursuits and outdated interests. Seeking a sense of belonging and purpose, Malcolm accidentally gets mixed up with a local drug dealer (A$AP Rocky) and his ex-girlfriend (The Batman‘s Zoe Kravitz). The kids are eventually caught up in a drug scheme that goes way over their heads. The rag-tag group is sent on a wild journey through Inglewood. The film is funny, smart, and surprisingly violent. It’s a fun time that also shares some harsh realities that society tends to hide from.
Malcolm’s friend group is obsessed with all things 1990s. The soundtrack for the film is a representation of this. The track list is packed with classics like “The World Is Yours” and “Scenario.” It also features some original cuts by contemporary artists and legends alike. The needle drops are implemented perfectly. These songs could have cheapened the film, but they’re employed in a way that puts you in Malcolm’s head. When he’s pedaling around his neighborhood, blasting Nas, you feel like it’s you on that bike. It triggers memories of biking through my hometown with no care in the world besides the playlist I was listening to. Through these songs, we understand Malcolm’s perspective more.
We find out through the film that Malcolm has no idea who he is. He immerses himself in the culture of a bygone era to escape the ostracization in his own era. Malcolm lives vicariously through the songs he listens to. He’s a kid who prides himself as an expert on an era he didn’t experience. Early on in Dope, Malcolm runs into Dom (A$AP Rocky’s standout role). They quickly get into a conversation about 90s hip-hop. When Malcolm is listing albums he loves, he mentions two albums that fall outside of the 90s. Dom quickly checks him for it. When he met with someone who lived in that era, Malcolm suddenly went from expert to novice.
Mentally, Malcolm is already at Harvard. Even when the odds seem stacked against his acceptance. I read this confidence as a way of escaping his current environment. He romanticizes a future at Harvard, surrounded by like-minded peers, to avoid his reality in The Bottoms. I believe the obsession with old music is another way to escape. He imagines himself coming of age 20 years later. He imagines himself belonging back then. This 90s version of himself almost acts like an alter ego for Malcolm.
Dope is generally at its best when it’s a hangout movie. The film does a great job of portraying Malcolm’s everyday life and how he’s treated in the community. Some may consider it a slow start, but I appreciated getting to dive deeper into the lives of these characters. The dynamic between the three leads is also infectious. They feel like a real group of childhood friends from a random high school. Their chemistry cements the authentic feel of this story. Eventually, the plot gets more complex as Malcolm is pushed deeper into the underbelly of his city. It doesn’t necessarily lose any charm as it goes along; the first half is just pure magic.
Parts of this film feel like a hip-hop-infused version of Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Its slice of life nature and natural dialogue, blended with over-the-top surrealism, give Dope a similar feel. Malcolm and his friends face a litany of obstacles as they try their best to clear their names. The film takes several sharp turns during its plot. We’re constantly meeting new characters and seeing new locations. These side plots range from amusing to confusing, but they’re all a good time. Dope shows every aspect of Inglewood in a sympathetic light. The story is jam-packed, but it all feels personal and real. I believe that all of this could go down in two days. These interactions all feel lived in. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these characters were ripped from the filmmaker’s real life.
Music is the heart of Dope. From the aforementioned soundtrack to the pop punk band that our heads are a part of, there are large sections of this film that are completely dominated by music. No dialogue, no exposition, just music. Even the cast is immersed in the music industry. A$AP Rocky has a pretty major role here, but he’s not the only rapper who appears in Dope. The movie is riddled with cameos from artists. Vince Staples, Tyga, and Casey Veggie all make appearances. The amount of rappers here gives the film even more authenticity. Pharrell Williams also had a hand in Dope musically. He wrote the songs that Malcolm and his band perform throughout the film.
The phrase “slippery slope” reappears throughout the film. It’s originally said by Dom in the first act when he’s explaining to a member of his posse why he can’t let him off the hook. The concept of a slippery slope is what Dope‘s story is all about. It’s possible to ruin your life with one small decision. That one small decision can snowball into something much more severe. A single moment can dictate your entire future. Malcolm finds this out the hard way. What starts as doing a favor for a cool older guy and talking to a pretty girl turns into Malcolm becoming a drug mule. Dope is about the small, passive choices and the massive ripples they can have on our lives.
Director Rick Famuyiwa (Brown Sugar, The Wood) brings a lot of kinetic energy to this film. Both his script and his direction ooze excitement. He lets some of this energy get away from him, but it’s always good to be in the hands of a passionate director. Watching this, you get the feeling that the underrated filmmaker knew he only had one chance at getting a story like Dope right. It wasn’t every day that a black led coming of age film had a chance to get mainstream attention. Unfortunately, black directors don’t get very many at-bats in Hollywood, and they get even less second chances after a flop. Even 10 years later, it can be hard for stories like this to get told (despite what internet trolls may tell you). Dope is a barrage of fresh ideas, jokes, and references. It trusts us as audience members to keep up with its breakneck pace. If you can handle that, then this film will be a great time.
Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, and Kiersey Clemons were all promising young actors in 2015. While none of them have become huge stars, they’ve all gone on to solid bodies of work. We even see Nope‘s Lakeith Stanfield about a year before he would take on his iconic role as Darius in Atlanta. There’s no true A-lister present, but the cast is stacked with talent and recognizable faces. Ten years later, their work on this film still shines. These are three great performances that bolster and humanize a story that could be too overwhelming for some audiences. They ground this film into the lives of three lifelong friends just trying to make it through the school year. Shameik Moore, in particular, is really brilliant here.
I haven’t ever seen a film quite like Dope. Sure, its inspirations come from everything from teen sex comedies to gangster films. I’ve just never seen all of these elements blended as successfully as this one. The film has aged pretty well. The blend of modern tech with the 90s culture gives Dope a timeless vibe. It has a tremendous cast. A$AP Rocky and Zoe Kravitz are particularly impressive here. Unfortunately, this movie has kind of disappeared over time. It was an indie darling that’s fondly remembered by those who saw it, but it just made little to no cultural impact. I think it’s a film that deserves a reappraisal, and if you haven’t seen Dope, I encourage you to check it out.
