Friday, April 15, 2016

"Dope" is a cult classic in the making, a gutsy throwback to "Risky Business", in-da-hood style



A fun and inventive movie about a few 'hood dorks who accidentally get involved in some shady business that includes gangs and drugs. Director Rick Famuyiwa approaches this work with high energy and an original eye that is smart in its writing and inventive in its visual style. The eventual theme of a "least likely" student trying to apply to Ivy league school and having to resort to illegal activities in order to pull that off recalls shades of Risky Business some thirty plus years ago. Both movies are about very smart teenagers who just happen to be very resourceful in endeavors they had no idea they possessed a lot of talent for. Shameik Moore is very convincing as the geek who dreams of a better life beyond the 'hood, and his infatuation with the "girl-next-door" (Zoe Kravitz) is surprisingly handled without cliches or melodrama. Dope is a unique gem in a sea of Hollywood mediocrity, and I really hope it finds the audience it missed during its theatrical run on Blu Ray and DVD. I can totally see it becoming a cult classic for the ages.
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