Malcolm (Shameik Moore) is a geek growing up in "The Bottom" section of Inglewood. He wants to go to Harvard. He hangs out with two geek friends Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) is a lesbian who likes Justin Bieber. They love things from the 1990s. While attending a birthday party at a club there was a shoot out and in all the excitement Malcolm grabs the wrong knapsack and gets the one filled with Molly.With the owner busted, there are others who want the bag while Malcolm stands at the crossroads of his life.Malcolm breaks the stereotype and provides us with an interesting character. There other characters were not as well developed, but were played well. This was one "thug" movie that I enjoyed.Guide: F-bomb. Near sex. Nudity (Chanel Iman of Victoria Secret)

Before jumping on the bandwagon of criticism, let me elaborate the first half hour of the movie. Started indifferent, but due to the use of 90's hip-hop, indie music and the aim to be 'not your typical hood movie' I began to grow an interest. Oh boy oh boy, I was in for a tough ride.The cast was decent, but needed something stronger. The character that hold my attention was Diggy (played by Kiersey Clemons) as a gay female growing up in the suburbs. Nevertheless, she didn't play an important role in the movie. Let me first talk about the main character, Malcolm (Shameik Moore). From all the actors one could choose, why him? He portrays characters so dull and it seems that his life has been sucked down the drain, just like Netflix's The Get Down. Don't get me wrong, the first season of the Get Down was a fun ride, but not thanks to of mister Shoalin Fantastic. His method of acting is, against my liking, amateurish. He comes of as an "actor" that has been plucked from the streets to star in a movie. He lacks a certain charisma for the big screen. This already puts his character, Malcolm, in a bad spot. A totally unbelievable movie with the wrong cast. The side-characters are fun, to a certain degree, but it needed a heavy weight.The main story sounds fun on paper, but is in fact poorly executed. It felt cringe worthy most of the time. Especially filling all the gaps in between dialogue with music. Every scene it starts off with a 'hip, cool, trendy' tune. It reminds me a lot of Tangerine (2015). However, this movie used music as a certain emotion that needed to be explained. Dope just used music, because... hey why not? Dope needed something better than the typical A-class student that needs to make a short- or long-term decision. The ending is totally obvious from the start of the movie. The dialogue was off as well. Let me package and summarise my point of critique with one question. Molly/MDMA/XTC gives you the best sex ever? I don't want to be vulgar, but everyone that ever used these substances knows sex isn't or at least barely doable when this chemical is surging throughout your body. However, all critique given, it was a meh film. I was able to sit through the entire movie. Do I recommend this movie? Not really, even though I know a lot of people that like the goal the movie is aiming for, but it just doesn't prove it.

The movie was pretty good though the story wasn't the best, In my point of view, they say the n-word way too much and the nude scene is just unnecessary. pretty funny, but not like Kevin hart funny. The plot gets weirder and weirder as there is many unexplained loose ends and the logic to the plot is a bit off, so expect to spent some time thinking rather than enjoying the movie. I do believe the movie could have easily been rated pg 13 because there isn't really much violence and the nude scene made no crap scene, and also does nothing to affect the plot (same goes to the one in straight outta Compton, but the nude scene from that gave me a boner for 2 hours, so it was goooooooooood) One thing will be clear: no movies about the hood will be as good as straight outta Compton. So watch straight outta Compton instead if you haven't watched that.

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.