Solid film but I feel like it falls short of being really great because of ithe last act. The first 2/3's of the film moves at a nice pace and has a cool style but once they sell the molly (or Lily lol) online and at school it drags.

Malcolm (Shameik Moore), the protagonist in the boisterous and stylish Dope, is a teenager living in a dangerous L.A. neighborhood. He and his two best friends (Kiersey Clemons, The Grand Budapest Hotel's Tony Revolori) are self-proclaimed nerds: they share an almost academic obsession with 1990s hip hop, dream of attending a university, and are estranged from and teased by most of the people around them. An unexpected invitation to a birthday celebration at a nightclub submerges them in a crime drama involving a handgun, a cache of powdered ecstasy, and various intimidating underworld figures, one played by acclaimed Harlem MC A$AP Rocky in his confident acting debut. In over their heads, Malcolm and his friends must rely on their collective wit and one another to survive.

Similar to its characters, this is a film enthralled by the '90s: an obvious point of comparison is Boyz 'N the Hood or Menace II Society (albeit with the grim social dismay dialed down), but it also strongly recalls the anxious pop intricacy of Pulp Fiction and the many, many Tarantino-indebted films to follow, such as Go and the first two features directed by Guy Ritchie. Such overt, nostalgic homages can go either way, but this is a fine example, smartly constructed and extremely charming without sacrificing its tough edge. Director Rick Famuyiwa nearly perfectly weds aesthetic and content. The see-what-I-can-do high style he employs (fast- and slow-motion, flash forwards, split screens, an almost nonstop use of popular music) enhances our understanding of the characters, their points-of-view, and the pace and texture of the world they live in. No editorial or photographic choice, however fanciful or zany, feels arbitrary. And the conversational, free-flowing, relaxed chemistry of the core trio gives the film the heart, the vitality, to deepen and fortify its hyperactive sense of cool.

A-

Easily funniest film of the year. I feel if the bitcoin wasn't added in this film could have almost a modern timeless feel to it but that's one of my only qualms with the film. All the main actors do a fantastic job and the film moves at a solid pace that allow the humor or the suspense to feel nonstop.

I loved it too. The acting here is fantastic (the lead guy, holy crap!) and it was hilarious and entertaining. Disappointing it didn't do well, though it should have a cult following.

A-

It's a well acted and pretty entertaining flick. I didn't love it, but it's definitely worthy of being in the top 10 of the year. I just wish A$ap Rocky was in it more since I actually liked his character and it was cool seeing De'aundre Bonds in another movie after all these years. Also, Kiersey Clemons is cute as fuck.

How am I supposed to eat my pound cake?

Dope is pretty dope. It captures the spirit of my all time favorite comedy, Office Space. Yet, even while being a drama it is still more absurd than the comedy that inspired it. The style, the music and the look of the film are so spot on.

Even though I often complain about movies being too long, this one could have used another 5-10 scene at the end. Show some type of consequence that builds Malcom's character. Maybe one of the gangsters from the first and second acts comes back for one more intense scene. Instead he reconciles his nerdy self with his new criminal side all too easily. It left me feeling like, for the rest of his life, he'd be using his smarts to beat the systems rather than improve it. Why not if he will so easily get away with it? That's the only thing holding it back for me, but it isn't important enough to take away from everything that came before it. And even though it would help solve my issue, I love that his friends didn't bail on him during the "everything goes wrong" part of the movie.