The skanner., June 24, 2015, Page 7, Image 7

Arts & Entertainment
Film Review: ‘Dope’
A Cleverly-Scripted, Compelling Coming-of-Age Comedy
for his life, unaware that his rival in romance
has hidden a stash of contraband there. So,
the next thing you know, Malcolm’s on the
run from a number of unsavory characters
who covet the carefully-packed powdery
substance.
Thus unfolds Dope, a cleverly-scripted,
coming-of-age comedy reminiscent of the
equally-sophisticated Dear White People.
Narrated by Forest Whitaker, this laugh-a-
minute, fish-out-of-water adventure mines
most of its humor at the expense of an em-
boldened 98-pound weakling who’s used to
having sand kicked in his face.
The picture was directed by Rick Famuy-
iwa (Brown Sugar) who keeps you enter-
tained by turning more than a few conven-
tions on their heads. The film also features a
very pleasant soundtrack which includes a
couple of crowd-pleasing tunes by 11-time,
Grammy-winner Pharrell Williams.
A rollicking roller coaster ride around the
‘hood that’s basically a hilarious cross be-
tween Kid and Play’s House Party (1990) and
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004).
Excellent H H H H
Rated R for profanity, nudity, sexuality,
ethnic slurs, drug use and violence, all in-
volving teens
Running time: 115 minutes
Distributor: Open Road Films
‘Dope’
By Kam Williams
For The Skanner News
S
eventeen-year-old Malcolm (Shameik
Moore) was raised by a single-mom
(Kimberly Elise) in a rather rough sec-
tion of L.A., but he’s more of a milquetoast
than a menace to society. He’s actually so
nerdy he’s formed a funk band called Oreo
with a couple of fellow geeks, Diggy (Ki-
ersey Clemons) and Jib (Tony Revolori).
The tight-knit group of friends carefully
negotiate their way through the perilous
gauntlet lining their path to school, doing
their best to hide the fact that they do “white
sh*t” like getting good grades in hopes of
going to a good college and making it out
of the ghetto.
Malcolm has his heart set on Harvard,
which just might happen, given his high
SAT scores. In terms of his application, he
still has to finish his personal essay and
then do a decent job in his upcoming inter-
view with esteemed alumnus Austin Jacoby
(Roger Guenveur Smith), the check-cashing
magnate.
However, what might prove more of a
challenge is simply keeping his nose clean
the rest of senior year. After all, he encoun-
ters danger on a daily basis, whether it’s
bullies trying steal his sneakers or neigh-
borhood gangstas pressuring him to join the
Bloods.
Malcolm’s unraveling starts when, against
his better judgment, he accepts an invite
from a girl he has a crush on (Zoe Kravitz)
to a drug dealer’s (Rakim Mayers) birthday
party at an underground nightclub. His first
mistake is even entering the seedy, subter-
ranean rave. His second is asking Nakia to
dance, because she’s also the object of the
macho birthday boy’s affection.
Then, when a gunfight suddenly breaks
out, Malcolm grabs his backpack and runs
Movies
continued from page 6
‘Escobar: Paradise Lost’
sexuality and brief nudi-
ty) Romance drama, set in
France during the reign of
Louis XIV, where a couple
of gifted landscape artists
(Kate Winslet and Mat-
thias Schoenaerts) fall in
love while sculpting the
royal garden at the Palace
of Versailles. Directed by
Alan Rickman who plays
the king, and co-stars Stan-
ley Tucci, Jennifer Ehle and
Helen McCrory.
The Little Death (Unrat-
ed) Kinky sex comedy, set
in Sydney, exploring the
fetishes of five suburban
couples. Ensemble cast in-
cludes writer/director Josh
Lawson, Kate Box, Tas-
neem Roc, Lisa McCune
and Damon Herriman.
A Murder in the Park
(PG-13 for violent reenact-
ments, disturbing images,
drug use and brief profanity)
Miscarriage of justice court-
room expose’ suggesting
that the Innocence Project
had inadvertently set free on
appeal a death row inmate
who was actually guilty all
along.
Runoff (R for drug use)
Rural tale of survival about
a woman (Joanne Kelly)
willing desperate to keep a
failing, family farm afloat
after her husband (Neal
Huff) falls ill and they’re
threatened with foreclosure
by heartless bill collectors.
With Rashel Bestard, Tom
Bower and Drew Cash.
What Happened, Miss
Simone? (Unrated) Prestige
biopic chronicling the life
and times of the legendary
Nina Simone. Produced by
the late jazz singer and civ-
il rights activist’s daughter,
Lisa.
June 24, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 7