Dope

A Sundance film festival hit, filmmaker Rick Famuyiwa's coming-of-age film begins with a dictionary definition: depending on context, “dope” can be 1) an illegal substance, 2) a person who acts in a foolhardy manner, or 3) a term of praise in African-American slang. All three meanings come into play in this engaging dramedy. Nerdy Malcolm (Shameik Moore) loves ‘90s hip-hop, BMX bikes, and skateboards. Bright and ambitious, Malcolm aspires to get into Harvard, but he lives with his single mother (Kimberly Elise) in Los Angeles's crime-riddled Inglewood ‘hood. Malcolm fronts a punk-rock band with Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), an androgynous lesbian whose sexual orientation is at odds with her church, and Jib (Tony Revolori), a geeky Pakistani. One day, Malcolm is accosted by a local drug dealer (A$AP Rocky) who wants Malcolm to hook him up with Nakia (Zoë Kravitz). But following a shootout at a subsequent underground party, Malcolm accidentally ends up with a backpack containing a gun and designer drugs. Famuyiwa juggles so many themes, styles, and tones that the film is sometimes confusing, although narrator Forest Whitaker helps to keep the raw and raucous Dope on track. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Dope is Different” behind-the-scenes featurette (4 min.), a “Music” segment (4 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for an entertaining film.] (S. Granger)