Steineded How sad is this?

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

ksmail-1 I'm really surprised by the high rating. I did not enjoy this movie at all.The scenes involving the main character and two other girls were painstakingly bad and unrealistic. I'm incredibly tired of Hollywood misrepresenting what the human courting process really looks like, and this movie gives a very clear example of what it does not look like. Like come on, the guy acts like the most shy and uncertain kid in the world and somehow the girls make all of the advances? Wake up.. who the hell let this stuff slide?It didn't really seem like a comedy. I honestly can't recall laughing, although I do admit it was slightly entertaining at times.It really felt like this movie was made for teenagers (like most movies these days.. unfortunately). If you're outside of this demographic you probably will not enjoy it that much.I didn't enjoy the "joke" of a white character bringing up the issue of the N word and how he uses it in a well intentioned manner just like the other characters, but despite it he is slapped for a second time when saying it, resulting in the hysterical laughing of the other characters. Was this honestly supposed to be funny? The white character actually had a good point. Either way it seemed incredibly racist.The one thing I liked about this movie was the music. That was like the one silver lining. I do not recommend this movie.

thecrustymonkeysong 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.

lafrondaindiecinemacritic Dope (2015) **1/2 1hr. 41 min. Dope Simple Definition of dope • : An illegal drug (such as marijuana or heroin) • : a stupid or annoying person • the dope : information about someone or something that is not commonly or immediately known That is what you see at the beginning of this movie. The definition of dope. Does it relate to the first or second meaning? Well it relates to illegal drugs and a unlikely student who finds himself in a situation beyond his control and how he deals with it makes you suspect what would you do in the same situation. The movie stars Shameik Moore as Malcom and Tony Revelovi and Keirsey Clemons as his best friends Jib and Diggy. One who is 14 percent black and Diggy and Lesbian who family tries to pray away the gayness out of her to no avail. There all geeks and nerds who are the Brainiac's in the film. They live in southern California and have dreams of going to college, particular Malcom who has eyes for Harvard. He lives with his mother (Kimberly Elise) whose is a bus driver whose father is not in the picture. Malcom talks to his school counselor about going to Harvard and the counselor says that he's too naive to believe he can get into Harvard. Malcom lives in Compton and the counselor suggests that to think of a young black man, going to a predominant Ivy league school is not realistic, nonetheless, the counselor schedules Malcom for an interview. A man who came from the same neighborhood can help him get into Harvard. Things turn Topsy-turvy when Malcom and his friends go to a party being invited by a local drug dealer Dom (A$AP) who also asks him to talk to his ex-girlfriend Nakia (Zoe Kravitz). While at the party all hell breaks loose when Dom's drug deal goes bad and puts his drugs and a gun into Malcom backpack. Malcom escorts Nakia to her car and offers him a ride home. Next day at school, his back pack sounds off through the metal detectors, but the security guards assumes its faulty machine. Malcom later checks his backpack and low and behold, sees packages of drugs and a gun. Jib insists to take it to the police and Malcom warns him that they run the risk of being arrested. Later at school, the drug dealer wants Malcom bags and Dom is arrested calls him from jail to tell him to leave the destination the dealer was supposed to meet Malcom. Malcom is told that he either will be killed or arrested. Malcom and friends leave and are able to escape and they stumble upon on one crisis after another. Malcom decides to take matters into his own hands, when the Harvard alum AJ asks Malcom to deal the drug that turns out to be the sex drug Molly for his profit. If Malcom chooses not, he can kiss his chances of going to Harvard goodbye. Malcom then must choose to do the ethical thing and tell the police what he knows or sell the drug but run the risk of being arrested by the police. One scene comes to mind is when Malcom and his friends are at the Mansion and meets AJ daughter and tries to seduce Malcom and take his virginity. When she takes Molly she is so high on the drug, she throws up on Malcom and then offers to take him to his interview high on the drug. She later gets out of the car and ends up urinating in the street as Malcom drives himself to the interview. There a funny scene is where Diggy slaps a white stoner who agrees to help him sell off the drugs because he desperately wants to say the N word and when Malcom almost gets arrested when the school checks lockers for drugs while Malcom is taking his SAT's. The movie brings a very ambiguous moral center for its main characters. The movie message is that someone as nerdy and smart as Malcom can get away with being a drug dealer, no one would believe, he could be involved in something so unethical. However, I find it hard to believe that the same security guard would buzz Malcom over and over again without checking his bag. Maybe 1, 2 times but more than three times, it not very realistic. I don't care how nerdy and smart Malcom is. I would also like to see more of Malcom's relationship with Nikia there is great chemistry between them but that relationship is sidetracked by the Molly story line. A story line that is not very convincing and the moral message that left me uneasy. With blacks involved in crimes and black men getting shot by police. Films like this need to be taken with a grain of salt, because strong ethics is the only way, we can make black America a better place. Not put ourselves as a people in situations that are detrimental to our community.

alexanderbrooks-80601 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.