Dope

This movie takes place in Inglewood, California in an area known as “The

Bottoms” and is filled with drugs and gangs.  Malcom (Shameik Moore) is a high

school senior who has dreams of attending Harvard.  He and friends Jib (Tony

Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) are all very bright and love old school hip

hop.  Consequently they are often bullied.

One day on the way home, Malcom runs into Dom who is one of the

neighborhood drug dealers.  Dom convinces him to visit one of the neighboring

buildings to ask Nakia (Zoe Kravitz) to come to Dom’s birthday party.   She agrees

to go if Malcom will go as well.

While at the party, rival gang members arrive and soon shots are being fired.

Dom stuffs his drugs in Malcom’s back pack and tells Malcom to run.  The next

day as Malcom walks into school the drug dog at the door is alerted to the

backpack.  Malcom is allowed to continue because no one would suspect him of

having drugs.

The rival gang realizes that Malcom has the drugs and begin hunting down

Malcom and his friends.  This movie provides a good picture of what life can be

and often is like in neighborhoods like Malcom’s.

The three young actors in this movie were quite good.  I think the looks of the

movie were right on.  You realize the real fear that kids must have growing up in

neighborhoods like this.  I thought this movie was fantastic even though the first

run of it was short-lived.  Hopefully it will last longer on the re-release.  I gave this

• movie 3 ½ out of 4 stars.