Dope, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is an inspiring story of a smart, funny urban teen who struggles to avoid the pitfalls of gangs and drugs in his inner city neighborhood. The film, which draws a comparison to John Hughes’ teen dramedies of the ’80s, is loosely based on director Rick Famuyiwa’s own experiences growing up in a rough section of Inglewood, California. Malcolm (Shameik Moore) is a lovable music geek with dreams of an Ivy League education. He and his friends are obsessed with ’90s hip-hop music and formed their own punk band. They try to avoid the harsh influences that surround them, but when a drug dealer stashes $100,000 worth of ecstasy in Malcolm’s backpack, the high school senior is forced to navigate himself out of a dangerous situation. Though the film’s general premise is one we’ve seen before (think “good inner city kid against the bad streets”), Famuyiwa’s grounded characters feel personal, fresh, and original, and his dialog is current, authentic and snappy. The cast includes members of the hip-hop scene (A$AP Rocky) as well as young, talented actors (Kiersey Clemons, Tony Revolori, Zoë Kravitz). In theaters June 19.
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