Malcolm, Jib and Diggy are three Los Angeles high school kids trapped in the mid 90s, despite the fact that they were not even toddlers at the close of that decade. For this perceived travesty of taste – which I am also entirely guilty of – they are ostracised from the popular school cliques. This isolation only brings the trio closer together, though it seems strange in the first place seeing as they are all good looking, charismatic and funny individuals.
Film nerds often look very different to real world nerds…
After bluffing their way into a nightclub and becoming unwitting participants in a police drug sting, Malcolm thinks the worst that might come from the eventful night will be the knowledge that he hit on a dangerous drug dealer’s girlfriend in full sight. The next morning though while rustling through his backpack, he realises that the stakes are far higher even than that.
The actors playing Malcolm, Jib and Diggy are fresh and exciting (again far too much for them to be dubbed ‘nerds’), the rest of the cast is full of experienced character actors from previous generations and some new faces, including Zoe Kravitz, the spitting image of her mum Lisa Bonet.
There is sex, drugs, comedy and violence, but not enough of any of those things to bog down or define the film. This is a bit of everything. Dope is energetic and vibrant, with the three friends navigating a new entirely unfamiliar world filled with colourful and potentially dangerous characters across Los Angeles. The music that accompanies their every move sure doesn’t hurt, a Greatest Hits of the 90s hip-hop of sorts, with at least 85% of the songs already firmly lodged on my personal Itunes list.
With all of the pluses, the dynamic plot line and likeable leads, Dope might seem destined for bigger things, it’s just that I’ve seen this film before under different guises- more than a few times before in fact – the music and energy might enhance what is here, but it can’t make it new again.
Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. There is no shame in being stuck in the past, but you can’t innovate when doing someone already done.
