Dope (2015)
88%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: 5 wins & 25 nominations
Featuring a starmaking performance from Shameik Moore and a refreshingly original point of view from writer-director Rick Famuyiwa, Dope is smart, insightful entertainment
Dope is the kind of movie that makes you want to dance, laugh, and maybe even shed a tear or two. With a killer soundtrack and a cast of talented young actors, this film is a modern take on the classic coming-of-age story. Sure, it’s not perfect, but it’s got heart, humor, and a message that’s worth hearing. So grab some popcorn, turn up the volume, and get ready to have a good time with Dope.
Production Company(ies)
New Regency Productions, The Wolper Organization Warner Bros.,
Distributor
Open Road
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language, drug content, sexuality/nudity, and some violence-all involving teens
Year of Release
2015
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 43m
-
Language(s):English, Spanish
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 19, 2015 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 13, 2015
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Kimberly Elise, Zoë Kravitz, LaKeith Stanfield, directed by Rick Famuyiwa, written by Rick Famuyiwa, produced by Nina Yang Boniovi, Forest Whitaker, comedy, R-rated, drug content, all involving teens, language, sexuality/nudity, some violence, box office gross $17.5M, reviewed by Nijla Mu’min, Candice Frederick, Aramide Tinubu, Max Weiss, Mark Kermode, Geoffrey Macnab, Therese Lacson, Joanne Laurier, Dan Scully, VyceVictus, smart, insightful, original, 90s hip-hop culture, punk band, drug dealer, nightclub, violence, armed thugs, Ecstasy, backpack, Harvard, crime-riddled neighborhood, racial profiling, inner-city struggles, gangsters, social commentary, coming-of-age, romance, comedy
Worldwide gross: $17,986,781
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $22,452,330
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,674
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,448,455
US/Canada gross: $17,506,470
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $21,852,772
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,384
US/Canada opening weekend: $6,100,010
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $7,614,449
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,027
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $7,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $8,737,878
Production budget ranking: 1,723
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,705,348
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $9,009,103
ROI to date (est.): 67%
ROI ranking: 1,075
Tony Revolori – Jib
Kiersey Clemons – Diggy
Kimberly Elise – Lisa Hayes
Zoë Kravitz – Nakia
LaKeith Stanfield – Bug
Director(s)
Rick Famuyiwa
Writer(s)
Rick Famuyiwa
Producer(s)
Nina Yang Boniovi, Forest Whitaker
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 25 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (161) | Top Critics (56) | Fresh (142) | Rotten (19)
In the end, the film is smart, fun, and wild.
February 3, 2021
Nijla Mu’min
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
The film falls so hard off its course that I basically checked out after about 40 minutes.
September 1, 2017 | Rating: C-
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
What I love most about Dope is director Famuyiwa’s confidence in his audience.
April 12, 2017
Aramide Tinubu
Shadow and Act
TOP CRITIC
It’s kind of facile and kind of corny, but I don’t know… kind of important, too.
June 10, 2016 | Rating: 3/4
Max Weiss
Baltimore Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The film’s primary colour palette provides a satirical antidote to cinema’s more familiar gangsta hues.
September 7, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
What is refreshing about Dope is its cheerful irreverence.
September 4, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
With a summer full of action movies and blockbuster hits, Dope stands out as both a comedy as well as a dramatic film written about teens growing up in this generation
October 9, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Therese Lacson
Nerdophiles
While individuals like the overachiever Malcolm may well escape the relatively mean streets of Inglewood, Dope seems largely unconcerned with the majority condemned to remain.
February 26, 2021
Joanne Laurier
World Socialist Web Site
Dope is a colorful story, chock full of fantastic music culled from the golden age of hip hop… smart performances, and a beautiful message hidden behind a good ol’ time at the movies.
April 9, 2020
Dan Scully
Cinema76
In Dope he (Keith Stanfield) gets another understated but powerful dramatic moment, and I hope to see a lot more from him and all the other young cast members in the future.
February 6, 2020
VyceVictus
Birth.Movies.Death.
With Dope, writer/director Rick Famuyiwa has given the teen-movie genre a 21st-century upgrade.
January 10, 2020
Chris McCoy
Memphis Flyer
Jam-packed with fantastic characters and performances, a soundtrack that may jockey with Guardians of the Galaxy’s for bragging rights and thoughtful social commentary, Dope made my heart hurt I loved it so much.
July 30, 2019 | Rating: A
Ryan Syrek
The Reader (Omaha, NE)…
Plot
A coming of age comedy/drama for the post hip hop generation. Malcolm is a geek, carefully surviving life in The Bottoms, a tough neighborhood in Inglewood, CA filled with gangsters and drug dealers, while juggling his senior year of college applications, interviews and the SAT. His dream is to attend Harvard. A chance invitation to a big underground party leads Malcolm and his friends into an “only in Los Angeles” gritty adventure filled with offbeat characters and bad choices. If Malcolm can persevere, he’ll go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features a breakout performance from Shameik Moore.
Rick-Famuyiwa.jpg
