The video above is an interview with Rick Famuyiwa, the director of Dope, courtesy of www.sundance.org
“Dope” is a comedy movie focused on misfits in the ghetto, set in Inglewood, CA. Malcolm, the film’s main character, is described as a dork stuck in the 90’s who dreams of attending Harvard, all the while living in The Bottoms, the toughest area in Inglewood. Malcolm (Shameik Moore), Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), and Jib (Tony Revolori) are star students who formed their own punk band aptly named Oreo, referencing their notorious affinity for “white-stuff” and influences from Yo! MTV Raps. The Bottoms is full of thugs, pushers, killers, movers, and shakers who push Malcolm and his geeky group around, and the movie follows their plot to make it out of Inglewood alive. They manage to survive all the bullying and ridicule, but the trouble really starts when the groups shows up at function for a local thug’s birthday, and end up right in the middle of the drug dealing world they so adamantly avoided beforehand.
The film enlisted Forest Whitaker as a narrator, a few punk numbers written by Pharrell, and guest spots from A$AP Rocky and Chanel Iman, and even includes a few nods to Donald Glover. The film was made to catch the attention of the newer generation, and that it did. The premiere was Saturday (January 25th) and gained a large following, from movie critics and fans alike. After a bidding war including movie distribution big shots such as Fox Searchlight, Focus Features, and The Weinstein Company, Open Road Films landed the film for $7 million with a guaranteed $15 million in print and advertising commitment according to thedailybeast.com.
The movie’s director, Rick Famuyiwa, is no stranger and has hit movies such as The Wood, Brown Sugar, and Talk To Me under his belt. Dope will be no different and has a chance of being his biggest film yet. Keep a lookout for a release date and stay tuned to Stereo Champions for more movie news.
