Dope

Malcom is an 18 year old boy living in Inglewood, CA.  He’s a geek, dreaming of Harvard, if he can just survive the last months of High School in a neighborhood overrun by gangs and drug dealers.  Malcom’s best friends are equally geeky and bright, and the three of them ride their bikes through the mean streets of L.A., hoping to end up in college…while statistics say they are more likely to end up in jail.

Malcom and his pals (Diggy and Jib) are into early 90’s hip hop, have a punk-ish band, and mostly try to stay out of trouble.  They’re good kids in a rough world.  Dope is like a John Hughes version of Boyz N the Hood.  It’s rough, there’s real danger there, and the fear is that these good kids will get sucked into a world much rougher than they’re prepared to handle.  But there’s an optimism and lightness to it, so while you fear that they may get sucked into situations they cannot handle, you’re rooting for them to come through it cleanly and safely.

Ted and I both liked this movie a lot.  I highly recommend it.