Dope is a 2015 American crime comedy-drama film written and directed
by Rick Famuyiwa and starring Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey
Clemons, Blake Anderson, Zoë Kravitz, A$AP Rocky, and Chanel Iman. The
film was produced by Forest Whitaker, executive produced by Pharrell
Williams, and co-executive produced by Sean Combs. Dope debuted in the
U.S. Dramatic Competition category at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival,
which started on January 22, 2015 in Park City, Utah. Dope was initially
released in North American theaters on June 19, 2015 by Open Road
Films. and then re-released on September 4, 2015 during the Labor Day
holiday weekend.
Plot
Malcolm Adekanbi (Shameik Moore) is a high
school senior. He and his best friends, Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy
(Kiersey Clemons), are described as "geeks". They live in a neighborhood
of Inglewood, California called "The Bottoms," where crime is frequent.
Malcolm is confident he will be admitted to his dream school, Harvard
University, on his academic ability, but his school counselor calls
Malcolm arrogant for thinking that Harvard would find his grades
impressive, since their school is in a run-down L.A. suburb. He suggests
Malcolm take the college application process more seriously, starting
with his upcoming interview with businessman Austin Jacoby (Roger
Guenveur Smith), a Harvard alumnus.
While biking home, Malcolm is stopped by a drug dealer named Dom (A$AP
Rocky) who instructs Malcolm to invite a girl named Nakia (Zoë Kravitz)
to his party. Finding him charming, Nakia tells Malcolm to tell Dom that
she will only accept his invitation if Malcolm can come. Despite his
initial reluctance, Jib and Diggy talk Malcolm into going to the party
and go with him.
During the party, Dom and his crew meet in a back room to buy
high-grade, powdered molly. The transaction is interrupted by a rival
gang. Dom hides behind the bar where he finds Malcolm's backpack, which
he fills with the drugs and a gun. He finds Malcolm, gives him the pack,
and shoos him away from the club as the police sweep in.
Nakia drives Malcolm home when Malcolm offers to help her study for her
GED test. The next day at school, Malcolm discovers the drugs, gun, and
an iPhone and deduces that Dom slipped them into his bag during the
shootout. Immediately, an unknown man calls the iPhone. The man reveals
that he knows Malcom's identity, and instructs Malcolm to turn over the
drugs that day. After school, Malcolm begins to undertake the hand-off,
but is interrupted by another call, this time from Dom, who is in
custody. Dom warns Malcolm that he's being lured into a trap, and
advises him to flee. He texts Malcolm an address and tells him to ask
for AJ.
Malcolm, Jib, and Diggy flee to the address that Dom sent them. They
find themselves at the doors of a mansion, greeted by young man named
Jaleel (Quincy Brown) and his sister Lily (Chanel Iman). Since their
father, AJ, isn't home, Jaleel invites the three inside. Jaleel takes
Jib and Diggy out to get food while Malcolm stays with Lily, who seduces
him. Lily finds the drugs in his backpack and takes a heavy dose.
Meanwhile, Malcolm gets a phone call reminding him of his alumni
interview. Lily drives him there but she is high, and passes out at a
stop sign. As Malcolm desperately tries to wake her, Lily springs up,
runs out of the car and publicly urinates on a bush while bystanders
record the incident. Malcolm takes her car and drives to the meeting
himself.
Malcolm arrives at the office of Austin Jacoby for his interview. While
waiting for Jacoby, he notices photos of Dom, Lily, and Jaleel in the
man's office. Realizing Austin Jacoby is AJ, Malcolm relays Dom's
instructions to deliver the drugs, but Jacoby denies any knowledge.
Jacoby implies that since Dom can no longer sell the drugs, it is now
Malcolm's responsibility. Jacoby also implies that if Malcolm succeeds,
he will make Malcolm "a Man of Harvard." He then reschedules the
interview, and if Malcolm has not sold the drugs by then, Harvard will
be the least of his worries.
Low on options, Malcolm, Jib, and Diggy seek help from a college
student, Will Sherwood (Blake Anderson), they met at band camp years
ago, a stoner and a hacker. Will helps the three set up a black-market
online store to sell the drugs through bitcoin transactions, which are
difficult to trace. Before long, Will's marketing campaign has turned
the trio's website into the go-to drug source for L.A. college students.
Malcolm helps Nakia study and she opens up to him. Malcolm pushes her
away, accusing her of being sent there by Dom to gather info on the
drugs. Offended, Nakia leaves. The next day, Malcolm asks Will to
extract cash from the bitcoins, and he tells Malcolm that he will
arrange a meeting with a money-laundering gangster named Fidel (Kap-G).
The meeting goes as planned, and Malcolm leaves with a bag full of cash.
While returning with the bag of cash, Malcolm is assaulted by the school
bully and his crew who quickly overpowers him and takes the bag.
Malcolm, desperate, defends himself by pulling a gun, gets the money
back, and earns the bully's respect.
Malcolm returns to AJ's office for his interview, where he tells Jacoby
that he has sold the drugs and left a trail leading to Jacoby. Unless
Jacoby makes him a Harvard Man, Malcolm will transfer the bitcoins to
Jacoby's checking account, which will get Jacoby arrested.
Malcolm types his college application essay. He describes two students –
Student A is a music geek that plays in a punk band and gets straight
As, while Student B suffers in the hood and makes money in immoral ways.
He asks, "Which student do you think I am?"
Malcolm waits for Nakia at prom, but she does not show. Nakia meets
Malcolm at his home and thanks him for helping her pass her GED, gives
him a pass to Six Flags, and kisses him on the cheek.
Malcolm enters his room to find an envelope from Harvard on his bed. He
opens it and looks at the audience before smiling.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dope_(2015_film)