Dope Film Analysis

Dope is a film directed by filmmaker Rick Famuyiwa, released in 2015 about three high school students that get caught up in a huge drug scheme. The story revolves around Malcolm and his two best friends, Jib and Diggy, as they find themselves with a huge possession of drugs following the birthday party of Dom: the local drug dealer. Malcolm comes to terms that he must sell all the drugs while concurrently making sure he gets accepted into Harvard. The movie is filled with adventure, comedy, drugs, etc., yet there is a larger thesis depicted throughout the film, which is the presumption and stereotypes associated with being a young black male. This film essentially challenges the predetermined stereotype that all young black men are bound to
This cultural stereotype is brought up early in the film when Malcolm’s teacher doubtfully questions him by saying, “you go to high school in Inglewood. You think you're going to get into Harvard?” This quote reinstates the stereotype that young black males cannot excel academically, and that they are all hoodlums, neglecting to look past the color of their skin. Smaranda Stefanovici, author of “Black Stereotypes in American Movies”, states how many media outlets portray black people as “Less intelligent than the white ruling class showing a disproportionate number of African-Americans living in slums, committing crimes, and in dire need of help from the community”(Stefanovici, 21). There are many of these cultural stereotypes portrayed in this movie such as Malcolm living in a single-parent home, the surrounding gangbang environment, the drug dealing antagonist, and the old hip–hop hits present within the film. In many films, blacks are portrayed as morally inferior, using vulgar language, and performing acts of violence, neglecting to go further into their stories. Ultimately, this movie attempts to challenge that culture stereotype, and aims to show that black individuals can be complex human
Whether it is the narrator explaining that Malcolm is a geek, or his awkward exchanges with people, the film constantly reinstates the fact that Malcolm is a geek: awkwardness, intelligence, lack of confidence, and simply different from the crowd. Although once the movie progresses and Malcolm establishes himself as a respected drug dealer, this is when the dualism of his character is shown. New elements of his character are shown and established during this breaking point in the film. At this point in the film, Malcolm is now confident in himself. He performs live with his band, punches a gangster, and blackmails a drug lord. The duality of Malcolm’s nature is best perceived in the scene where he addresses the audience about his college application essay. Malcolm talks about two students in his college essay: student A and student B. Student A is described as getting great grades and a perfect SAT score, while student B is described as coming from an underdeveloped neighborhood, not knowing his father, raised by a single mother, and selling drugs. The students are complete opposites and Malcolm uses this analogy to tell the audience about his sense of duality. He perceives himself as dual opposites: a geek and a drug