This section contains spoilers
Dope was released to broadly positive reviews, currently sitting at an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, not all reviews saw the movie in the same light. Odie Henderson’s review on RogerEbert.com, one of the most prominent movie review websites today, only gave Dope two and a half stars. Henderson saw the film as a poor attempt at satire, stating “Dope alternates between being shockingly tone-deaf and surprisingly on-point.”[1. Henderson, Odie. June 19, 2015. “Dope.” RogerEbert.com. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dope-2015 ] He praised the portrayal of Inglewood and how it connects to Malcolm and his friends. He felt Malcolm was a reflection of himself when he was younger: “I was that nerd, too. I nodded knowingly as he described how every route from school to his house had its own unique dangers. I rocked his hairstyle, though when I did it, it was in fashion. I knew all about dope dealers, addicts and people who’d jack you for your sneakers (though I was too broke to buy any footwear they’d want to steal). And I felt a pain in my gut reminiscing how many times I was accused of ‘wannabe White’ because I was into schoolwork and ‘keeping it real’ hadn’t been coined yet.”[2. Henderson, Odie. June 19, 2015. “Dope.” RogerEbert.com. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dope-2015 ] While I will never know what both Henderson’s and Malcolm’s experiences are truly like, I do think that Malcolm as a character is an accurate representation of people that I have known. This makes sense, as Malcolm is based on the real-life experiences of Rick Famuyiwa.
Where Henderson feels the film falls short is with the introduction of drugs to the plot, which, unfortunately for Henderson, is a large part of the movie. In particular, he took issue with the character of AJ, Malcolm’s Harvard interviewer and Dom’s boss, played by Roger Guenveur Smith. He believes showing that getting a Harvard education may put you right back in the position you started in sends a bad message, particularly to young black men who may identify with Malcolm’s struggle.[3. Henderson, Odie. June 19, 2015. “Dope.” RogerEbert.com. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dope-2015 ] I interpreted this scene differently. Showing that AJ returned to drug dealing after going to Harvard reflects more on his character than the education he had. Much of Dope revolves around taking the resources you have and making choices to improve your life. AJ made the easy choice, to return to his home and make money the way he had before. Malcolm is also presented with that choice, seeing firsthand how easy it is to sell drugs. While his path is left ambiguous at the end of the film, I believe that Malcolm made the more difficult decision to use his resources for good, rather than go down the dark path.