7 Thursday, June 25, 2015 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com ARTS ‘Dope’ sure to be classic MOVIE REVIEW Plot successfully balances the serious and lighthearted By LAUREN WOOD Daily Arts Writer Starting from the most major points, let’s at least try to catego- rize “Dope,” the Rick Famuyiwa (“The Wood”) pic- ture that came out this past week. First, there’s the main charac- ters — a group of geeky high school kids getting their shoes stolen in the hallways, orga- nizing their hip punk band in after school classrooms and working toward attending big schools like Harvard. Who, at the same time, are part of a group of teenagers growing up in the hood, selling dope through an online black market and evading the police and other dealers to stay on top. Second, there’s where they live, Inglewood, CA, with gangs blocking off nearly every street cor- ner and friends shot while waiting in line for fast food. Where outrunning gangs and cops isn’t downplayed exactly, but shown through a lens of teenage invincibility — punctuated by bouncy ’90s rap, peppered with laughter and that indefinite security of solidarity under pressure. And finally, we have the film itself. Part John Hughes adolescent under- standing, part hood film, part satiri- cal documentary biopic. Indefinable and resistant under the all that shiny California sun. “Dope”, overall, is a huge success, a piece that expresses itself in the space between catego- ries, following its teenage characters as they try to do just the same. “Dope” introduces high school senior Malcolm, played by newcom- er Shameik Moore, as a classified geek whose life consists of obsessing over ’90s culture, playing in a make- shift punk band (called Awreeoh, or Oreo, black on the outside but white in the middle) and working toward a Harvard acceptance. He and his best friends, Diggy (Kiersey Clemons, “Transparent”) and Jib (Tony Revol- ori, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”), are uncool in a way that’s completely cool, with thrift shop style and off- beat but catchy music that really only results in them getting beaten up or having their bikes stolen. But, after getting themselves into a birthday party for a neighborhood dope deal- er and ending up with a backpack of stolen molly and a gun, the group must figure out how to navigate the landscape of drugs and violence in the neighborhood they have always been part of. As it turns out, the Harvard alum Malcolm interviews with is the head of the drug ring he’s been pulled into, and instead of judg- ing Malcolm’s character and smarts with a formal sit down talk, AJ (Roger Guenveur Smith, “American Gangster”) decides that seeing how Malcolm handles a situation like moving thousands of dollars’ worth of dope would be a more than accu- rate test of self. The story, though somewhat serious in subject matter, is kept fresh and optimistic in the way the film blurs the line between the fic- tionally ridiculous and larger top- ics of race and class. Having to sell drugs because your college men- tor wants to see what you can do is as far-fetched as it gets, but being pulled into a world of illegal dealing because it’s the only option for suc- cess is all too real for many. In this way, “Dope” isn’t a film that’s about race or class, holding these issues on some untouchable pedestal from which we all discuss afar. Instead, Famuyiwa tells us a story about friendship and growing up and suc- ceeding, organically addressing how race and class might influence any of these pivotal moments and play into the lives of his characters. This fresh attitude the film holds while exploring the realities of a group of kids from Inglewood is carried over to the filmmaking itself. From the music to the style to the issues at play, “Dope” is a film that firmly places itself in 2015. It’s indie without being inacces- sible, and honestly one of the only films in recent memory where the use of technology or social media doesn’t feel like a command from some high up production exec to get some of that Facebook in there!” “Dope” presents a film full of cre- atively edited party sequences, a satirical narrator, suspenseful split screens, and ordinary moments of stupid jokes and laughter — a film kept fresh and self aware not only through its subject matter but its storytelling as well. “We blur the line between cat- egory and definition,” Malcolm proclaims in his Harvard admis- sions statement, deciding finally that there is no one category to find a place in, but success is found in the overlap. A focus on teenagers growing up in Inglewood that finds its voice in the balance between the serious and lighthearted, “Dope” establishes itself as a fresh, genera- tional classic. ‘Wives Club’ is not ‘Mad Men’ TV REVIEW By SOPHIA KAUFMAN Daily Arts Writer The day “Mad Men” ended was a sad, sad day in the television world. But at the same time, the show’s writers wrapped every- thing up well — leaving us with tears in our eyes, maybe, but ultimately leaving us with a laugh and the knowledge that the show got the attention and the ending it deserved. We felt at peace. And then, a couple of days later, we started twitching from the “Mad Men” withdrawal. ABC jumped at the chance to fill that void in our hearts with “Astronaut Wives Club,” their shiny new period drama. Despite being based off of a true story — that of the astronauts of the Mer- cury Project during the Cold War era — almost everything about “Launch” falls flat. In the first scene, we are intro- duced to seven women and their husbands at a party in a dizzy- ing five minutes. There is a lot of dancing, a lot of polite yet barbed small talk and a lot of judgmental looks shooting from this wife to that one to that one’s husband. Watching these women check out the competition — not for themselves, but for their hus- bands, one of whom will be the first man launched into orbit — is uncomfortable. Watching them shoot thinly veiled jibes at each other after being introduced is painful. The women go down to Flor- ida to surprise their husbands, who are working hard — get- ting drunk, swimming in pools, trying to impress other young women, etc. A few of these fun- loving husbands are less than happy to see their wives. After they all find out who will be the first man to go to space, his wife rejects the home-cooked dishes prepared by the other women as a gesture of wifely solidarity. Later, she graciously accepts the food and emotional support, and the episode ends with a cute, heartwarming scene of all of the women dancing together in cel- ebration — and anticipation for what the following months will bring. This show could’ve be titled The Real Housewives of the 1960’s for the amount of depth it holds so far. The treatment of women isn’t as nuanced as in “Mad Men,” to which it will absolutely be compared. It lacks the subtle wry humor that “Mad Men” had, instead touching only briefly on the most superficial levels of sexist attitudes of the time — if there are jokes, the jokes are lost. Like the film “The Help,” the show is so self-indulgently beau- tiful — scenes in soft golden sun- light, flattering camera angles, painstakingly perfect hair and makeup, and cherubic chil- dren — that you almost forget it is attempting to portray a real story. However, the actors do the best with what they’ve been given, and many of the women show promise; if the following episodes slow down, flesh out the storylines of each couple and give each of the wives time and space to take a deep breath, we will see something more than just perfunctory performances. “Mad Men” proved that people can be captivated by shows that shine a spotlight on specific times in our history; “The Astronaut Wives Club” has a long way to go before it can reach the kind of love lavished on Don Draper and Peggy Olson. The historical detail found in the clothing and scenery is amazing; if the writing catches up, the acting will too. And then maybe — maybe — it will give “Mad Men” a run for its money. Not likely, though. A Dope Significant Productions Rave 20 & Quality 16 C Astronaut Wives Club Series Pre- miere ABC The show is so self-indulgently beautiful MOVIE REVIEW SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIONS A$AP DOPEY