MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 (8/14/15): STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
 |
| "The first person that asks us to do a karaoke version of 'Rapper's Delight' is getting punched in the face!" The members of N.W.A. – MC Ren (Aldis Hodge), DJ Yella (Neil Brown, Jr.), Eazy-E (Keith Mitchell), Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson, Jr.) and Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins) get ready to rock Detroit in a scene from director F. Gary Gray's STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON. Credit: Jaimie Trueblood. © 2015 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. |
WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:
KEY CAST MEMBERS: O'Shea Jackson, Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown, Jr., Aldis Hodge, Paul Giamatti, R. Marcus Taylor, Carra Patterson, Marlon Yates, Jr., Keith Powers, Corey Reynolds and Lakeith Lee Stanfield
WRITER(S): Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff (screenplay); S. Leigh Savidge, Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff (story)
DIRECTOR(S): F. Gary Gray
WEB SITE: http://www.straightouttacompton.com/
60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): The story of the hip-hop quintet once billed as "the world's most dangerous group," Straight Outta Compton stars Jason Mitchell as Eric Wright. A "street pharmacist" (or drug dealer, in plain terms) by trade, Wright is friends with Andre Young (Corey Hawkins), who spends his nights working as an aspiring local DJ working under Lonzo Williams (Corey Reynolds) a club owner with whom he doesn't quite see eye-to-eye musically. His younger brother Tyree (Keith Powers) idolizes him, but with a young daughter to look after and a mother who doesn't quite support his DJ dreams, Dre needs a new situation ASAP ...
Meanwhile, O'Shea Jackson (played by his real life offspring O'Shea Jackson, Jr.) spends his time in high school writing his "reality raps" about the tough neighborhood in which he lives where the police are just as big if not a bigger threat than all the gang members that proliferate it. Realizing the drug game only ends with you in jail or in the ground, Wright – after some prodding from the man who everyone just calls Dre – decides to start a record label largely backed by Dre's musical production and hard hitting lyrics by Jackson (a.k.a. Ice Cube). Joined by Lorenzo Patterson a.k.a. MC Ren and proverbial ladies man Antoine "DJ Yella" Carraby (Neil Brown), the five young men form the group that shall change hip-hop (and in turn, America), forever: N.W.A.
(And if you don't know what "N.W.A." stands for, you're really out of the loop. Continuing on ...)
Wright – or Eazy-E, if you will – then meets a manager in the form of Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) who will take the group on to instant fame as their records strike a chord with rap fans from coast to coast. But that doesn't come without controversy due to their profanity and violence laden rhymes that encourage, among other things, telling local authorities that they can go fornicate themselves for the way they treat young African-Americans. But what happens when money, power and the ability to live life the way every poor kid in the 'hood dreams of being able to do one day?
Straight Outta Compton tells the story, pulling very few punches along the way in doing so ...
Meanwhile, O'Shea Jackson (played by his real life offspring O'Shea Jackson, Jr.) spends his time in high school writing his "reality raps" about the tough neighborhood in which he lives where the police are just as big if not a bigger threat than all the gang members that proliferate it. Realizing the drug game only ends with you in jail or in the ground, Wright – after some prodding from the man who everyone just calls Dre – decides to start a record label largely backed by Dre's musical production and hard hitting lyrics by Jackson (a.k.a. Ice Cube). Joined by Lorenzo Patterson a.k.a. MC Ren and proverbial ladies man Antoine "DJ Yella" Carraby (Neil Brown), the five young men form the group that shall change hip-hop (and in turn, America), forever: N.W.A.
(And if you don't know what "N.W.A." stands for, you're really out of the loop. Continuing on ...)
Wright – or Eazy-E, if you will – then meets a manager in the form of Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) who will take the group on to instant fame as their records strike a chord with rap fans from coast to coast. But that doesn't come without controversy due to their profanity and violence laden rhymes that encourage, among other things, telling local authorities that they can go fornicate themselves for the way they treat young African-Americans. But what happens when money, power and the ability to live life the way every poor kid in the 'hood dreams of being able to do one day?
Straight Outta Compton tells the story, pulling very few punches along the way in doing so ...
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E fans; fans of hip-hop's "Golden Era" and anyone else who grew up with N.W.A.'s music; activists who will point out the timelessness of the group's music as music and social commentary
WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN'T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? MC Ren fans; music historians who hate when biopics pick and choose what they do and don't cover from the artist's controversial past; police officers who do not like criticism of the police especially in light of the last year of the American news cycle; those who find rap music offensive or not music; Marion "Shug" Knight and Dee Barnes
SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? It would be quite easy – lazy, mind you, but easy – to say Straight Outta Compton is a biopic that N.W.A./rap fans will love as it celebrates all of the group's success while showcasing their cultural impact on America. But guess what? Compton – directed by longtime Ice Cube collaborator F. Gary Gray and produced by Dre, Cube and Eazy-E's widow Tomica Woods-Wright (MC Ren and DJ Yella also served as consultants) – is exactly that.
However, the film is also much more. It's an examination of the age old story of how money and fame has ruined/changed many groups in all musical genres; it's an examination of the dangers of the African American experience in the inner city, police brutality and how America reacts to controversy that never comes off as preachy and it's ultimately a story of friendship and brotherhood. And, thanks to strong performances by its key leads and director F. Gary Gray, it's a funny, emotional and entertaining experience that goes beyond being JUST a film for those who grew up with the source material.
For a cast lacking star power – Giamatti is by far the most if not only recognizable name on the roster – Compton shows that you don't need big names to make for a good movie, only big talent. While some may raise an eyebrow at Dre being mainly depicted as a level-headed, I-just-wanna-make-music individual (Google "Dee Barnes Dr. Dre" and you'll see why that was left out of the movie; Dre has since addressed that era of his life.), Hawkins' performance showcases the dedication and genius he has regarding the thing Dr. Dre is best known for: Music. Likewise, whereas his performance could easily seem like stunt casting (or just a horrible idea) upon first glance, Jackson, Jr. proves himself a formidable actor playing his father, providing a portrayal that is funnier and more intellectually vital to his success one may associate with the name "Ice Cube." Considering this is the same rapper who once billed himself as "the (insert racially charged epithet) you love to hate," this portrayal of Cube shows why he's been able to last as long as he has in Hollywood and do things like Are We There Yet? without ever losing his street cred.
Mitchell, however, is the one that truly shines in nailing all the aspects of the late Eazy-E that enabled him to both platinum records and a dinner invite at the White House. Street smart hustler and well-meaning but naive businessman are the two sides of the Eazy-E equation which Mitchell nails equally, making the climax of his story a powerful one that removes the idea of "street thug" into caring spouse, friend and creator. Giamatti does a great job at humanizing both Heller (who's dealings ultimately broke the group up in the first place) and providing a space for Mitchell to play off as the story progresses. MC Ren fans may be disappointed at how little focus is put on him as he equates to little more than Eazy-E's forgotten friend; at least Neil Brown makes the most of his scenes as DJ Yella, adding comic relief before a final short but touching scene.
Director F. Gary Gray deserves credit for bringing everything together as well as it does. Sure, one might (and likely should) take issue with some of the significant events/topics of the group's past not being involved ... Then again, the relevance of the group's music today in light of African-American police relations makes every bit of the film's 2 hour, 20 minute-plus run time feel necessary. Compton shows how not far America has come on the issue of police brutality in the African-American community and why a group like N.W.A. not only thrived, but was a revolutionary force like no other.
WARNING: HISTORY LESSON/COMMENTARY AHEAD!
Challenging of authority is nothing new, but the fashion in which the group did it comes through like a booming cannon in Compton, showing how the location could double for nearly any of the neighborhoods/cities where nearly 30 unarmed African Americans have died at the hands of police in the year since the events in Ferguson, Mississippi.
It's a sad likely truth that many of the people that need to see Straight Outta Compton the most will likely miss the point of the film if so. For, much like N.W.A. claimed when their cassettes (remember those?) were hot items among youths who had to get parents or older siblings to buy them for them at record stores, the violence and misogyny in their songs was a reflection of their reality, not a glorification of it. And even at the times when it could be seen as such, it says more about the society that makes the ideas presented seem glorious than it does the artist simply providing the commentary. N.W.A. knew how to put America up to the mirror to take a hard look at itself; Straight Outta Compton just illustrates why they were so good at it.
While much of hip-hop today has shifted it seems into glorifying violence and misogyny instead of talking about why it exists and how to fix it, it was groundbreaking stuff back when N.W.A. did it; many of today's artists just seem to be lazily trying to follow in their already well explored footsteps. Even in in their own youthful hypocrisy, N.W.A. created timeless music for a generation and the film encapsulates why it has lasted long beyond the group's active recording years.
A film that shares the story of five friends as much as it does explore the ideas of race in America, Straight Outta Compton is one of the best flicks of the summer and certainly a more "fantastic" superhero tale than recent comic book fare. (And yes, in true hip-hop fashion, I just dissed the awful Fantastic Four movie that recently came out. Eazy-E, I suspect, would be proud.)
However, the film is also much more. It's an examination of the age old story of how money and fame has ruined/changed many groups in all musical genres; it's an examination of the dangers of the African American experience in the inner city, police brutality and how America reacts to controversy that never comes off as preachy and it's ultimately a story of friendship and brotherhood. And, thanks to strong performances by its key leads and director F. Gary Gray, it's a funny, emotional and entertaining experience that goes beyond being JUST a film for those who grew up with the source material.
For a cast lacking star power – Giamatti is by far the most if not only recognizable name on the roster – Compton shows that you don't need big names to make for a good movie, only big talent. While some may raise an eyebrow at Dre being mainly depicted as a level-headed, I-just-wanna-make-music individual (Google "Dee Barnes Dr. Dre" and you'll see why that was left out of the movie; Dre has since addressed that era of his life.), Hawkins' performance showcases the dedication and genius he has regarding the thing Dr. Dre is best known for: Music. Likewise, whereas his performance could easily seem like stunt casting (or just a horrible idea) upon first glance, Jackson, Jr. proves himself a formidable actor playing his father, providing a portrayal that is funnier and more intellectually vital to his success one may associate with the name "Ice Cube." Considering this is the same rapper who once billed himself as "the (insert racially charged epithet) you love to hate," this portrayal of Cube shows why he's been able to last as long as he has in Hollywood and do things like Are We There Yet? without ever losing his street cred.
Mitchell, however, is the one that truly shines in nailing all the aspects of the late Eazy-E that enabled him to both platinum records and a dinner invite at the White House. Street smart hustler and well-meaning but naive businessman are the two sides of the Eazy-E equation which Mitchell nails equally, making the climax of his story a powerful one that removes the idea of "street thug" into caring spouse, friend and creator. Giamatti does a great job at humanizing both Heller (who's dealings ultimately broke the group up in the first place) and providing a space for Mitchell to play off as the story progresses. MC Ren fans may be disappointed at how little focus is put on him as he equates to little more than Eazy-E's forgotten friend; at least Neil Brown makes the most of his scenes as DJ Yella, adding comic relief before a final short but touching scene.
Director F. Gary Gray deserves credit for bringing everything together as well as it does. Sure, one might (and likely should) take issue with some of the significant events/topics of the group's past not being involved ... Then again, the relevance of the group's music today in light of African-American police relations makes every bit of the film's 2 hour, 20 minute-plus run time feel necessary. Compton shows how not far America has come on the issue of police brutality in the African-American community and why a group like N.W.A. not only thrived, but was a revolutionary force like no other.
WARNING: HISTORY LESSON/COMMENTARY AHEAD!
Challenging of authority is nothing new, but the fashion in which the group did it comes through like a booming cannon in Compton, showing how the location could double for nearly any of the neighborhoods/cities where nearly 30 unarmed African Americans have died at the hands of police in the year since the events in Ferguson, Mississippi.
It's a sad likely truth that many of the people that need to see Straight Outta Compton the most will likely miss the point of the film if so. For, much like N.W.A. claimed when their cassettes (remember those?) were hot items among youths who had to get parents or older siblings to buy them for them at record stores, the violence and misogyny in their songs was a reflection of their reality, not a glorification of it. And even at the times when it could be seen as such, it says more about the society that makes the ideas presented seem glorious than it does the artist simply providing the commentary. N.W.A. knew how to put America up to the mirror to take a hard look at itself; Straight Outta Compton just illustrates why they were so good at it.
While much of hip-hop today has shifted it seems into glorifying violence and misogyny instead of talking about why it exists and how to fix it, it was groundbreaking stuff back when N.W.A. did it; many of today's artists just seem to be lazily trying to follow in their already well explored footsteps. Even in in their own youthful hypocrisy, N.W.A. created timeless music for a generation and the film encapsulates why it has lasted long beyond the group's active recording years.
A film that shares the story of five friends as much as it does explore the ideas of race in America, Straight Outta Compton is one of the best flicks of the summer and certainly a more "fantastic" superhero tale than recent comic book fare. (And yes, in true hip-hop fashion, I just dissed the awful Fantastic Four movie that recently came out. Eazy-E, I suspect, would be proud.)
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
Comments
Post a Comment