Dope (2015)

IMDb plot summary: Life changes for Malcolm, a geek who's surviving life in a tough neighborhood, after a chance invitation to an underground party leads him and his friends into a Los Angeles adventure.

Directed by Rick Famuyiwa. Starring Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, and Kiersey Clemons.

Dope tells the story of a nerdy Black teenager and his friends who get themselves into some deep trouble when a drug dealer plants his supply in the lead's backpack during a nightclub raid. It ends up being up to the teens to get the drugs back where they belong. This is the setup for a dark gritty dramatic story in many other people's hands, but in writer/director Rick Famuyiwa's hands, is a hilarious high school comedy. Shameik Moore is immediately charismatic as our lead character who finds himself in way over his head but makes the most of it, and each silly new obstacle the kids encounter heightens the stakes in a really fun way. The ending is maybe my favorite part, though -- I found myself nervous about how the movie would close its loop, and I didn't need to be, because it's the perfect ending for the movie we were given. A smart, funny movie that works beautifully.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Dope > The Bat Whispers

Dope > Kuroneko

Dope < Network

Dope > Nope

Dope > The Fabelmans

Dope < Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

Dope > The Kite Runner

Dope < My Life in Pink

Dope > Zero Effect

Dope > Cats and Dogs

Dope < Black Narcissus

Final spot: #577 out of 3967, or 85%.

The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)

IMDb plot summary: Best friends Audrey and Morgan unwittingly become entangled in an international conspiracy when one of them discovers that the boyfriend who dumped her was actually a spy.

Directed by Susanna Fogel. Starring Kate McKinnon, Mila Kunis, and Justin Theroux.

The Spy Who Dumped Me is an action comedy starring Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon as two best friends who suddenly find themselves in the middle of some international intrigue when Kunis finds out her ex isn't who she thought he was. While there's a lot about this movie that falls a little flat, where it works is in the chemistry between Kunis and McKinnon. They absolutely feel like genuine friends here, with a comfortable dynamic that shows off both of their characters' personalities, and the more heartwarming moments in the movie rely on that dynamic even more than the comedic moments. However, the film is definitely a little mixed in terms of tone, and there are a lot of strange missing steps, where characters who were adamant about something a moment ago now seem like they forgot what they wanted to do. Overall it feels like a film with a good start and a good center that was too rushed and needed a few more passes on the script. I like pieces of it, I just wish the film was... finished.

How it entered my Flickchart:

The Spy Who Dumped Me < Le voyage au Groenland

The Spy Who Dumped Me > Thirteen Conversations About One Thing

The Spy Who Dumped Me > The Happiest Millionaire

The Spy Who Dumped Me > The Good Dinosaur

The Spy Who Dumped Me < Home Again

The Spy Who Dumped Me < The Savages

The Spy Who Dumped Me > The Vagabond King

The Spy Who Dumped Me > A Hard Day's Night

The Spy Who Dumped Me < Inland Empire

The Spy Who Dumped Me > Stagecoach

The Spy Who Dumped Me > Rushmore

Final spot: #2178 out of 3966, or 45%.