White Boy Rick

White Boy Rick

Starring Richie Merritt, Matthew McConaughey, Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Directed by Yann Demange

The Story:
In Detroit in 1984, fourteen-year-old Rick Wershe Jr. (Richie Merritt) spends time at gun shows with his father Rick Sr. (Matthew McConaughey) as he buys guns on the cheap and then re-sells them for a profit illegally.  FBI Agent Alex Snyder (Jennifer Jason Leigh) picks Rick up and tells him that he needs to sell cocaine to local gang members in order to bring them to jail, or else they'll arrest his father for illegally selling guns.  Rick agrees to help them, but finds the pull of easy money too irresistible, and becomes engrossed in the drug selling scene in Detroit, becoming the youngest drug informant and kingpin.

The Synopsis:
I love these true-life films that focus on people we never would've heard of in real life and witness the events that they undergo, proving sometimes that fact is stranger than fiction.  "White Boy Rick" is one of those films, a story that's almost too impossible to believe, but it actually happened.  How the FBI managed to convince a teenager to sell drugs for them that eventually led to the teen's descent into immorality is an interesting one to watch, even if it's flawed by the lack of use of characters other than the two main leads.

"White Boy Rick" is essentially a family drama, while the drugs prove how it can destroy it.  Rick Sr. has been selling guns illegally to provide money for his family, after his wife left him, and he pulls in his namesake to sell them as well.  This causes the son to believe he can do the same with drugs, and embarks on a dangerous path that results in both the highs and lows a life like this has to offer.  Meanwhile, Senior's daughter Dawn is also facing the perils of drugs, but on the receiving end.  She becomes an addict after her criminal boyfriend pulls her into it, resulting in her own downward spiral that's truly haunting to watch.  While he will never win "Father of the Year," in a strange sense he truly loves his children and will do anything for them, even though he leads one into a life of crime and sends the other to a world of drugs and depravity.

After basically being forced to sell drugs for the FBI, Rick finds himself in the company of shady men, while also secretly working against them to send them to jail.  Even for a seasoned pro, this would've been more than they could handle, and to think that the FBI put this type of responsibility on the shoulders of a teenager is unimaginable.  A teenager doesn't have the complete mental capacity to fully understand the consequences of their actions, and we see this to full effect in Rick's life.  Even after the FBI completes their investigation, Rick finds himself pulled to sell drugs due to the fact that it's easy money and he doesn't see it as hurting anyone - it's a way to provide for his family.  In this case, the FBI created their own monster, and eventually treats him as such.  It's rough to see, as you know the kid is heading down the wrong path, but there's nothing you as a viewer can do but watch the slow spiral occur, knowing the eventual outcome.

The film features three spectacular performances by three different levels of actors, all of which more than rising to the occasion.  Seasoned pro Matthew McConaughey stars as the amoral patriarch of the family, who will at one hand do anything for his children yet on the other inadvertently give them the tools of their own destruction.  He teaches his son how to sell illegal guns, which leads the son to selling illegal drugs.  He's hated so much by his daughter due to her mother leaving him that she leaves him and finds herself engrossed in the drug culture.  McConaughey perfectly portrays Rick Sr. as a man flawed, but thinking he's doing the right thing for his family.

"Diary of a Teenage Girl" star Bel Powley stars as Rick Sr.'s daughter Dawn, and gives a truly haunting performance, showcasing the destructive power drugs have on a person.  She runs away from home and moves in with her drug-addicted boyfriend, and quickly drowns in the culture.  We see her struggle with cocaine and detox in a way that I'm sure many who've gone through this in real life had to endure, and it's truly harrowing.

Yet the film's main performance lies with an actor who's never performed in a film before.  Richie Merritt is a true discovery, and gives a performance that far exceed even seasoned veterans.  As Rick Jr., Merritt balances being strong and sensitive, powerful and powerless, and a teenager and an adult in the most beautifully tragic ways.  He's pulled into a life of crime by the FBI after they basically blackmail him, and while he carries a tough guy facade, there's several moments in the film where you see Rick's true vulnerability.  In the film's most poignant and powerful scene, Rick Sr. and Jr. rescue Dawn from a crack house, and as Senior is carrying her home, she's literally screaming and punching him the entire time, while Junior looks on in a way that proves that - despite being a drug kingpin - he's still just a kid.  Merritt owns the screen, and I greatly look forward to the future this young man has on the big screen.

The biggest downside to the film is the lack of character development for anyone other than these three actors.  Bruce Dern and Piper Laurie star as Rick's grandparents, who don't really have much to do.  Equally, the gang Rick rolls with are nothing more than static caricatures, the generic African American drug dealers you'd find in a film like this.  Even the FBI agents are one-dimensional and bland, even though they're the real bad guys in this whole ordeal.

Besides that, the story is thoughtful and compelling, filled with great performances and gives the viewer a helpless view into the life of America's youngest street hustler, kingpin, and FBI informant.

The Summary:
Even though the characters around them are lackluster, "White Boy Rick" works due to the strong performances of the three leads, each one giving a haunting portrayal of different views of how drugs affect your life.  This true-life film is powerful, thought-provoking, and absolutely heartbreaking as we witness a young casualty in the war on drugs.

The Score: A