Straight Outta Compton movie review

The end of the summer movie season is to moviegoers what the end of the NFL season is to football fans. Gone are the seemingly endless line of summer blockbusters that studios funnel millions upon millions of dollars into hoping to draw you to the theater. Because of this over the next few weeks and even throughout the month of September you’ll be hearing the same complaints over and over again. About how no movie can live up to Jurassic World or Mad Max Fury Road, and how there is no point of going to the movies until October.

Well how unlucky for those people who are deciding to pass on F. Gary Gray’s Straight Outta Compton, the biographical picture about the revolutionary rap group known as N.W.A. While all of those adrenaline junkies are waiting for their superheroes and dinosaurs to return, myself, and hopefully an entire movie loving public will be watching what is arguably the best movie of the summer, and possibly the best movie so far this year.

In 1986, five friends from Compton, California, Andre Young (Dr. Dre), O’Shea Jackson (Ice Cube), Eric Wright (Eazy-E), Lorenzo Patterson (MC Ren), and Antoine Carraby (DJ Yella) form the rap group N.W.A. Giving the public a newfound voice and giving others a look into the lives of those living in areas like Compton, the group struggles with their newfound stardom and deal with the repercussions of their lyrical content that would shape the way rap music and music in general is written today.

Straight Outta Compton is one of the best performed films of the year. The entire cast did a fantastic job with the characters each one was given. All members of N.W.A, while some may not get as much screen time as others, are perfectly portrayed and the actors help bring these personalities to life, with the three leads, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E, being played by Corey Hawkins, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Jason Mitchell, respectively. Jackson Jr. (Having the interesting task of playing his father) and Mitchell both do great work, but it is Hawkins who stands out as Dr. Dre

Hawkins brings a fascinating level of intensity to the role of Dr. Dre. He allows his character to be sympathetic and helps us see the vision he had when it came to rap music and production of music as well. It also allows Dr. Dre to be a relatable character since Hawkins does such a great job of making you root for him in his struggles. He shines in the dramatic moments and even shows he has a sense of humor when interacting with his friends.

The supporting performances are also noteworthy. Paul Giamatti is a perfect casting choice for Jerry Heller, N.W.A’s first manager, and he shines in the role. While he is already an established actor, it is nice to see Giamatti looking for different roles and furthering his already extensive career. It was also interesting to see the variety of rap musicians portrayed when they were younger, specifically Snoop Dog and Tupac Shakur. Little cameos like that help the audience understand just how influential N.W.A were.

Which brings us to the screenplay written by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff. The screenplay these two have created allows the audience to ride along on the journey with N.W.A and even see what caused the group to write some of their greatest hits. They construct great drama as well as very funny and heartfelt moments amongst the group. Which helps you see that while these men were artists and businessmen, they were a family, and also enlightens us into what happens when a group like this disbands and starts taking shots at one another through their music.

An interesting aspect to the film is seeing the group produce and record some of their hits. Seeing the writing and production of songs like “Straight Outta Compton” and “F**k tha Police” is engaging in the sense of seeing what provoked these songs, especially the moments that provoked Ice Cube to write “F**k tha Police”. The writers also show you just how important N.W.A were to music and to a demographic of people that faced discrimination on a daily basis, especially in the areas like Compton.

F. Gary Gray is also a major bonus behind the camera. He helps elevate the screenplay to a new level, filming great concert scenes as well as showing just how hard it was for the group to live in Compton, a town that became known for their criminal activity in the late 80’s. Gray shoots his scenes with stunning clarity as well as perfect cutting of shots to help draw the audience in to what is a beautifully filmed movie.

While it may sound like I’m singing the film’s praises, it’s really because I have no major flaws with the finished product. Only nitpicks. The movie may have dragged on here and there, but at 147 minutes, that tends to happen to every movie with that kind of run time. And while it is clear that the three leads are portraying the more famous members of the group, MC Ren and DJ Yella are not given nearly as much screen time as the three other members. But that isn’t surprising since the movie is produced by both Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.

Honestly I was floored by Straight Outta Compton. From the writing to the directing to the acting to (Of course) the soundtrack, there is no reason why you shouldn’t go see this movie this weekend. It is an experience I hope all of you get to enjoy the great filmmaking and interesting story of one of the revolutionary music groups of all time.