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7

GreatMartinSep 15, 2018

Ricky Wershe Jr, AKA White Boy Rick, went to jail in 1987 at the age of 17 and is still in jail today though he was paroled 2017. “White Boy Rick” tells his story from the age of 14 to 17 with an addendum at the end.

The film covers manyRicky Wershe Jr, AKA White Boy Rick, went to jail in 1987 at the age of 17 and is still in jail today though he was paroled 2017. “White Boy Rick” tells his story from the age of 14 to 17 with an addendum at the end.

The film covers many topics like the state of Detroit at the time, corrupt cops and politicians, drug dealers, teenagers giving birth, Black versus White subjects, all very lightly including time spent in prison. The two subjects that the film delves into are Ricky Jr., who as a teenager is used and gets involved in dealing drugs by ‘law-abiding’ adults. The other subject is about family and the fight to stay together.

The family consists of grandparents (Piper Laurie and Bruce Dern), father (Matthew McConaughey) brother (Richie Merritt) and sister (Bel Powley) each having problems but all there for each other for good or bad. All we know about the children’s mother is that she left before the film starts. The cast also includes Jennifer Jason Leigh and Rory Cochrane as FBI agents, Brian Tyree Henry as a narcotics cop, Eddie Marsan as a drug kingpin, RJ Cyler as Ricky’s friend among many who come and go without a chance to make an impact.

The movie mainly relies on McConaughey who plays the shady dealing con man with dreams and the father who loves his children giving a definitive portrait of the man. With more face time and some deeper scenes Merritt is at a disadvantage being a nonprofessional cast in his first role. At times he acts as a typical teenager, which may be natural, while at other times he doesn’t quite have the gravitas needed in some scenes.

Bel Powley as the daughter/sister is a match for McConaughey and, in a few scenes is too intense for Merritt.

“White Boy Ricky” is directed by Yann Demange with the screenplay by Andy Weiss, Logan Miller and Noah Miller with both sides seeming not to know what to concentrate on, a shaky camera coming and going for no any particular reason, which at times prevents the audience from being quite as engaged as it should and could be.

“White Boy Ricky” is an interesting film to see because it approaches an often done subject from a new angle.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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6

GrantD243Sep 16, 2018

White Boy Rick follows a teenage boy, named Rick, who becomes a drug dealer and informant for the FBI. The Good:
- This is based on a true story and I found it to be very well done. I had also never heard of this story until now. - MatthewWhite Boy Rick follows a teenage boy, named Rick, who becomes a drug dealer and informant for the FBI. The Good:
- This is based on a true story and I found it to be very well done. I had also never heard of this story until now. - Matthew McConaughey is solid as always. - They captured the 1980s well.
- It's interesting to see a "gangster" movie that actually focuses quite a bit on kids rather than a mob. - They also tackled the story in a realistic and grounded way. Nothing that happens in this film seems overdramatized or unrealistic. The Bad:
- The story of someone getting involved in dealing drugs and informing for the FBI is nothing new. And while there are some elements of this story that I found to be original, the overall story is nothing we haven't seen before. - I don't mind language in films. In a lot of ways it makes films more realistic, but it becomes a little much when the main characters are saying "f**k" in almost every sentence. - The pacing of the story is by far the weakest part of this film. It's never consistent and therefore makes it hard for the audience to gauge exactly how quickly it's moving along. Overall, White Boy Rick is a solid watch, but it doesn't push the envelope by any means.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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6

TVJerrySep 14, 2018

This a sad, but true story of a teenager who went undercover for the FBI in 80s Detroit. His involvement led to even more complex, unfortunate situations. Matthew McConaughey plays his father, a hardscrabble hustler who's devoted to his son,This a sad, but true story of a teenager who went undercover for the FBI in 80s Detroit. His involvement led to even more complex, unfortunate situations. Matthew McConaughey plays his father, a hardscrabble hustler who's devoted to his son, played with steely reserve by newcomer Richie Merritt. The most outstanding performance is from British actor Bel Powley as his screwed-up sis. This is a dark, gritty story about an unfortunate family and the effects of the War on Drugs. French director Yann Demange has created a grim, hopeless world, infused with authenticity and affection. It's not often that we see such tragic work, but this one is weirdly compelling.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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10

KevinChau5Sep 14, 2018

Saw this film tonight, Really good true story! Loved the performances by Matthew McConaughey, Good storyline, would highly recommend this film!!

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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4

amheretojudgeSep 17, 2018

the laziness in its previous act that makes it more active..

White Boy Rick White Boy Rick is a character driven biographical crime drama about a 15 year old boy that falls in a trap of FBI officers in order to help them and then latterthe laziness in its previous act that makes it more active..

White Boy Rick

White Boy Rick is a character driven biographical crime drama about a 15 year old boy that falls in a trap of FBI officers in order to help them and then latter finds himself on the wrong side of the door. This arthouse is a blunder of any whatsoever production gone under where its only way out is its pathos reality that it uses utterly to manipulate the emotions out of the audience. It may have a newer structure but the primary reason behind it, is its inability to construct one, each sequence is unfinished, each move is illogical. The creativity and originality never had any vacancy in here, but even a world extracted from real incidents ought to feel practical; don't get your hopes high. The side characters are one dimensional and are handed a wafer thin characteristic to mug up and on that note, the performance of supporting cast is plausible. The relationship between McConaughey and Merritt has done something right to its viewers and it is a real gem of the feature and not because of the sweet and innocence it is brimmed with, but how flawed and honest it is; not often where we encounter this complex chemistry and on such large scale. Merritt is good in bits and pieces just like the feature along with Powley that follows his footsteps. One of the major disappointments is Jennifer Jason Leigh who is underused and undercooked where she isn't given enough range for her to flaunt her skills. McConaughey soars through this crime drama amidst all this traffic of mediocrity and justifies his stardom and his presence on screen every time when a camera looks at him; it loves him, we love him. Its first half is scattered into bits and the second half is equally sensible that for the least itlands this risky flight safely. And as much as gathering the makers does of its mutilated bits and pieces, its amendment can never be that glorifying to make one suffer through that hour. The latter stages are genuinely moving and appreciative but it too falls on a shorter level, either the expectations have grown mediocre or its just the laziness in its previous act that makes it more active. The background score is incongruent with daft cinematography and disturbing camera work that reaches to go all artsy which fires back vigorously. And the anchor that weighs in the most is its editing that is just banal and amateurly polished upon. The narration is something that neither makers agree with nor the actors, their uncomfortness is communicated thoroughly which is just plain old sad. The recalcitrant natured script is why there is no rhythm to it, it was supposed to be this, it became that and clearly we don't want THAT. What it does get right somehow, is when it attempts to depict a series of events to convey the time passing by, but that too is fueled with performance, the juvenile execution barely takes part into it. White Boy Rick is clearly a non-calculative venture whose schemes aren't worth getting into, forget the long run it can't even hold its promises up till the runtime.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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5

ayamaya100Sep 24, 2018

Boring and disappointing... slow and not very engaging. Dreary and depressing, lacks any real entertainment value. Worse, none of the characters are worth investing in.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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8

BerikJan 17, 2019

White Boy Rick has an impact as strong as the title. But it is quite enjoyable to watch.

We take a look in the life of some trash americans who live a life on the edge of society, stuck in their situation. The interactions are veryWhite Boy Rick has an impact as strong as the title. But it is quite enjoyable to watch.

We take a look in the life of some trash americans who live a life on the edge of society, stuck in their situation. The interactions are very interesting, and seems believable.It has a sad ending, but basically says: 'You should have known better.'

I would recommend this movie to other people, and i think Matthew did a good job. I give this movie a 8/10.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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5

PurpleCrayon4UDec 27, 2018

If you sell drugs to someone, the responsibility
of that person's life is in your hands. With that,
Ricky Wershe Jr deserved every day of every year of the sentence he served. WHITE BOY RICK is yet another 'Oh, Poor Him' story where he hasIf you sell drugs to someone, the responsibility
of that person's life is in your hands. With that,
Ricky Wershe Jr deserved every day of every year of
the sentence he served.

WHITE BOY RICK is yet another 'Oh, Poor Him' story
where he has to perform criminal acts in order to
survive or he is being forced to do it. Rick
chose to sell drugs, Rick got caught, Rick did time
-and if it weren't for Michigan bleeding hearts, Rick
would still be in prison.

The acting is average.
The story is average.
The soundtrack is average.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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8

JalemanyOct 30, 2020

Great film. The pace and rhythm of this movie is close to masterful. The variety of contexts shown and the delicacy of the storytelling has become so uncommon, that some will consider this a minor film. Wrong. Excellent performances andGreat film. The pace and rhythm of this movie is close to masterful. The variety of contexts shown and the delicacy of the storytelling has become so uncommon, that some will consider this a minor film. Wrong. Excellent performances and flawless direction. Remarkably well chosen music, and used very effectively. A great surprise.… Expand