'White Boy Rick' Review

Sorry for the delay on this review, but I've been busy with schoolwork and making preparations for a video about Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I saw this film about two weeks ago and kept forgetting to write my review. Since I'll be seeing A Star Is Born (2018) and Venom soon, I figured I should get caught up on reviews.

'White Boy Rick' Review

White Boy Rick tells the true story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the height of the crack epidemic in 1980s Detroit to keep his father out of jail. When young Rick gets in too deep, he finds himself seduced by the lure of easy money and becomes a drug dealer himself. 

Directed by Yann Demange and written by Andy Weiss, Logan Miller, and Noah Miller, White Boy Rick desperately struggles to live up to its unbelievable subject matter. The trailers presented White Boy Rick as an eccentric wild-ride, but hardly any of that high-energy insanity made it into the finished film. The crime drama is ultimately sluggish and unfocused, bogged down by an unlikable protagonist, wooden acting, and way too many running subplots. The conflict between characters regularly was resolved off-screen, so it seemed like the more exciting story elements were either cut or never even filmed. There was a stretch of perhaps ten minutes or so where the film had my complete attention and investment. Otherwise, I deemed it to be dull, lifeless, and not worth my time.

The one obstacle White Boy Rick unfortunately never overcomes is the inexperience of its lead actor, Richie Merritt. Merritt is making an effort but lacks the charisma for Rick to be a character worth the audience's investment. A film like this requires an energetic lead performance along the lines of Leonardo DiCaprio's Jordan Belfort in The Wolf Of Wall Street or Tom Cruise's Barry Seal in American Made, and Merritt can't muster up the acting chops. As Rick's father, Matthew McConaughey is undoubtedly the star, acting circles around the rest of the cast.

Like the titular protagonist, White Boy Rick is well-intentioned but hopelessly lost. The film is competently made and features an outstanding performance from McConaughey, but has little else going for it when all is said-and-done. 

Film Assessment: C-