White Boy Rick

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Richie Merritt, Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, RJ Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern, Piper Laurie
Directed: Yann Demange
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A teenager (Richie Merritt) is coerced into going undercover as an FBI Informant in Detroit.

Review:
Tim: White Boy Rick sounded like a really solid movie. It told the true story of an underage boy being reluctantly recruited to act as an FBI Informant while he infiltrated a drug dealing operation on the dangerous streets of Detroit. Plus, it featured Matthew McConaughey in a supporting role that was large enough to give him the opportunity to flex his acting muscles. There's certainly some real positives in this movie, but Yann Demange's film ultimately feels disappointing. The tone was never quite nailed. This is a decent movie, but it's never as engaging as it needed to be. This makes the 1 hour, 51 minute film feel overly long.

On the positive side, this true story is almost hard to believe. Some of the best "based on a true story" movies involve stories that feel like fiction. That was the case here. Unfortunately, we've had a number of these movies that kind of glorify crime, as we watch individuals ride the wave up to riches they never dreamed of, before it all comes crashing down. Rick's story doesn't quite glamorize the criminal life as some of these films, but it follows a familiar trajectory. I've complained about this movie trend before (American Made is an example). There's a few things that do differentiate this, but it ultimately feels like a journey we've taken before.

One of my biggest complaints about the film is that the main characters are mishandled. Rick is clearly the lead here and I never saw a reason to really care about him. Some of this is the writing, some of it is the surprisingly flat performance of Richie Merritt. I'm not sure what Demange saw in him, but it was hard to feel sympathy and an emotional connection with him. Sure, he loved his damaged sister, but I didn't find him all that fascinating. He makes bad decisions and despite being led into the life, he (spoiler alert) actively chooses to stay in the drug dealing life. The end of the movie is all designed to make us feel sympathy for this character, to be stunned by the raw deal he got from the FBI and the justice system. I acknowledge that's true, but the movie portrays this like he was a completely innocent kid who had to pay the price for someone else. Throughout the course of the movie, Rick is a criminal. I agree that the punishment didn't fit his crime, but I was shocked that the movie wanted me to feel overwhelming sympathy for a criminal when he got caught. I didn't. I shrugged my shoulders. Sure, there was some level of injustice and that's not right, but it's not the stunning travesty the film makes it out to be. This movie needed to make me seethe with the injustice and I never did.

I feel bad for McConaughey, because he gives a truly strong supporting performance as Rick's dad. He is a seriously talented actor and plays parts like this so well. He's seedy and complex, but you actually care about him regardless. Merritt needed to achieve this with his performance and he never does- either due to inexperience or lack of talent (I think it's both). McConaughey knows how to take a character that would easily be so unlikable and imbue him with enough humanity that you feel a connection. McConaughey is the best part of the film by far. Jennifer Jason Leigh was fine in a smaller supporting role. Rory Cochrane was solid and I loved seeing Brian Tyree Henry here. Bruce Dern is always fun to watch. The supporting cast is fairly good as a whole.

One aspect of the film that was exceptionally strong is the subplot about Rick's sister. When we first meet her, she's reckless and out of control. She's in with bad company and has a serious drug addiction. Her story felt authentic and emotional and those scenes are some of the best of the film. She's another potentially unlikable character, but Bel Powley shows just enough vulnerability and naivety that you care about her future. Again, Merritt needed more of this in his own performance. It felt like her scenes were more engaging and more emotional than the main storyline with Rick. Again, not good.

There's definitely things to enjoy about White Boy Rick. However, despite a few strengths, there's simply too much wrong with the movie. This film should have been a contender for at least a couple of year-end awards, but it's clearly not good enough. It had zero presence among any discussions. That's unfortunate, but appropriate given the lower quality of the end product.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: American Made, Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf of Wall Street