STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON – The Review

Simply put, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, director F. Gary Gray’s biopic of the rap group N.W.A., is nothing you thought it would be and everything you hoped it would be. And it’s been in the making for 27 years.

Based on the true story and rise to fame of members Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, DJ Yella and MC Ren, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (taken from the name of the first and only album released by the 5 original members) is both a biopic and a coming of age story that keeps you riveted in your seat for two and half hours.

In 1987, Compton, CA was a hotbed of gangs, drugs, and a brutally corrupt LAPD. With no real voice to express their frustration and anger, drug dealer Eazy-E and local DJ Andre Young, (aka Dr. Dre) decided to start a group with neighborhood friends Ice Cube, DJ Yella, and MC Ren. What followed was a journey none of them could have predicted.

Having grown up in South Central LA, director F. Gary Gray (Friday, The Italian Job, The Negotiator) nails the whole look of the film perfectly. From the streets of Compton, to the recording studios and the sold out arenas, the film has an authenticity of that time period that is remarkable. One scene in particular, where the group is performing at local roller-skating rink immediately transports you to 1987 and characters everyone knew at some point or another in the late 80’s.

And speaking of characters, the casting is also somewhat of a stroke of genius. The three leads, O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube), Corey Hawkins (Dr. Dre) and Jason Mitchell (Eazy-E) don’t just portray these characters, they become them. You can see the camaraderie and authenticity every time they are on screen together, which is what director Gray was most insistent on getting right, having the young actors spend a huge amount of time getting to know each other and bond before a single camera rolled.

Although mostly unknown, (O’Shea Jackson Jr. is the real-life son of Ice Cube, playing his famous father) the young cast definitely did their research. And this is where the heart of the movie comes from, and it is most evident in the performance scenes (the most impressive of the film) where it absolutely just explodes. It is crystal clear in the concert scenes that these were not crowds of extras sent over by Central Casting. These were true fans that knew they were about to experience something special (not to mention a performance by the real Dr. Dre and Ice Cube at the end of filming those scenes). They brought audience participation to a whole other level. Giving the film a bit of real Hollywood “street cred” is multi-award winning actor Paul Giamatti as group manager and svengali Jerry Heller. Heller is pretty much the catalyst for everything good and bad that happens to the group, including their meteoric rise and ultimate breakup over money and egos, and Giamatti plays it with such finesse that it doesn’t come off as the cartoonish white guy. Also frighteningly present is infamous gangster and rap mogul Suge Knight (played so well by R. Marcus Taylor, you think it’s a good thing the real Knight is behind bars). Without spoiling anything, his scenes are wonderfully ironic.

What really comes across as the most moving though, is the real, honest friendship between the members of N.W.A. Obviously, some have become more successful than others (Beats by Dre, anyone?) and Ice Cube became a huge movie star along the way, but the journey is theirs and theirs alone to tell. The love, the pain, the fights, the dis tracks and the triumph – it’s all on full display and fans will lap it up. And not just fans of N.W.A. This film is for fans of hip-hop, rap music, and all of these larger than life characters that all came straight outta Compton.

5 out of 5 stars

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON opens Friday, August 14