Mediocre Movie Club Movie Reviews

Straight Outta Compton

8/6/2016

B+
3.41

A film tracking the creation and dissolution of landmark rap quintet NWA.

Directed by F. Gary Gray
Starring Jason Mitchell, Corey Hawkins, and O'Shea Jackson Jr.
Initial Review by Blair Setnor

The birth of N.W.A. is a fascinating story and is undoubtedly powerful and relevant today. Straight Outta Compton opens with the lyrics, "You are now about to witness the power of street knowledge," spoken by Dr. Dre in N.W.A's rap, "Straight Outta Compton." This line and their lyrics inspire outrage, the desire to reveal the truth, and to educate others about the realities of "street" life. After watching, I even went to ye old Facebook to ask, "Who are your favorite artists speaking truth today?"

This movie does a fantastic job of weaving empathy in with critique. We begin in Compton, 1986. Each character is individually introduced, we get a glimpse at their personalities and a little about their home lives, as well. By the way, DJ Yella likes ladies. We are also introduced to the crime and violence of Compton. We witness a bus get pulled over by the Crenshaw Mafia; the leader sticks a gun in a high schooler's face and threatens him. Shortly after, we get a good look at the dynamic at play between the police - who are almost exclusively white, with a notable scene with one black cop, and the residents of Compton, who are black, in the scene where Ice Cube leaves his friend's house to walk home. He's immediately accosted and thrown on a cop car, his parents yell to the officers and their son, "We are going to stand right here, son!" This is clearly not something unusual.

Side note, Shane, is this an illegal search?

Dre and Cube (and maybe DJ Yella) convince Eazy to fund them with his drug money. He also starts rapping...Ruthless is born. Cue, Jerry. Jeerrrry. Manager Jerry introduces N.W.A. to Brian Turner of Priority Records...hotels, disposable ladies, and large machine guns ensue!

The truth telling that this movie does in an non-overt way works on me. There are several layers of critiques on corruption...and there is plenty of corruption to go around. Education, drugs, police power and brutality, the music industry including managers, labels, lawyers and contracts, and fame and money. Their success is propelled by and enmeshed in corruption. An example of empathy and critique is Jerry's scene outside of the recording studio - he stands up for the men and calls our the police, but he also totally screws them over in their contracts.

The first hour and 20 minutes of this movie is probably an A for me. Once Ice Cube leaves the group, it lost it's steam. I enjoyed watching the ever unraveling relationships between the original group members, Ice Cube's solo career, Death Row, the rap battles and the eventual hope of reunion and love that still existed between the guys. That was fun to watch, just not inspiring or as interesting as the first 1/3 of the movie.

Grade: B+

Things to note:
-Dre had a Daft Punk-esque beat going at his friend's house
-The white police officer outside of the studio looked just like Frank from season 2 of The Wire
-Loved Ice Cube's GTFO interview at his house
-While I love N.W.A, they are definitely not pro-women.

23 Comments

Admin

8/6/2016 05:58:32 pm

Reserved for replies to initial review

Blair

8/6/2016 06:02:21 pm

Also, forgot to mention.

INCREDIBLE music scenes.

And, I do not know the "real" story of N.W.A., I knew some of their music before this, and I have not done research on if this was depicted correctly.

Bobby

8/7/2016 02:16:00 am

I'll get into the accuracy a little bit... but as a whole, this was pretty much how it happened, with some normal Hollywood type embelishments, and more notably some omissions.

Drew

8/6/2016 08:18:19 pm

This movie had high hopes but fizzled out as the film continued. Watching their individual "before" stories was intriguing - viewing the culmination of Dre, Yella, and Cube with Eazy - E and Wren - as was the story of the group until Ice Cube left, but overall there was a certain something it lacked and too convenient for truth but just enough for (a version of) a decent story.

Straight Outta Compton's most compelling parts were the introduction of N.W.A.'s members, the group's dynamic, production, and touring. Through those lenses, viewers saw friendships grow as the group flourished and die to selfishness and rooking. For instance when doing songs like "Straight Outta Compton" and "Fuck Tha Police," N.W.A. launched a brutally honest approach to police and black community relations in south central California. The 30 for 30 on OJ Simpson went into fine detail on this and the group is credited, and rightfully so, as being the first to state what happened in that part of the state to blacks. The members' rough and in - your - face - approach to it was, in their mind, necessary for the time. Naturally, white America recoiled and it took a while for MTV to play rap music during the mid to late 1980s but this group gave this country a wake up call about race relations in inner cities and it resonated. Other than the rap and production being good, what other reason made N.W.A. successful? Those parts of the film, along with the partying, were the most interesting.

Straight Outta Compton would be better served as a multi - volume documentary like The Beatles Anthology. That way, perspective and history is accurate through consistent oral accounts of the events from group mates and others involved in either production or management. If an instance came up where they did not know, they could easily admit that.

But because it was not, viewers were treated to one side of history. Was Jerry Heller correctly portrayed? Maybe but obviously Jerry did not think so or else he would not have sued them. Was everything on Eazy - E's side accurate? After N.W.A.'s breakup, it was unclear but it seemed convenient that he suddenly realized that Dre and Cube were right about Jerry and promptly fired him. Not to mention the naming of record labels also served as silly moments. "What will you call it?" "Ruthless." "What do you plan on calling that bullshit?" "Aftermath." Total eye roll sequences. Not to mention that Cube laughing at his own script saying how funny and great Friday is going to be also fell into this category. Too much convenience in place of accurate depiction.

The final criticism is the film's length. This story needed time but not close to two and half hours. What was the point of the individual stories? Cut out those parts or heavily edit them because the group's story alone was easily a B+/A- but leaving in those angles simply made the story less interesting.

One actor who did really well was Paul Giamatti. Talk about an underrated actor. His performance as Jerry Heller deserved a nomination and got overlooked, which is typical of a Giamatti performance. Too bad.

Straight Outta Compton was a good film but it gets over hyped because one, it is a depiction of a rap group and two, rap music fans love it. It comes nowhere close to an A but is too good for a C. B-/B is about right but anything higher deserves greater explanation. Giamatti and the story's core keeps it in the B range.

Grade: B

8/7/2016 03:59:48 am

Within a quick mini montage of news highlights, we hear about how gangsta rap had become profitable "by selling lyrics about violence to a young mainstream audience that wouldn't dream of going anywhere near a ghetto."

My sister and I were in that target market, white suburban middle and high school kids. I was only 9 or 10 when N.W.A. blew up, but as any good younger sibling does... I latched on to things my sister was listening to (except New Kids on the Block). The vast majority of music that I listen to will likely always be hip hop and rap, but this is especially true between about 1990 and 2000. Starting with 4th and 5th grade bus rides with the tame tunes of MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice leading to middle school iStep testing, making my friends listen to N.W.A. and Eazy on my Discman. Point is, I grew up with this music. It made me pay attention to people that didn't look like me, and a world that didn't work the same as mine. I was incredibly excited to see this movie and see more of the story behind, and with, the music.

We'll start with the easy part... the music. Knowing most of the N.W.A. catalog, I knew I'd enjoy the musical portions of the film. I was, however, even more surprised at how well the concert parts progressed and played on screen. Starting with a relatively small crown in the club Dre worked at, then the gig Bryan Turner watched, up to the large tour crowds like Detroit. The scenes were well acted and well shot, enhancing the music even more. It was a great theater experience, for sure. This latest viewing was a little bit of a letdown with nothing but my TV speakers, but that’s no fault of the film’s!

Overall, the acting was phenomenal. Casting was generally fantastic for the entire group with all of them having an incredible resemblance (obviously Junior Cube playing his dad) to the parts they played, except for maybe Ren. Even the smaller roles around them, with Suge, Snoop, and Tupac, were well cast... especially Tupac. Actually, the only one that didn't really hit the visual aspect was Giamatti, who just didn't look old enough to fit Jerry Heller (even though he’s about the age Heller was, I think). Giamatti, of course, made up for it with his normal solid acting. Still, I think he took a back seat to Hawkins, Jackson, and Mitchell. Hawkins has since been in The Walking Dead and is about to star in the 24 spin-off. He’s good, and I'm in.

F. Gary Gray was a great choice to direct Straight Outta Compton. He debuted over 20 years ago with Ice Cube's Friday, along with directing music videos for him (including It Was a Good Day) and Dre along the way. While he wasn't involved in the real life events depicted, he clearly knew the people and the music. The aforementioned concert scenes stand out, but credit has to be given to Gray in general for directing such a young and relatively inexperienced group of actors who were given a pretty large task.

I know for some, the movie runs a little long and the second half doesn't have the energy that the introductions and tour segments did. For me, however, the transition from a quick and erratic ascension to the group’s issues and split and then to the death of Eazy is really well done. Seeing a group of friends that were so close build something out of such passionate honesty and then see them drift apart shouldn't be fun. But it was certainly captivating and interesting. Watching Eazy in the hospital was incredibly emotional for me, each of the three times I've watched the film now. In an apples and oranges way, this reminds me of how people generally feel about Full Metal Jacket... These moves have two distinct parts that sort of feel like different movies, but actually do connect and work as one due to the contrast, instead of in spite of it.

The film wasn't a perfectly accurate account of N.W.A's history, but it was a good story told really well. As Drew and Blair mentioned, the introductions of the group members (well, three of them, at least) are really well done. The interactions with Heller, the recording in the studios, and the conversations on the bus were full of insight and information about the group and the music. We're given great scenes, like Eazy's first time trying to rap, Ice Cube taking a bat to priority records, and the group's reaction to his No Vaseline track. The movie does a good job of showing us the people, the music, and the problems. We're hit with moments of emotion when Dre's brother is killed, and as mentioned, when Eazy is in the hospital. Sure, there are certainly other sides to the story, and people who feel they were portrayed unfairly. That seems like something that will happen in any dramatized story. Overall, Straight Outta Compton succeeds in its goal. It does a good job of telling the story of one of the most important groups in music history.

(cont)

8/7/2016 04:16:00 pm

"Seeing a group of friends that were so close build something out of such passionate honesty and then see them drift apart shouldn't be fun. But it was certainly captivating and interesting."

I, and perhaps Blair, did not say the group's breakup should be "fun" in any way. What I, and again perhaps Blair, stated was that it was not "captivating and interesting." Not even in the slightest because once the group parted ways, Straight Outta Compton became boring by trying to tell too many stories. It was the post breakup scenes and stories that put it in the B range.

8/7/2016 05:11:21 pm

And I didn't say you said that. My review in general, including that part in particular, is not a direct reply to anyone (which is what the reply button you used is for). I made a generic statement that, at best, indirectly responds to a somewhat common critique of the movie that you happen to share (hence the 'some', and not 'Drew' or 'Blair'). I would have referenced you by name, as I did in the next paragraph, if that was meant to reply to you specifically. Perhaps, though, 'fun' wasn't the best word.... and energetic or something else may have suited that line better.

As for the post break-up part of the movie... I think the movie's flow matched the story's. Of course things would slow down when the group slowed down and struggled to keep it together. I think, if anything, the reception of the second half may have suffered because it wasn't interlaced with the music scenes that energized the first half. But, that wasn't a problem for me, as I like the contrasting feeling, as, again, I think it fit with where the stories went.

8/7/2016 06:15:06 pm

And I did not say you were...just never mind. Thank you for explaining how the "reply" button works because, after all, it was necessary......

Seeing how you loved the film, I expect no less of a defense. Any objective mind could see how the second half just simply was not as good as the first half. It was not because of concerts or energy or whatever. The stories were too clumped together and convenience took over. The direction, acting, and teleplay of the second half were sub par when compared to the first half.

8/7/2016 06:40:44 pm

Admittedly, the reply jab was unnecessary. You literally took a quote from my review and defended what you said (and didn't say). Perhaps I misinterpreted the implication that you assumed that line was directed at your reviews, despite the direct quote and reply to it. As I've often said, perception trumps intention.

As for objectivity, there's really no argument when you're simply going to say my (already admitted) bias, which I make a point to check, is the reason I believe something... regardless of any explanation I give.

Bryan

8/7/2016 06:51:42 pm

Drew, saying any objective mind can see the second half isn't as good is an opinion unto itself. I thought the second half was just as good as the first. Am I know unobjective?

8/7/2016 07:39:37 pm

Bobby, I did not say your subjectivity blinded your opinion or anything of the like. That statement meant due to your love for the film, you are going to defend in whatever case; whereas someone who does not have the same passion probably would be more critical than you.

Bryan, state for me how the second half was just as good as the first. I would love to read how that was the case. And no it does not make you "unobjective", which is not a word, but your last post showed how you misspelled "now." :-P At any rate, I look forward to your listing of joys as to how both halves were equal.

8/7/2016 08:15:41 pm

Let me try to understand your argument...

You're saying that I'm going to defend the second half, because I love the movie, right? But, a part of my love for the movie, is that I thought the second half fit the story and while less energetic and exciting, it doesn't drop the movie's grade much, if at all, for me. So are you saying that I objectively love the movie, but can't objectively judge the second half because of that? Or are you saying that my feelings toward N.W.A. don't allow me to objectively judge the movie at all?

I think it's fair to ding the movie because you think the second half didn't do what it could/should have, or tried to do too much, I just don't agree that it had those problems. I'm not saying an opposing opinion on it is wrong. I just stated that it works for me. I would be interested in hearing which actors you think did a worse job with their character, or if there were any moments that stood out to you.

8/7/2016 10:04:42 pm

Look, Bobby, the film was good but it lingered and lost its way in the second half. We disagree on that. You have your reasons for thinking it holds throughout and I have mine for it not. I just happen to think your love for rap and N.W.A. contributed to your defense of the second half of the film. We will probably disagree on that but so what? It is still a good movie, I just can't put it in the A range.

Personally, the second half could have been excluded. Cube and Dre could have spent more time on the group's influence and its music. The film could have been 100 minutes of just on N.W.A. and the many aspects within it. Had it been that, A/A+ no question. Since it was not, however, the stories were crammed and convenient. I already mentioned this part of my criticism so look to (my) earlier and/or original post(s) about that.

8/7/2016 11:32:13 pm

I was simply looking for clarification of your unclear (to me) statements of my subjectivity... but you saying my love for Rap and N.W.A. is the problem, gives me that. But that's also exactly why I watched the movie multiple times before reviewing, and explained the difference between where my heart wants to grade it, and where I can reasonably place it, objectively. My previous experience with the music makes the film more enjoyable, but doesn't make my review or grade any different than what I believe it would be if this was my first time hearing the songs. I'm more than ready to rip Tupac's movie apart if the make a crap film, and my attachment to his work is exponentially higher than with N.W.A.

I'm not questioning your opinion on the stories, I just said it's fair to ding a movie if the second half doesn't work for you. I was asking for examples of worse acting, building on your statement, "The direction, acting, and teleplay of the second half were sub par when compared to the first half." I'm curious as to whose acting wasn't as good, and if there are any specific scenes that show it. You didn't mention that in your review, nor any specifics in the comments here, and it's something I'll pay attention to the next time I watch.

8/8/2016 10:40:00 am

You want specifics. OK. O'Shea Jackson Jr. had two good scenes after the breakup. The one on one interview and the confrontation between him and his new producer stood out from his satisfactory second half. His was able to display his father's raw emotion in a convincing manner.

Corey Hawkins was fine as Dre but in the second half his only memorable performance was when he spoke to his eventual wife. It was a short interchange but meaningful.

And Jason Mitchell looked a lot like Eazy - E but his performance was nothing special. His collapse due to his illness was about as real as it could be but nothing special comes to mind like his cohorts. He laid there in the hospital pretty well. His overall performance was nothing special. Obviously, there are some associations that disagree with me (he won four awards, two for his individual performance) but I did not finish Straight Outta Compton thinking "wow, Mitchell was great."

The only one who was consistent was Paul Giamatti. He was solid and I mentioned him earlier so mentioning him again is unnecessary.

My biggest problem with the film was the convenience of history. I mentioned this too and it happened in its second half. Did Cube and Dre really bring in Eazy's perspective? How much was Tomica Wright - his wife - involved to include his side of things?

Those are my gripes and hopefully, answer your question(s).

8/8/2016 01:11:02 pm

I've read that Tamica Woods-Wright was involved since before the project was officially green lighted. She was given Executive Producer credit, and was seemingly a part of the input team. According to Eazy's daughter, she was the reason his previous relationships weren't portrayed in screen... especially in the late 80's, before they even met. There was some controversy around the marriage, as it was twelve days before he died... leading to questions of if he was in a sound enough state of mind to legally marry. Which also lead to a lot of lawyers and things over his estate and Ruthless Records.

From what I read there wasn't anything majorly 'wrong' with Eazy's side... but, personally I think, he would have probably told it a bit different and more honestly... about himself and the others.

8/7/2016 07:13:53 am

Now, we could probably talk quite a while on the relevance and wide spread impact of N.W.A. They changed things, simple as that. They opened up a world that much of the country didn't see... and didn't (still don't?) care to see. Their music was merely entertainment for me, but it was reality for them, and so many others. I don't think it was until high school that I started to realize that... at first it was just a bunch of bad words and things I couldn't talk about in the form of fine beats and hard flowing lyrics. It reality it was a portrait of inner city life and a verbal stand against a system that treated them unjustly. They paved the way for other musicians to be brutally honest. They opened up conversations in the media about violence and police brutality... even though many of the early ones blamed N.W.A. for inciting said violence, when really it's been there all along, and they were just bringing word of it to the masses. Even with such a short life span and only a couple studio albums, their influence is so wide spread and still felt today. Even if you don't like their music or the music of those they've spawned, it's hard to deny the impact they had, with direct ties to the rise of Cube, Dre, Eazy, Tupac, Nate Dogg, Snoop, Eminem, Bone, etc. Personally, their influence has been absolutely huge... even if I didn't at all understand that in the first few years that I listened to them.

My heart would love to call this an A+ movie, but it just can't objectively be so. I think the biggest negatives for SoC come in the form of omissions. Ren and Yella got slighted, which is a shame. Sure, they didn't go on to have the solo careers of the other three, but they were no less a part of the story. A founding member, Arabian Prince, was left out completely... which isn't surprising since he was never a part of their major success. They also left out J.J. Fad (Supersonic is an all time classic, albeit simple, bass line), whose work had members of NWA as credited producers. Also, we got to see Ice Cube's dis track (perhaps the best of all time?), but they didn't give us the battles between Eazy and Dre (Real MuthaPhuckkin G's, please!). But that's probably due to how influenced the movie was by Dre (and Cube), which showed by how he was generally shown in such a favorable light... back to that in a moment...

More than anything, the lack of any real conversation concerning the group’s misogyny and homophobia is a pretty significant miss. We obviously get a glimpse of it in the lyrics and even with Eazy when he is first told he's tested positive for HIV. What we should have seen is more about Dre's issues with physical abuse, most notably the assault on Dee Barnes. As Barnes has said, we didn't even need to see the incident, but it should have certainly been included in the story, as it was within the timeline, concerned multiple group members, and Heller. But it felt like pretty much anything Dre did was sugar coated or left out... hell, he even got in a plug for his label. I was half surprised he didn't slip on a pair of Beats while he walked away from Suge.

The above are the things that bring down that grade... but there were also some inaccuracies, though they didn't take away from the quality of the movie for me. Things like.. Dre going to jail for punching somebody and 'just standing there,' but the time Eazy bailed him out was actually for unpaid parking tickets... after which Eazy asked him to produce for the already formed Ruthless Records. The timeline on Fuck Tha Police is a little off as well, and the group's arrest in Detroit wasn't quite the ruckus... as they were arrested in their hotel after the show. While a Tupac appearance was absolutely welcome (and has me looking forward to the not really a sequel Tupac film), him recording Hail Mary at that point seemed way off. The song is reported to have been written, recorded, and finished in less than an hour. The entire Makaveli album was recorded in just a few days in the summer of 1996, about a month before he died. It would have made a lot more sense to hear a song from All Eyez on Me, since the movie's timeline never reached 1996. There were some other things, but like I said... they didn't take away from the movie or the story at all. In the end, we have to remember this is a major motion bio-pic... not a documentary.

Well, that was long... just like the movie! Really though, the original cut is supposedly three and a half hours... and I want to see it all. But, while I'm waiting for the director's cut, I'm satisfied with the result here. Great music, great story, incredible likeness and acting hold up one of the stronger biopics out there. If I include a nostalgia bump, I probably go A... but realistically Straight Outta Compton is just isn't there for me, but it's one I'll watch a few more times down the line, I'm sure.

Grade: A-

8/7/2016 05:00:12 pm

I take the worst notes on these movies...

I felt as though Compton did so many things right - interesting characters, incredibly story, great music, and seemingly no unnecessary scenes. This movie, as mentioned, had the makings of an A movie, however it fell just short in a few ways.

It's easier for me to explain my complaints than my joys.

1) There was way to much Eazy E. Most of the movie seemed to be Eazy E and the gang. We knew he had money from drugs, but as a character his story was the least interesting.

2) There was emotion with the cops and an occasional beef between characters, but I felt the emotional side could have been built up. The only death was Dre's little brother and that was through a phone call about a character we had only seen twice briefly. It's as though all of this was a breeze for most of the characters involved.

3) Surely there were more lawyers involved than what we witnessed. They would be less dramatic, but might have tied some loose ends together.

4) I had no idea how much time was passing.

5) Paul Giamatti has typecast himself as a cranky, old white guy. I'm surprised he wasn't drinking Pinot Noir here. Every time he's on screen, I think "Oh, there's Paul Giamatti" not about the character which he is trying to portray.

I had this as my favorite music biopic until I watched Love and Mercy a few days later. I'm at a B+ for both, but Love and Mercy told its story in a slightly more captivating way.

8/7/2016 05:13:18 pm

What were the loose ends you wished were tied up?

8/10/2016 08:24:45 am

I felt like none of the character's stories were complete (probably reasonable) and a lot of new characters were being introduced.

I guess Eazy was wrapped up because he's dead.

I'm having a hard time explaining this - I was looking for more detail. I feel like I barely understand any of the characters or the groups more than when I started.

Jon

8/10/2016 01:49:17 am

When an effective spoof hits theaters, it basically ruins whatever genre it's spoofing. They Came Together crushes the tropes and directing choices in romantic comedies, and Walk Hard has done the same for musical biopics. That's not to say that those two genres can't produce good movies anymore, but it does make the structure that much more apparent. Straight Outta Compton is certainly engaging in what movies like Walk the Line or Ray indulge in, but while those are both fine movies, Compton elevates itself out of cliche by getting at the raw power of the music and lyrics themselves.

To get this out of the way early, I think these kinds of movies are fatally flawed. It's vital that the producers get all the song rights to whatever musician is being portrayed, and those are often going to be controlled by the musician themselves or their families. How likely are the producers to get the rights if the owners are presented with a less-than hagiographic script? This is evident in Straight Outta Compton, perhaps more than any other musician biopic. Dre, Cube, and E's widow are producers in a movie about themselves, going so far as to cast Cube's son as Cube. It's possible O'Shea Jackson Jr. gave the best audition, or it was a job that he couldn't lose. This is a fawning portrayal, such that E's huge brood is fully omitted, Cube is always in the right, and Dre's pattern of abuse is completely cut out. By removing character flaws, the film becomes less interesting and more staid.

For a paragraph, I'll give Cube, Dre, and Ms. Wright the benefit of the doubt and allow for the possibility that they wanted all that negative stuff in but couldn't find the time. In this made-up argument, I'll counter with there was plenty of time, but the film makes odd choices about its timeline. I understand the desire to include everything up to E's death, because Jason Mitchell kills those scenes and it's a tragic counterpoint to what had been a raucous series of events, but I do wonder if there's a better endpoint that would've let the film breathe a bit more by shortening the amount of time the film has to cover. More build-up, more NWA being together, and a slower, more intricate downfall may have served the film better than having to race through incident after incident while teasing the viewer about a reunion tour that we know isn't going to happen. I do think the events warrant the long runtime, but between Dre leaving Ruthless and E's diagnosis, plot overtakes character and things are just happening without being tied to who the characters are.

To complete my negative thoughts before going into my positive ones, I'll echo the derision for some questionable scenes that rely on either audience shorthand or script efficiency. Drew's absolutely right about the label naming scenes being pretty leaden and mediocre. Also, movies don't get to flash back to events we just watched, like Compton does after E's death; that is for the end credits of hacky sitcoms. Dre teaching a tentative E to rap was ripped directly out of Walk Hard, where he talks him into having talent within three takes. Bryan's been praising Love and Mercy in comparison to Compton, and first, he's right that that's a better film, and second, it approaches musical talent as almost a form of mental illness, where voices in one's head are replaced by a cacophony of sounds that the talented can pull from and create magic. There's no explication of NWA's specific talent, beyond being early adopters. Cube's simply a good lyricist, Dre's simply a good producer, E's simply a charismatic performer. My one final nitpick before switching gears is a question: did anything happen as a result of Dre's brother's death, or was it just an incident that had no bearing on the events of the film? I'm fairly certain it was the latter.

8/10/2016 01:49:57 am

OK, all my bile's out. Despite the previous three paragraphs, I did like Straight Outta Compton a lot, even with all its built-in flaws. NWA predates my Midwestern white kid interest in rap, which set in after their time with Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise, then moving into both sides of the East Coast/West Coast war, and then dying somewhere around Eminem's third album. While I spent late nights meticulously writing out the lyrics to liner-free albums (which my horrified mother eventually found), rap as an outlet for rage didn't occur to me until long after my interest had faded. That's something Straight Outta Compton absolutely nails in its portrayal of NWA, both in the genesis of that rage and in the delivery of it. The two scenes involving the cops are maddening, forcing these teenagers to live in a constant state of worry and emasculation. Rap as catharsis is something Tom Brokaw might smugly dismiss on the evening news, but it's clearly vital for the musicians and the people who come from the same places they do. F. Gary Gray and his cast effectively communicate this need in the concert scenes, which simmer in barely-contained joy that someone's finally telling an under-told story.

Gray takes a chance on his cast of largely unknowns and they uniformly inhabit their characters, to the point where the aforementioned bad scenes don't negatively weigh on my opinion of their performances. Their interactions have a lived-in aspect, where it's easy to believe a past relationship and a shared history. Of the main trio, Corey Hawkins is no slouch, but he doesn't get the best lines like Jackson Jr. does, or the best scenes like Mitchell does. I would assert that Mitchell walks away with Compton, delivering the best performance and hopefully kicking off a new phase in a long career. Post-breakup, the film has problems, but those problems can be shrugged off when Mitchell is onscreen, because he sells the fear and frustration that E is going through. Giamatti is fine, but like Bryan, all I could think about was how similar this role is to his work in Love and Mercy, which I happened to see first. I don't think he's stretching himself. The star further down the call sheet is clearly stuntman-turned-actor R. Marcos Taylor as the malevolent Suge Knight, a terrifying presence that also energizes the last third of the film.

Straight Outta Compton is a lot like our previous pick, where it fully grasps raw emotion but loses points after everything's calmed down. There's just a lot to this story, and much of it is less plot and more incident. Even the showpiece tracking shot, technically impressive and emotionally propulsive, is just an anecdote that doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the film. Stories about the rise of rap and hip hop are likely to put butts in theater seats for the foreseeable future, as there's obviously a huge audience for them and they're suited for cinema, and while Compton is a fun watch that reaches inside the viewer on multiple instances, it bites off too much. With lesser performances, the script issues would've been more apparent, but Gray and the cast largely save the film. This isn't the best musical biopic I've ever seen, or even the best from 2015, but it is the kind of movie that entices a casual viewer to watch one more scene. B

8/10/2016 08:29:59 am

If I could steal Mr. Verbosity's review here as my own, I would. Well said brother Jon.

Straight Outta Compton

B+
3.41

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Straight Outta Compton

B+​3.41

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B+
3.41