Re-imaging Yourself

Malcolm the main character in the movie Dope was unexpected in the best ways. He was geeky and cool. He had style and could appreciate music from the 90’s. His two best friends were not the stereotypical sidekicks but unique and fresh in their own ways. The entire movie was not what I had expected. I found myself relating to Malcolm in many ways but perhaps the biggest way was the ability he had to change how others saw him. High School sucked for me. I guess like Malcolm I didn’t really fit in. Unlike Malcolm however, I wasn’t able to find my group of friends until my senior year. For me the idea of college was so great because you could become anyone that you wanted. You could re-imagine yourself; you could change your style, get a new haircut, fix things about yourself that you didn’t like too much. College was this place where you would fit in and your hard work would pay off finally. Like Malcolm I came from an area that wasn’t great. I grew up in a low-income family and I had to fight for everything I got. I worked harder than anyone that I knew in school because like Malcolm college was my ticket out. One of my favorite lines in the movie was towards the end, was when Malcolm realized that he had to be willing to do anything to get where he wanted. Now, the movie portrayed, a very dramatic example. He did things that I’m not willing to follow but the message that you have to do things others won’t, work harder than others, and do things others don’t have to resonated with me. I loved this movie for the wit, humor, and unexpected characters that portrayed the struggles of the underdogs. Alan Turing once said “Sometimes it is the very people who no one imagines anything of that do the things that no one can imagine.” Dope represented the very heart of this sentiment.

2 thoughts on “Re-imaging Yourself

  1. Addison, this movie sounds like it really resonated with you on a personal level! It sounds interesting and really relatable. Most people do try to create themselves in college and I think it’s a great thing–we are at the prime time in our lives to better understand the world around us and adapt to that changing world without any overly serious repercussions. I’ll add “Dope” to my list of movies to watch before the start of next semester!

  2. This movie sounds really inspiration. I too was rather unpopular in high school but for whatever reason, it never really bothered me. I also was really looking forward to a fresh start in college. I believe that college is the perfect place to find out things that you never new about yourself. After reading your post, I am now pretty interested in watching this movie.

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