'Dope' is everything I wished 'Dear White People' was

Who would have thought that one of the funniest performances I've seen this year comes from a Victoria's Secret model, Chanel Iman?

She is just one of the pleasures of Dope, a wild romp of a movie with something real to say about race in 2015.

This film was everything I was hoping Dear White People would be but without the lack or nuance and cliches.

Yes, this is a coming-of-age movie about nerds discovering their inner coolness -- which has been an American staple since Risky Business. But -- and it's a big but -- we have never seen nerds like these at the movies.

A cast of almost total unknowns (you will recognize Tony Revolori from The Grand Budapest Hotel) play a trio of '90s-hip-hop obsessed hipsters who get drawn into a high stakes criminal operation against their better judgment.

It's a little House Party mixed with Friday, with a heavy dose of a totally original flavor all in one.

I went to this movie with almost no expectations and had a ball -- the soundtrack is great, the cinematography brings L.A. to vibrant life, and the lead performance from Shameik Moore is the stuff stars are made of. Unfortunately, this film has been dropped in the middle of the crowded summer season where it doesn't stand a chance against the big studio blockbusters.

Hopefully, this is the kind of film that will build momentum over time. It plays like a love letter to all outcasts of color of a certain age. It's tone can be erratic at times -- it veers wildly from serious to silly, but I enjoyed its edgy, unpredictable nature.

The film's nods to present-day tensions (there is a very knowing shot involving a hoodie) could read as preachy to some, but the film seems to be coming from an earnest, emotional place and I'll take that over cynical mediocrity any day.

From left to right: Revolori, Clemons and Moore

The plot of the film is arguably a little too convoluted to explain here -- but I will say that it is an intriguing mix of sex, drugs and yes, rock n' roll. Even if some of the conclusions will feel inevitable, the journey to get there isn't -- and along the way the film uncorks some terrific conversations about rap, the n-word and the Internet.

This is where the comparison with Dear White People springs to mind. I bring it up only because that film was hailed, somewhat overzealously, for tapping into the more complicated nature of race in this day and age. But Dope has all that film's strengths and improves upon them. The dialogue is more natural and the acting less arch.

Here, the director, Rick Famuyiwa, allows his characters to be more than types and express themselves eloquently, but not necessarily unrealistically. Rapper A$AP Rocky gives a terrific performance -- and deserves more screen time -- as a somewhat philosophical gangster, Zoe Kravitz is positively radiant as Moore love's interest, and I especially enjoyed Kiersey Clemons as a no-nonsense lesbian.

But the real find here is Moore -- his comic timing is as wonderful as his sincerity. His performance helps keeps the film afloat while it veers all over the place. It's a strange movie in a lot ways (with some glaring plot holes) -- we're asked to root for drug dealers and laugh at the prospect of gang violence, and yet I was too charmed most of the time to care.