White Boy Rick

White Boy Rick
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Yann Demange
Produced by
Screenplay by
  • Andy Weiss
  • Logan Miller
  • Noah Miller
Based on Richard Wershe Jr.
Starring
Music by Max Richter
Cinematography Tat Radcliffe
Edited by Chris Wyatt
Production
companies
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing[1]
Release date
  • August 31, 2018 (2018-08-31) (Telluride)
  • September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14) (United States)
Running time
 116 minutes[2]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $29 million[3]
Box office $23.7 million[3]

White Boy Rick is a 2018 American biographical crime drama film directed by Yann Demange and written by Andy Weiss, and Logan and Noah Miller. Based on a true story, the film stars Richie Merritt as Richard Wershe Jr., who in the 1980s became the youngest FBI informant ever at the age of 14. Matthew McConaughey, Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, RJ Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern, and Piper Laurie also star.

The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2018 and was released in the United States on September 14, 2018, by Sony Pictures Releasing. It received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed over $23 million.

Synopsis

"Set in 1980s Detroit at the height of the crack epidemic and the War on Drugs, WHITE BOY RICK is based on the moving true story of a blue-collar father and his teenage son, Rick Wershe Jr., who became an undercover police informant and later a drug dealer, before he was abandoned by his handlers and sentenced to life in prison."[4]

Cast

Production

In February 2015, Studio 8 acquired a spec script by Logan Miller and Noah Miller, titled White Boy Rick.[5] The script was produced independently of "Trials of White Boy Rick" writer Evan Hughes, who has stated on Twitter that "The film used my work without pay nor credit."[6]

In November 2016, Matthew McConaughey joined the cast of the film, with Yann Demange directing the film, Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin and John Lesher produced the film under their Protozoa Pictures and LBI Entertainment banners, respectively.[7] In January 2017, Bruce Dern and Jennifer Jason Leigh joined the cast of the film.[8] In February 2017, Bel Powley and Brian Tyree Henry joined the cast of the film.[9][10] In March 2017, Richie Merritt, Jonathan Majors, YG, Taylour Paige, Piper Laurie and RJ Cyler joined the cast of the film.[11][12]

Principal photography began on March 14, 2017.[13][14] Following audience testing, in which the film scored quite high—in the 90s—director Yann Demange was given the go-ahead to shoot extra scenes.[15]

Release

The film was originally scheduled to be released on January 12, 2018,[16] but was pushed back two weeks from its original release date of January 12, 2018, to January 26, 2018,[17] but was pushed back again from January 26, 2018, to August 17, 2018, after successful test screenings.[15] In April 2018 it was pushed back again from August 17, 2018, to September 14, 2018.[18] It had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2018.[19][20] It was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2018.[21]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, White Boy Rick was released alongside The Predator, A Simple Favor and Unbroken: Path to Redemption, and was projected to gross $5–9 million from 2,504 theaters in its opening weekend.[22] It ended up debuting to $8.8 million, finishing fourth behind The Predator, The Nun and A Simple Favor.[23] It dropped 43% in its second weekend to $5 million, finishing sixth.[24]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 59% based on 102 reviews, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Solid work from the cast - particularly a scene-stealing Matthew McConaughey - helps White Boy Rick make up for a number of missed opportunities in the script."[25] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 59 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[26] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it a 64% positive score and a 44% "definite recommend".[23]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Film releases". Variety Insight. Variety Media. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  2. ↑ "White Boy Rick". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "White Boy Rick (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  4. ↑ https://www.whiteboyrick.movie/synopsis/
  5. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 17, 2015). "Studio 8 Buys Spec On Long Imprisoned Detroit Drug Dealer/Informant 'White Boy Rick'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  6. ↑ https://twitter.com/evanhughes/status/1039537427260604416
  7. ↑ Busch, Anita (November 18, 2016). "Matthew McConaughey In Negotiations To Star In 'White Boy Rick' For Helmer Yann Demange". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  8. ↑ Busch, Anita (January 31, 2017). "Bruce Dern, Jennifer Jason Leigh & Rory Cochrane Board 'White Boy Rick'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  9. ↑ Kit, Borys (February 1, 2017). "Bel Powley to Play Matthew McConaughey's Daughter in 'White Boy Rick' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  10. ↑ Busch, Anita (February 21, 2017). "'Atlanta's Brian Tyree Henry Joins 'White Boy Rick'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  11. ↑ Busch, Anita (March 3, 2017). "'White Boy Rick' Coveted Lead Role Goes To Unknown 15-Year-Old Baltimore Kid With No Acting Experience". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  12. ↑ McNary, Dave (March 24, 2017). "Power Ranger R.J. Cyler Joins 'White Boy Rick' Cast". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Current Basic Agreement Production List" (PDF). Directors Guild of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 30, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  14. ↑ Christine (December 9, 2016). "Will Matthew McConaughey be filming in Detroit next year?". On Location Vacations. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  15. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 5, 2017). "'White Boy Rick' Takes A Trip To August 2018 In Release Date Change". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  16. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 9, 2017). "Sony Release Date Changes: 'White Boy Rick' Takes Over 'Bad Boys 3' MLK Slot, 'Goosebumps 2' Moves To Fall 2018 & More". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  17. ↑ Lang, Brent (June 16, 2017). "'Solutrean' Retitled 'Alpha,' Gets New Release Date (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  18. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 10, 2018). "'Alpha' & 'White Boy Rick' Swap Release Dates On Sony Schedule". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  19. ↑ Tapley, Kristopher (August 30, 2018). "'First Man,' 'Front Runner' and 'Roma' Among 2018 Telluride Film Festival Selections". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  20. ↑ "45th Telluride Film Festival Program Guide" (PDF). Telluride Film Festival. The National Film Preserve. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  21. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (July 24, 2018). "Toronto: Timothee Chalamet Starrer 'Beautiful Boy,' Dan Fogelman's 'Life Itself' Among Festival Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  22. ↑ Rubin, Rebeeca (September 11, 2018). "Box Office: 'The Predator' to Feast on 'A Simple Favor', 'White Boy Rick'". Variety Magazine. Penske Media. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  23. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 16, 2018). "Why 'The Predator' Is Shorter Than 'Predators' At $24M & 'White Boy Rick' So Pale At $8M+ – Sunday Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  24. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 23, 2018). "'The House With A Clock In Its Walls' Sounding Near $27M Alarm; Counterprogramming Still In Deep Sleep". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  25. ↑ "White Boy Rick (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  26. ↑ "White Boy Rick reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
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