White Boy Rick

Richard Wershe Jr.’s ( Richie Merritt ) family has never really had it with the law. His father, Richard Wershe Sr. ( Matthew McConaughey ), is a crook with guns, and his sister, Dawn ( Bel Powley ), is a drug addict. And he himself will soon resort to drugs, even if not entirely voluntarily. Rather, the FBI persuades him to become a drug dealer in order to get to Johnny “Lil Man” Curry ( Jonathan Majors ) and his gang. In fact, the 14-year-old agrees to it after initial hesitation but quickly finds this small side income too much to enjoy.

Somehow the impressive comeback that Matthew McConaughey celebrated a few years ago and ended with the Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club seems to be ages ago. The Texan has continued to shoot diligently since then. But regardless of whether he tries his hand at supposed fantasy blockbusters ( The Dark Tower ) or tries it with challenging themes ( The Sea of ​​Trees ), it all just doesn’t seem to work out that well. Neither the mass audience nor the critics care much about what he does.

The latter should now be addressed again as White Boy Rick. The unconditional desire for recognition can be felt here. However, he can also be seen when McConaughey is named first in the cast. This is understandable due to the popularity, but it can hardly be justified in terms of content when it is his film son who is the focus. On the other hand, it also suits a film that speaks, among other things, of neglect and disregard. Who himself wants to be something he is not. Whose main character is also so inconspicuous that you almost want to overlook him, with his mismatched clothes and a slight growth of beard, which makes it clear that someone here is more a child than an adult.

• White Boy Rick