Based on the true life experience of a 14-year-old FBI informant and drug dealer in 1984 Detroit, the film White Boy Rick undoubtedly has moments of despair, of pain, of mourning for the families dismantled by the crack epidemic that swept through American cities in the ‘80s and ‘90s and for the lives ruined by death or imprisonment. The trailer, however, makes the whole situation look like one extremely awesome roller-skating party.
Richie Merritt stars as the titular teen Rick, who manages to persuade his dad (Matthew McConaughey) that dealing drugs and working with the feds would probably all work out in the end. If his character only saw the trailer, man, can you blame him for wanting to believe the fantasy? White Boy Rick, which also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce Dern, and Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry, premieres on September 14.