"White Boy Rick": Even With Great Performances, "White Boy Rick" Never Comes Together

"White Boy Rick": Movie Review

Informant films have been explored numerous times over the years. They range from bad to great, but it's a saturated market. "White Boy Rick" lands right in the middle. It's a mediocre piece of entertainment that isn't worth your time or money.

"White Boy Rick" is a true story about Ricke Wershe Jr. (Richie Merritt). Wershe was a teenage informant for the FBI in 80's, mostly from his father's (Matthew McConaughy) sketchy involvement with the law.

The performances from McConaughy to Merritt are great. They play the real life roles with delicacy and charm. Merritt is a real find, and is eye-catchingly good in the more complicated scenes.

And when the music, acting and cinematography all come together, it's a true to delight to take in the magic on screen. The music by the legend Max Richter is remarkable, but it's the setting that really comes to life.

It's just too bad the film never comes together.

"White Boy Rick" from scene to scene is brutally disjointed. Rather then flow smoothly, the film feels stitched together. This lack of cohesion ultimately brings down the film as a whole, and in result, it never recovers. The moment that the film begins it seems lost in it's own story line and characters, which is a shame for a film that shines so brights in the dullest of moments.

What we end up with is mediocrity. It's best moments are great and it's worst moments are truly awful. From forced comedic moments, to unnecessary moments in the second half, "White Boy Rick" is a case of not knowing the gold you have underneath.

2 Stars Out Of 4