SummarySet 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.
Directed By:Yann Demange
Written By:Andy Weiss, Logan Miller, Noah Miller
White Boy Rick
Metascore
Mixed or Average
59
User score
Generally Favorable
6.4
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
46% Positive
16 Reviews
16 Reviews
49% Mixed
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
6% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Sep 13, 2018
88
French director Yann Demange doesn’t clean up the story or make a hurting neighborhood look pretty. The film stays foreboding, gritty and honest. Merritt’s no-frills style is the film’s greatest asset, while McConaughey brings an authentic paternal concern to his usual trailer-park persona.
Sep 13, 2018
75
What sets it a notch or two above rote familiarity is its cast, featuring a charismatic, white trash-with-a-heart-of-gold turn from a mulletted Matthew McConaughey and a naturalistically low-key performance from newcomer Richie Merritt.
User score
Generally Favorable
46% Positive
32 Ratings
32 Ratings
51% Mixed
36 Ratings
36 Ratings
3% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Sep 14, 2018
10
Saw this film tonight, Really good true story! Loved the performances by Matthew McConaughey, Good storyline, would highly recommend this film!!
Oct 30, 2020
8
Great film. The pace and rhythm of this movie is close to masterful. The variety of contexts shown and the delicacy of the storytelling has become so uncommon, that some will consider this a minor film. Wrong. Excellent performances and flawless direction. Remarkably well chosen music, and used very effectively. A great surprise.
Sep 12, 2018
75
So the big surprise about White Boy Rick is how well the movie works. It’s one thing to know a story is based on nonfiction. Being made to believe its plausibility is something else. White Boy Rick you believe.
Sep 13, 2018
60
Even if Demange has a tendency to go on too long about details that don't really matter to the narrative while shortchanging those that do, he peppers White Boy Rick with enough resonant moments, and flashes of humor, to keep it on the rails, chugging forward to the inevitable train wreck.
Sep 13, 2018
50
The emotional crux of the movie is the relationship between the inept father and his hapless children. It’s a one-note relationship but the tone it strikes is good, due in large measure to mullet-headed McConaughey’s typical absorption into his role.
Sep 11, 2018
50
Squint and you can sometimes make out the bigger, more complex stories in White Boy Rick, including those of a great city violently brought low; of fragile communities left to fail and rot; and of a legal system that seems permanently broken. Too often, though, the movie traffics in genre clichés and the usual suspects.
Sep 15, 2018
0
It leaves you feeling desperately in need of a hot bath to wash off the dirt that rubs off just from watching it. This mess is so bad that even the title is disgusting.
Apr 26, 2020
8
I liked the movie and Matthew is great as always in it. It had me entertained throughout and was a good watch.
Jan 17, 2019
8
White Boy Rick has an impact as strong as the title. But it is quite enjoyable to watch. We take a look in the life of some trash americans who live a life on the edge of society, stuck in their situation. The interactions are very interesting, and seems **** has a sad ending, but basically says: 'You should have known better.' I would recommend this movie to other people, and i think Matthew did a good job. I give this movie a 8/10.
Jan 26, 2026
6
Yann Demange's film, based on a true story, sketches a drug-dealing tale set in a socially disadvantaged environment and featuring an FBI operating without moral compass. To the director's credit, he does so without taking sides, allowing us to witness, as neutral observers, a ruthless police operation that rivals the ruthlessness of the drug dealers themselves. The film is well-directed and understated, and the two lead actors, Matthew McConaughey and Richie Merritt, lend their characters the necessary authenticity. Ultimately, however, the story feels almost commonplace, raising the question of whether it even needs to be told.
Feb 28, 2020
6
Reasonably good performances and gritty look and feel compensate for obnoxious characters.
May 9, 2019
6
La historia es interesante, la versión de la historia del criminal, obvio por lago esta en la carcel por 30 años, el problema de la pelicula muy lenta, malos actores, muchos negros y mucho drama.
Production Company:
- Columbia Pictures
- LBI Productions
- Protozoa Pictures
- Studio 8
Release Date:Sep 14, 2018
Duration:1 h 51 m
Rating:R
Tagline:Witness the rise of America's youngest hustler, dealer, kingpin, informant, legend.
Awards
Golden Trailer Awards
• 1 Nomination
Indiana Film Journalists Association, US
• 1 Nomination
