Straight Outta Compton
The world's most dangerous times created the world's most dangerous group.
Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Production
Budget
$28 000 000
Revenue
$201 634 991
Director
Scenario
Andrea Berloff
Author
Composer
Joseph Trapanese
Producer
Short description
Straight Outta Compton dramatizes the rise of N.W.A, the hip-hop group that emerged from Compton, California, in the late 1980s. Against a backdrop of drug dealing, gang violence and aggressive policing of African American residents, five young men turn their daily experiences into music. Performing as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren and DJ Yella, they build a following on blunt lyrics and hard beats that challenge the authorities and give voice to a generation that had gone unheard. Their success brings fame, money and escalating tensions within the group as they clash with the police and with the business figures around them.
F. Gary Gray directed the film, which he also produced alongside Ice Cube and Dr. Dre. It sits between Law Abiding Citizen and The Fate of the Furious in his filmography. Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff wrote the screenplay, and the large cast includes O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Ice Cube, Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, Neil Brown Jr., Aldis Hodge and Paul Giamatti as manager Jerry Heller.
Released in August 2015, the film had a budget of 28 million dollars and took about 202 million dollars worldwide. It holds a rating of 7.8 on IMDb from roughly 233,000 votes and 7.8 on TMDB from around 4,300 votes; on IMDb the audience rating sits above the critics' score of 7.3 from 244 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- During its opening weekend in August, the film grossed $60 million and became the highest-grossing film with an R rating.
- The full version of the film lasts three and a half hours.
- To better get into their roles, the actors, with the help of producer Harvey Mason Jr., re-recorded the entire album of the same name by the American hip-hop group NWA.
- Jeffrey A. Towns, also known as DJ Jazzy Jeff, participated in the film's sound design.
- O'Shea Jackson Jr. prepared for the role for two years. This was partly due to his father, Ice Cube, not wanting to be accused of nepotism.
- The wigs used in the film cost $15,000 each.
- NWA manager Jerry Heller strongly disliked how he was portrayed in the film.
- O'Shea Jackson Jr. consumed 1,200 calories a day and lost 7 kilograms in 22 days.
- O'Shea Jackson Jr. admitted that he initially felt awkward playing a father. He nevertheless claims he couldn't have allowed anyone else to play the role.
- The film was released 20 years after the death of Eazy-E.
- In addition to the sparkling suits typically worn by Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and Lonzo, Dre sometimes wore a doctor's coat during concerts.
- When F. Gary Gray reviewed Jason Mitchell's audition tapes, he asked the actor to fly to Los Angeles. Mitchell was reluctant to spend time and money on the trip, especially since he hadn't been officially cast yet. As a result, Gary Gray and Mitchell spoke on Skype for 1 hour and 17 minutes, and Mitchell landed the role of Eazy-E.
- The role of Dr. Dre was offered to Michael Bakari Jordan. Jordan had to decline due to a busy filming schedule for other projects.
- The film ranked 16th on the list of films with the most profanity. At the time of its release, it was the only 2015 film to appear on this list.
- To more closely resemble his character, Jason Mitchell consumed 4,000 calories a day.
- In early 2004, S. Lee Savage and Alan Wenkus brought a screenplay about one of the founders of the NWA group, Eazy-E, to producer Bill Strauss, a former employee of NEW Line Cinema. Strauss and David Engel from Circle of Confusion spent the next two years refining the script (most of the time was spent arranging a meeting with the musician's widow, Tomica Woods-Wright, who owned the rights to the songs). Eventually, the script was passed on to her. After that, they turned to Toby Emmerich, who brought Ice Cube and his partner Matt Alvarez on board to lead the project.
- After submitting an audition request for the film, Jason Mitchell waited three weeks for a response.
- The letter from the FBI to the NWA group is displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
- Tyrone Woodley, a professional fighter and former freestyle wrestler, appeared in a cameo role in the film.
- In reality, Ice Cube is not from Compton, but from Baldwin Hills.
- The mother of Corey Hawkins, who starred in the Dr. Dre film, serves in the police force.
- Rapper YG auditioned for the role of M.C. Ren.
- The film does not mention Ice Cube's second group, Westside Connection.
- The cameo role of Greg Mack, played by director F. Gary Gray, was inserted into the plot at the last moment.
- Eazy-E died on March 26, 1995, at the age of 31 from complications caused by AIDS. This occurred a month after he was diagnosed on February 24, 1995. Eazy-E made a statement about his illness on March 16. On March 20, he delivered his final message to fans.
- Dr. Dre decided to visit Eazy-E in the hospital, where he was dying of AIDS, but arrived too late, as Eazy-E was already in a coma. He has admitted that Dr. Dre is deeply troubled by the fact that he and Eazy-E never had a chance to reconcile.
- According to the film's plot, when Dr. Dre played the song "California Love" for Tupac Shakur, Tupac was recording "Hail Mary." In reality, he recorded that song later, after Dr. Dre left Death Row Records.
- Marion "Suge" Knight tells Eazy-E: "You know who I am, nigga. I'm 'Bloods.'" He's referring to the 'Bloods' – an alliance of African American street gangs from Compton, Inglewood, and the suburbs of Los Angeles.
- Many scenes shown in the trailers were cut during editing. For example, a scene where Eazy-E tries to sneak a gun onto a tour bus was cut, as was a scene of Dr. Dre, while in prison, talking to a girlfriend, and an episode where the group performs "Straight Outta Compton."
- A security guard asks Eazy-E: "Are you sure you need to be here? It's full of Piru guys." This refers to a street gang that feuded with M.C. Ren and Eazy-E's "Kelly Park Crips."
- The film shows how Dr. Dre wrote the famous synthesizer part for the track "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang." In reality, the synthesizer and rhythm samples were taken from Leon Haywood's famous 1975 hit.
- The film depicts the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which occurred after a jury acquitted four white police officers who had beaten Rodney King, who was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, for speeding, resisting arrest, and obstructing officers.
- Easy-E freed Dr. Dre from his contractual obligations when he was beaten by Marion "Suge" Knight. Subsequently, Easy-E sued Dr. Dre for breach of contract. The musicians reached an out-of-court settlement, under which Easy-E received a certain percentage of Dr. Dre's record sales. Easy-E would later claim in his songs and on Arsenio Hall's talk show that he "made a good deal of money" from Dr. Dre.
- Not visiting Easy-E in the hospital and not attending his funeral was a conscious decision by Ice Cube. He last saw Easy-E at a club, where they reconciled and forgave each other. Ice Cube wanted to remember Easy-E that way.
- Jerry Heller stated that the story of his split from the group NWA, as shown in the film, is fictional, but refused to explain what actually happened between him and Easy-E.
- The film shows Ice Cube writing the screenplay for "Friday" (1995) and typing the phrase "cut that shit out," which Smokey will say and which will be repeatedly repeated later. F. Gary Gray also directed "Friday."
- During the hotel party, when the members of NWA threaten a jealous young man with weapons, Ice Cube escorts a girl out the door with the words "Bye, Felicia." The phrase (which first appeared in the film "Friday," starring Ice Cube) was inserted into the hotel party scene at the very last moment at the insistence of O'Shea Jackson Jr. Coincidentally, the girl to whom this phrase is addressed was named Felicia.
- In the scene where the group members are being escorted out of a concert hall in Detroit, where the police intend to arrest them, someone in the crowd of fans makes the letter W with their fingers. This gesture became popular only in the mid-1990s, thanks to Tupac Shakur, who was then on Death Row Records, and Ice Cube, who was a member of Westside Connection.
- The film inspired Dr. Dre, one of the members of NWA, to record a new album, the first in the last 16 years. The album, titled “Compton: A Soundtrack,” was released on August 7, 2015. Dr. Dre called it his swan song on Twitter.
- Ice Cube's son, Lil' Ice Cube, auditioned for the role of Young Ice Cube, but according to Ice Cube, “it didn’t work out.” Lil' Ice Cube was initially upset, but quickly recovered and helped Jason Mitchell, who played his father, get into character.
- F. Gary Gray also directed the music video for Ice Cube's most famous song, “It Was a Good Day.”
- Of all the members of the NWA group, only Eazy-E and M.C. Ren were involved in a street gang. The gang was called the "Kelly Park Crips" and considered the park of the same name in Compton their territory. Eazy-E and M.C. Ren engaged in illegal activities and were friends even before the formation of NWA.
- The film was released 25 years after NWA’s EP “100 Miles and Runnin”.
- The original title of the film is the title of NWA’s debut album. The font and size of the title on the original poster are identical to the font and size of the “Parental Advisory” inscription on albums where it appears.
- In his book “Ruthless: Revelations,” Jerry Heller describes Eazy-E as a personality “encased in armor.” Regarding Compton, where the group members lived, Heller writes: “You couldn’t survive on the streets without a protective mask. The exposed had no chance. You had to play a role. You had to be a bully, a muscleman, a gangster, or a dealer. Everyone else was destined to be a victim.”
- Director F. Gary Gray played an episodic role as DJ Greg Mack, who spins records by Eazy-E. This DJ hosted the “Mack Attacks” show on KDAY, one of the first radio stations to start playing hip-hop around the clock.
- M.S. Ren (born Lorenzo Patterson, alias “The Villain in Black”) co-wrote songs with Ice Cube for the group NWA. When Ice Cube left the group, songwriting became Ren's sole responsibility. Despite his popularity, Ren was given a minor role in the film. This disappointed many fans of the group and Ren himself, despite all assurances that he liked both the film and the actors' performances.
- Jerry Heller once confessed that he most regrets convincing Eazy-E not to kill Marion “Suge” Knight.
- M.S. Ren was one of the founders of the group and the author (or co-author) of almost all the songs on Eazy-E’s solo album “Eazy Duz It,” the NWA mini-album “100 Miles and Runnin’,” and the final album EFIL4ZAGGIN.
- The film premiered at the LA Live entertainment complex in Los Angeles, California. According to the L.A. Weekly newspaper, the city police were put on high alert. It was also reported that due to the abundance of violent scenes in the film, theaters hired additional security to screen the film during its opening weekend, with Universal Studios promising to reimburse the costs. However, the company stated that there would be no reimbursement, but Universal Studios would “cooperate” with theaters showing the film on security matters. During the first weekend of the “Straight Outta Compton” release, no serious incidents were reported.
- The owner of a nightclub and recording studio named Lonzo is Alonso Williams. Together with Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, he performed in the group World Class Wreckin’ Cru, which became famous for the song “Turn Off The Lights” and the fact that its members went on stage wearing lace gloves, imitating performers from the 1980s.
- The casting call was announced on July 16, 2014, on the Facebook page of "Sunde Alessi Casting." They were looking for African American women, and all applicants were divided into categories from "A" to "C." Category "A" could include beauties of all skin tones, but for girls from other categories, skin color was of serious importance. The less attractive the girl, the darker her skin should be. Category "C" required "African American women from poor families, with an unattractive figure. Skin color – from medium to very dark." The announcement caused a scandal on social media, and its authors were accused of racism. A representative of "Sunde Alessi Casting" called the announcement "an innocent mistake" and rejected all accusations. Regarding the categorization, he stated that it was a common practice.
- On August 7, 2015, Dr. Dre's company "Beats Electronics" launched an application on the website straightouttasomewhere.com to support the film. This application allowed users to create a meme – a frame from the film and the slogan "Straight Outta..." (the user filled in the location themselves). Some indicated a real city or location, while others were more creative. Over 78,000 "Straight Outta..." images were posted on social media within 24 hours. By the time the film was released in theaters, that number exceeded 6 million.
- The film is set in 1986. In one scene, Eazy-E is shown wearing a baseball cap with the logo of the "Chicago White Sox" baseball team. The team didn't adopt that logo until 1991.
- On the wall of Eazy-E's studio, among his records, hangs a poster for the Chucky doll movie "Child's Play 2" (1990).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
