A teenager named Rick (Merritt) comes from a fairly poor family in the suburbs of Detroit. His father (McConaughey) is involved in a variety of scams and has a weakness for guns, while his sister (Powley) experiences mood swings and always falls in love with the wrong guys. Entirely by chance, Rick happens to know some of the local gang leaders quite well, and he is able to earn quite a bit of money by getting things for them. Not yet 16, he gets involved in some shady business, but he feels immune to punishment and untouchable, and all this takes place with the unspoken consent of his father, who is impressed by his son's smarts and resourcefulness. Unfortunately, his luck streak doesn't last forever, and the authorities start to take an interest in Rick's underworld activities. At first, they have his father in their crosshairs, because they don't think that someone so young and uneducated could organize such a criminal network. Based on a true story, White Boy Rick is another opportunity for Matthew McConaughey's to show off acting skills, but the star is upstaged this time by the brilliant debut performance by Richie Merritt, who, thanks to his role as the title character, brings freshness, brazen charm and a kind of street elegance to the film.
Born in Paris in 1977, Yann Demange is a director and producer who grew up in London. He made his film debut with '71, which premiered at the Berlin Festival and for which he received, among other awards, a British Independent Film Award and a BAFTA nomination for best director. He attended the National Film and Television School on a Walt Disney Scholarship. He has directed commercials for Nike, among others.
2006 Headspace (doc. short)
2006 Incomplete (short)
2007 Alan & Samir (short)
2014 W potrzasku. Belfast ’71 / “’71”
2018 Kokainowy Rick / White Boy Rick