1. The anachronistic setting of 90s music and fashion-obsessed geeks in a present-day narrative is disorienting in a fun way. It helps ties this movie to its predecessors in a cool organic way. Love the clothes, the haircuts, and the BMX bicycles.
2. The central characters are young and out of their depths, but resourceful. Great place to be for fictional characters.
3. If you’re going to have your lead characters playing in a band, make sure their music is fun, or good. Awreeoh—the band in this movie—is both.
4. Shameik Moore could go on to be a leading man with charisma to spare. He plays the geek-turned-playa with just the right amount of quiet swagger.
5. Zoë Kravitz fulfills the qualities of an unattainable yet cool love interest admirably well.
6. Chanel Iman’s turn as Lily is the stuff of Internet memes (both in the movie and on the Internet at large). It takes a certain level of IDGAF to commit to a role like that.
7. The stakes are high enough that we are interested but never so monumental that the outcome can only be grimmer than the darkest night. That is a tough balance to maintain in a movie of this kind.
8. Without getting too Straight Outta Compton about it, this film shows that the streets aren’t entirely safe for kids of colour in certain neighourhoods.
9. Writer/director Rick Famuyiwa’s handling of the material: his auteur’s touch is all over this movie but it is feather light, and doesn’t get in the way of our enjoyment of the goings-on onscreen.
10. It reminds me of a John Hughes movie, in the best way possible.