Motherfuckin' role models

Straight Outta Compton

Crit

Lots to cover in 2½ hours, so we get generous helpings of showbiz-movie set pieces, but F. Gary Gray's film (and can you name another director whose given name is an anagram of his surname?) about the rise and fall of N.W.A thrives on the vitality of the performances, in particular O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Ice Cube, Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, Corey Hawkins as Dre, and Paul Giamatti as the manager who launches, cultivates, and exploits them.

Mistakes are made, but apart from rival manager Suge Knight (R. Marcos Taylor), everyone maintains a claim on our sympathy--as with a star-crossed romance, we're rooting for a tearful final-reel reunion. Which happens, of course, though not quite in the way we'd have wished.

Trailers

• Creed--Michael B. Jordan plays the son of the boxer who famously battled Rocky Balboa, and you'll never guess who plays the scion's grizzled white manager.
• Ride Along 2--Thanks, I'll just walk.
• The Perfect Guy--Spoiler alert: the title is ironic.