Last night, I decided to go the movies by myself. Ever since my friends have left for college, I go to the movies more often by myself now. I was expecting the movie to be similar to how “War Dogs” was, a film based off on a true story how someone was illegally making money, until it eventually all comes crashing down on them. I got more than that while watching this film. Matthew McConaughey plays the father of the main character Rick. Even though he is shown as not the greatest parent, he still tries his best to be a good mentor. He wants the best for his son and for him to go to school and go on the right path for life. After his son gets addicted to the lifestyle of selling drugs, there is not that much he can do to help him. When he eventually gets caught, Matt’s character still tries his best to help out his son and reduce his sentence. This is the part of the movie where I realize the movie’s true meaning.
During his whole sentencing, Rick is a seventeen year old kid. Without any violent charges made against him, he is still sentenced to life in prison for his possessions of Cocaine. I am currently nineteen years old, while this kid was seventeen. I was thinking to myself, “Does somebody at the age of seventeen really deserve to spend the rest of his life in prison for just selling drugs?” Obviously I believe in punishment for your actions and this kid definitely deserved some punishment, but does that mean he has to spend the rest of his life in a cell. This made me realize how messed up and unfair our prison system could be. When the credits start to roll, you can hear a recording of the actual Rick in the present. They inform us that he has finally been allowed parole and you can hear how happy this man is. He goes on to say that “I feel like I am ten years younger.”
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