8 Mile Movie Review:


Yo Yo, Listen Up. Eminem in his first starring role is playing a rapper named Jimmy Smith Jr. also known as Rabbit trying to make it big. The film is called 8 Mile named after an area that divides blacks from whites in the Detroit area of Michigan.

He lives in a trailer park with his white trash mom Stephanie (Kim Basinger) and his younger kid sister.

All Jimmy does all day is go to work in a factory and then write his rap lyrics. Oh yes. He also hangs out with his black friends.

Jimmy is desperately trying to be “somebody” and move from his poor white trash neighborhood and become a rich rapper. He doesn’t want to end up like his mother.

Does he think of going to college or technical school? No way. It doesn’t even come up by mistake. Either rap will take him out of his misery or the best he can look forward is to be working dead end jobs for the rest of his life.

There is a regular rap contest run in a seedy makeshift underground club where two rappers are pitted against each other and have 45 seconds to freestyle. Basically the two rappers each take turns insulting the other and the crowd decides who wins and gets to go to the next round. David who operates this spectacle urges his friend Jimmy to compete because he believes in his talent.

If you figured out by now that Jimmy gets a horny sexy girlfriend, that there are fights and cussing in this movie give yourself four 21 inch rims on your tires for being sooo smart.

The acting in this movie doesn’t really require much effort and Eminem plays angry very well. For what his part requires he does a decent job but neither him nor director Curtis Hanson can pull this movie out of its predictable retread feel.

8 Mile has a few dramatic moments and some catchy music but its one-dimensional characters and conventional uninspiring storyline reduce this film to artificial foolishness.

If you are die-hard Eminem fan or you don’t expect too much from a movie then you probably dig it. Otherwise this hip-hop Rocky wanna be might just make you want to keep 8 miles away from the theatre. Yo. Peace.

2.5 Stars

Gil Benzeevi

The word that has leeched the new film 8 Mile is "risk". A risk for Universal to produce and market a film with an attached star as controversial as Eminem in the lead role. However, the film's marketing did have some positive incentives behind it that are really driving interest in moviegoers that aren't really fans of Eminem. The incentives are director Curtis Hanson and producer Brian Grazer, who are both Academy Award winners.

8 Mile is loosely based on the road to stardom of Eminem, Mr. Controversy himself. The film follows a troubled young rapper named Jimmy (Eminem) trying to find his place in the world. He lives in Detroit, Michigan near 8 mile, which is the part of the city that separates the blacks from the whites. As the story unfolds, Jimmy moves back to live with his troubled mom (Basinger) and younger sister (Greenfield) in a substandard trailer park of the city. Jimmy has a talent for rapping and writing, and all of his friends see the success in him, especially Future (Phifer). The main character is a troubled young man, that hasn't always been an angel, but throughout the movie he is trying to do better. He continuously questions his dreams of making a difference in the world, while turning to the craft of rapping as a release for all of his feelings and frustrations. During the freestyle rap battles of the film, Jimmy is given more doubts because he is a white man doing what predominately black individuals do. As a new significant other arises in his life named Alex (Murphy) along with the continued support of his friends, Jimmy yearns to make the best out of each day to survive and possibly have an opportunity to live his dream.

8 Mile is a story of meaning, trust and hope. Set in the streets of Detroit and the culture of rap music, the film is not an over the top inspiration, but it is a solid film that has an underground charge of power to it.

Director Curtis Hanson leads the audience into this story, and boldly lets his talent drive the piece. Hanson is a director that really knows how to work with actors; he seems to bring out moments in their performances that no one would have guessed they could deliver. As reference, just look at the acting in his past films; Rebecca De Mornay and Ernie Hudson in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992), Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce in L.A. Confidential (1997), and Michael Douglas in Wonder Boys (2000). With this film, the director contributes significantly to Eminem with his first acting role, which is very good, and yes you will feel for this character. Hanson captures the inner-city scenes' with all kinds of business and background action going on. Examples are the films rap battle scenes and the few violent moments in the film, just notice the effect the extras have on the scenes presentation and impact. Curtis Hanson is a director that works well with actors in character driven stories and he does a thriving job of directing 8 Mile.

Screenwriter Scott Silver loosely based his screenplay off Eminem's previous life before stardom. The script is nowhere near great, even though it is flaky at times; it is never totally flat. There are some obvious actions by the characters that I questioned throughout the film. An example is why doesn't any of Jimmy's friends rap with him, instead of just scratching records or leading battles. The friends all have their hope in Jimmy, which Jimmy argues with all them about throughout the film, but only a couple of the main characters change by the end. There is also one unrealistic silly moment in the film with Jimmy's mom and her Bingo adventures that is sort of a cop-out in the script. On the other hand, the script's dialogue of course has a lot of cursing and anger, but an overall presentable story. The surprising element of the script in my opinion is the good amount of humor involved, especially with the rapping.

Like I said before, Eminem gives a respectable acting debut. Though he is pretty much playing himself, his emotions flip instantaneously from caring to frustration to anger. He is Mr. Controversy, but there is nothing controversial about his acting, he is just efficient. The supporting cast around the rap star does for the most part effective jobs as well. Mekhi Phifer gives his best performance since his debut in Clockers (1995) as Jimmy's best friend. Kim Basinger holds a weird accent for a moment, but moderately competent with the emotional role as Jimmy's mother. Lastly, Brittany Murphy is electric as Jimmy's love interest Alex. She has a commanding posture and eyes that can't help but bring attention to her.

8 Mile is a vigorous film about a young man trying to find his place. Even if you are not a fan of Eminem's angry rap albums, I still recommend this film. Eminem is credited for the original music of this film, and he contributes to the star-loaded soundtrack as well. Lastly, Curtis Hanson's direction masterfully drives the film's inner themes to a more realistic portrayal than one might conjure.

Report Card Grade: B

11/09/02
Copyright, Joseph C. Tucker

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