8 Mile.

Review #1023: 8 Mile.

Cast: 
Eminem (Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, Jr), Kim Basinger (Stephanie), Brittany Murphy (Alex Latourno), Mekhi Phifer (Future), Anthony Mackie ("Papa Doc"), Michael Shannon (Greg Buehl), Eugene Byrd ("Wink"), Evan Jones ("Cheddar Bob"), Omar Benson Miller ("Sol George"), De'Angelo Wilson ("DJ Iz"), Taryn Manning (Janeane), and Proof ("Lil' Tic") Directed by Curtis Hanson.

Review: 
Admittedly, I don't listen to much hip hop or rap music, so I wondered if that would play a role in what I thought of this movie, which was released 15 years ago last month. The idea of a singer playing a version of themselves in their own film isn't a new thing, but 8 Mile manages to be an entertaining and engaging movie. It pulls from familiar elements, but it utilizes those things along with some fine performances in order to make something worthwhile. This happens to be the first and only performance for rapper Eminem as a leading actor, and he does a pretty good job for the climate of the film, which was based on his upbringing (while set in 1995), although the film isn't merely a biopic. He just reels you into caring about his progression throughout the movie and how gritty that road can prove itself to be. Naturally, his singing performance is pretty good as well, with some engaging (and crude but effective) rhymes. One of my favorite scenes is a sequence at his workplace near a lunch truck, where we see rapping from some of the workers, with the last one coming from Eminem, which is pretty amusing, actually. The climax with the rap battles is also pretty good as well, particularly the final one with a good sense of honesty to it.

This is a movie with a raw honesty to it that lends itself to not being a rags-to-riches story nor fall to pandering tactics. The fact that it was filmed mostly on location in Detroit helps give the movie a look that seems authentic and fitting. Sure, the film may be somewhat depressing and bleak at times, but at its heart the film has honesty to drive itself forward. Phifer pulls off a fairly engaging performance as well; the rest of the group of friends that are shown through the film at times (Jones, Benson Miller, Wilson) are pretty interesting standouts as well, giving a bit of levity to the drama that the movie pushes fairly well. Murphy pulls off her role with a sense of vulnerability along with passion that clicks pretty well with Eminem in the time she has on screen. Basinger pulls off a capable performance as well, with the right sense of watchability and care that you'd expect for a movie that is down-to-earth as this one is. The rest of the cast is fairly acceptable as well. The music in the film is pretty decent, and "Lose Yourself" is a key standout that is engaging to listen to. In fact, Eminem won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the song, becoming the first hip hop artist to receive the award. In any case, this is a movie that does not allow itself to become too familiar or too easy to pigeon-hole with other musical dramas while being a good piece of entertainment.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.