8 Mile

Jimmy 'B-Rabbit' Smith (Eminem) is desperate to be a rapper. It's 1995 Detroit. With the support of his friend David 'Future' Porter (Mekhi Phifer), he aims to overcome his personal problems. His mother Stephanie (Kim Basinger) is a drunk. He leaves his girlfriend Janeane (Taryn Manning) when she tells him that she's pregnant. He chokes on a head-to-head rap battle. He has no place to go but to move back into his mother's trailer. His mom's boyfriend Greg (Michael Shannon) is a jerk. He has a part-time grimy auto parts job and then he meets Alex (Brittany Murphy).

Eminem is basically playing himself and he does a good job. He's surrounded by good actors. The sense of the place is the standout of this movie. The Detroit locations have the proper grittiness. The desperation is palpable. The rap battles are exhilarating. The story is relatively standard with nice touches. This is a matter of the perfect story for the perfect lead. He's not really acting as much as being himself.

I was moving around IMDB just now trying to sort of fill in the blanks of some random credits that I'd missed in my movie catalog, and I ran across this review of 8 Mile from this college student in NYC. Now, I never really write reviews because everyone's opinions vary distinctly and it seems kind of pointless to try to show them the "magic" of a certain movie if they refuse to see it, or to tell them how horrible it was as though I think that I'm really that much better of a director, writer, or whatever. But after reading such lines as "if you liked this film, you know nothing about film" and so on, I simply couldn't contain myself.

First off, let me start by saying that I in no way respect Eminem as an artist. I personally despise rap and the "culture" that it creates in society full of pumped up punks trying to act tough or "hard", as they struggle in a societal structure that they perpetrate upon themselves. In fewer words: I hate listening to constant bitching and dated slogans about bitches and benjamins. And after hearing about Eminem's wife-beating and all around socially retarded mentality, I wanted less to do with 8 Mile on the probability that he may be receiving a percentage of the ticket sales. But, after a time, I ended up renting it at Blockbuster for the hell of it, at least to give it a chance. I popped it in, and I was all set and ready to hate every minute of it... but ended up sitting through a movie that actually left me with a smile on my face.

For those who've not yet seen the film, I'll give some background of the story. Eminem plays Rabbit, a struggling Detroit freestyle rapper trying desperately to make a name for himself in the bustling Detroit underground music scene. Kim Basinger plays his alcoholic mother, miserable and bitter of where her life has ended up (in a trailer park, barely able to make rent or take care of herself). Mekhi Phifer plays Future, Rabbit's best ally and, in some ways, his father figure; playing the role of the protective, guidance providing, loving role-model. Conflict stirs in Rabbit's life as, through his bouts with stage fright and homelessness, he begins to question his ability to make it in the world of music as he wishes to; nearly becoming content to simply abide life as he knows it. But through his experiences and how he works through his own personal problems, he starts to see his path better and more clearly.

Now, I grew up in a very small town. A farming community in the middle of nowhere, where my nearest neighbors where half a mile away. I hated every minute that I was there and felt trapped in a world there that I didn't feel welcome in or a part of. Aspiring to become a filmmaker when everyone tells you you're an idiot for even thinking of it isn't easy. Which is probably why I related so much with this film. Rabbit's own experiences as well as his mother's criticism of him and his life make him feel trapped within his station of life, feeling as though his own specific voice isn't being heard, and trying desperately to change that. Anyone who doesn't recognize this is someone that I would generally think was lucky enough to not be born into this type of community structure with ideals that conflicted with the generally accepted norm; as it's thoroughly developed throughout the story. And the story... the story develops nicely over time. It never feels rushed or thrown together hastily just to make a movie with the star power of Eminem. That COULD have happened, and it COULD have made a lot of money for everyone involved. Instead, a director was chosen who understands pacing of a story, importance of cinematic elements throughout a story (i.e.: not just putting actors on screen to say their lines and that's it), and who just understands the elements of how to tell a good story on film. They even gathered a supporting cast of actual actors who've proven themselves as true artists within their craft in the past, and didn't just hand off the part to one of the executive producer's nieces or nephews or whatever. Scott Silver's loose adaptation of the life of Eminem was tweaked just enough to skew from Eminem's specific life, and become more universal in it's ability to portray a struggle that millions of artists go through around the world. All of these elements, along with my surprise at the actual acting ability of Eminem, combine to tell a story that feels deeply personal while very universal, and can be related to by more people than simply myself. It tells a story of never settling for what you can get just because it's easier, and that hard work and dedication are the only ways to dig your way out of a perpetual cycle that you may find yourself a part of.

To close, this is by no means the best movie that I've ever seen. Not even close. But that doesn't mean that it's not a prime example of filmmaking at it's best. A movie doesn't have to be the best thing since disco in order to be any good... it simply has to have a purpose and a message, and portray those with clarity and honesty; which this movie accomplishes in spades.

See this movie.

I was afraid of this movie. For a long time I feared that one day, Eminem WOULD make a movie - and that movie would suck!!!!

Along it came, and you know what? It didn't suck. Man, was I relieved.

I have never been able to put a finger on Mr. Mathers' rapping skills, I think his technique is amazing. His rhymes are sharp and intelligent and he always performs them with pure justification. But could he take this to the big screen? He succeeded. In his debut movie he managed to play it real and natural. He had good on screen chemistry with pretty much all the characters, but especially with Brittany Murphy (Uh, gotta love that sex scene... That was hot.)

The final battles in the movie, are the absolute climax. If you ever had any doubts about Eminmems talents - one way or the other - you definitely know his worth now!

• Some might say that it must be easy to play yourself, and it's not a secret that this movie is somewhat autobiographic. But it sure takes guts to put yourself out there like that, well done.

So 8/10

I think the most impressive thing about 8 Mile is that Eminem isn't a terrible actor. Or maybe he's just playing a character so close to himself that he doesn't have to act. The story is predictable, so there's not a lot of tension while watching it. Also, I found myself wondering why these untelevised, unpublicized rap battles were such a big deal for grown adults. Nevertheless, it's a satisfactory underdog story that I'm glad I finally watched.

It is rare that an established filmmaker and production company create something that young people are able to grasp the complete meaning of. Intellectual jargon or unnecessary vagueness of plot often take precedence over lucidity and appeal.

Eminem's "8 Mile" has managed to break this cycle, presenting in poignant audio/video style the nature of the life so many of our nation's youth live, and how despite it all there always remains the possibility to break through.

The film's meaning is largely overt, not subtle, and makes itself available to a much wider variety of viewers than most films with any sort of dramatic moral. Just look at the box office reports for "8 Mile"s opening weekend.

I won't attempt to speculate on the effect the film will have among our youth, but I personally believe it will be positive in nature. It will be impossible for this film to become as transient as an action blockbuster or as esoteric as a cult classic. It's depth and range of appeal are simply unparalleled in our time.