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Release:
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2002, Universal
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Starring:
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Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy
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Director:
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Curtis Hanson
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MPAA Rating:
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[R] strong language, sexuality, violence
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Genre:
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Drama
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Runtime:
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110 minutes
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Summary
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A young man with a skill for rapping (Eminem) aspires to better himself through music while facing the hardships of poverty in Detroit.
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What's Good
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 avoids the pitfalls of the "musicians playing musicians" genre
subtle and realistic, with a very well done conclusion
Eminem delivers a credible performance
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What's Bad
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often boring and lacking in compelling conflict
characters seem shallow and without depth
Eminem doesn't bust a phrase as often as his fans might like
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Commentary
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Reviewer: Andrew Manning (December 2002)
With his incessant, blowhard posturing about killing his wife and his schizophrenic pretense that Eminem, Marshall Mathers, and Slim Shady are all different people, one could argue that rapper Eminem already had his acting debut ages ago. But 8 Mile is the first time his theatrics have been made into a feature film, and to give credit where credit is due, it's not that bad.
8 Mile is a semi-autobiographical (read: "sort of loosely based on a few ideas inspired by a true story about some guy") story that follows Jimmy "Rabbit" Smith (Eminem) and the hardships he faces growing up poor in Detroit. Shacked up with his little sister and their lazy, unemployed mother (Kim Basinger), Jimmy grinds out a meager living doing manual labor. In his free time, he nurtures his talent for rapping and tries to put together a demo tape with the help of his friend Future (Mekhi Phifer). But Jimmy's nervous lack of self-confidence, family problems, and destitute station in life all conspire to keep him from bettering himself through music.
Movies starring musicians playing musicians are almost always crap--lame, self-serving ego trips that give singers a chance to show they can't act. The films in which the musician is an aspiring one are particularly notorious for falling back on a traditional Cinderella story that ends happily ever after, with fame and wealth at the end of the proverbial rainbow. But 8 Mile transcends this genre that is known for producing bombs by delivering decent performances, a story that is rooted in the real world, and a subtle conclusion that understands a happy ending doesn't have to be about fanfare and fireworks.
Playing a character with so many similarities to himself, Eminem doesn't give a breakthrough portrayal that would shock anyone into thinking he's one of the great actors of his generation. But he is credible, competent, and watchable, unlike most of the self-absorbed celebrities who feel the need to cross over from the world of music into the world of movies. Mekhi Phifer's character works well as an older brother figure who sees more potential in his friend than in himself (similar to the sidekick Ben Affleck played in Good Will Hunting). In a supporting role, the usually glamorous Kim Basinger is disturbingly convincing as Jimmy's white trash mom, who is so trailer park that she's only a few missing teeth and 50 pounds away from being on Jerry Springer.
The film's big finale is a showdown in which Jimmy raps against disrespectin' fools in front of a cheering crowd. It is refreshing that this scene doesn't end with Jimmy triumphing in slow motion, getting the girl, and instantly becoming a superstar rapper. Able to recognize that personal victories are often small, the movie keeps the final act subtle and understated--it's so down to earth that Jimmy heads back to his regular job instead of signing a record deal.
In making everything realistic, though, 8 Mile falls victim to its own modesty and is often insubstantial and boring. The story drifts from one mundane moment in Jimmy's life to the next, eager to show the hardships of his everyday world. But by not adequately providing an emotional attachment to Jimmy, the film makes it unclear as to why anyone should care about the angry young man with something to prove. There are many generic reasons audiences could care about him (he has dreams, he is a good brother, his mom is pathetic, he's poor), but none of them are particularly strong because he comes across as a distant piece of fiction. The girl who is supposed to have an artistic connection with him (Brittany Murphy) also fails to tap into any depth, perhaps because she lacks depth of her own.
Already slow in the department of compelling conflict, 8 Mile further undermines itself with a strange tangent when Basinger's character wins a decent sum of money playing bingo. The unexpected twist kills much of the drama by making Jimmy's home problems artificially evaporate in a heartbeat. But for fans of Eminem, the glaring flaw of this movie may be something entirely different: the lack of scenes in which the rapper gets to show his skill at turning an inventive phrase. Those looking for what Eminem is best known for would do better with the motion picture soundtrack than the motion picture itself.
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Rating: 6.5 out of 10 (0=Abysmal, 5=Average, 10=Excellent)
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