8
Mile
Description of Film:
This film provides an edgy 110 minutes of hip
hop battles, drama, and more drama that was
filmed on location in Detroit, MI. Eminem (aka
Marshall Mathers) plays Jimmy Smith, Jr., also
known as B. Rabbit. He is from the wrong side
of the tracks and dreams of making it big in
the hip hop world. Rabbit lives on 8 Mile Road
in Detroit. This road is known to locals as
the city’s perimeter. It is thought to
be the line between urban and suburban, black
and white. Rabbit is white and is attempting
to break into rapping, which is mainly an African
American field at this time. Rabbit lives with
his younger sister and mother (Kim Bassinger,
L.A. Confidential, Batman). His mother is a
dead-beat and he has a lot of anger from being
poor. Still, Rabbit has a close-knit group of
friends who he feels are his real family. His
friend Future (Mekhi Phifer, Curb Your Enthusiasm,
ER) is a rap battle host at the Shelter Club.
Rabbit has tried battling, but has had little
success. Still, he is motivated to pursue rap
because he doesn’t see himself going anywhere
if he doesn’t. Along the way, he gets
help from girlfriend Alex (Brittany Murphy,
Sin City, Riding in Cars with Boys). Rapping
is Rabbit’s true love, though. At the
end of the film, we see him succeed at rap battling.
Finally, he gets the respect he wants.
Curtis Hanson, the director, is well known
for directing L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys,
and The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. He portrays
Detroit in a gray, dark, and dismal way. It
is almost as if he wants the viewer to think
it is a “Dead End.” The film was
written by Scott Silver who also wrote The Mod
Squad (1999 version, released in 2002). 8 Mile
is rated R for strong language, sexuality, some
violence, and drug use.
Why I Recommend This Film:
This film is loosely based on Eminem’s
life. The film has an excellent soundtrack and
Eminem’s lyrics are powerful. (He won
an Academy Award for Best Song.) His lyrics
talk about his life story and the hardships
he has endured. Eminem also does a great job
acting. I don’t think it was a terribly
difficult role to play, however, since he is
virtually playing himself.
Why This Film is Important:
This is a great film because it explores
the life of a poor, lower-class “kid”
who turns himself into something big. Rabbit
is competing in a mainly African American rap-battling
scene. He is basically the only white person
who battles. It was difficult to prevail over
this and gain the respect he wanted. Rabbit
has his dream come true at the end and makes
it big. He was able to overcome his difficult
circumstances and the stereotypes others had
about him to achieve success. It is rather inspiring.
Favorite Quotation:
Rabbit [realizing the need to transform his
life if he was going to survive]: “You
ever wonder at what point you gotta just say
F**k it, man? You ever wondered at what point
you gotta stop livin’ up here, and start
livin’ down there?”
Reference: http://www.8-mile.com
http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/213724/moviemain.jhtml |
