:
Eminem,
Eminem,
Kim Basinger,
more...
:
Curtis Hanson,
Curtis Hanson
see all cast/crew...
: 
: Universal Studios
: Drama, Music, Urban Drama
: 111 min.
: English, Spanish, French
see additional details...
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Controversial rap star Eminem makes his acting debut in this hard-edged urban drama, inspired in part by incidents from the musician's own life. Jimmy Smith (Eminem), known to his friends as Rabbit, is a young man trying to make his way out of the burned-out shell of inner-city Detroit. Rabbit's entire life has been a hard climb, and it certainly hasn't gotten any easier lately; Rabbit has just been dumped by his girlfriend, forcing him to move back in with his emotionally unstable mother, Stephanie (Kim Basinger), and he's getting along especially poorly with Stephanie's new boyfriend. Rabbit has a factory job that's tough, demeaning, and doesn't pay especially well, and he's convinced his skills as a rapper are his only real hope at a better life. Rabbit makes music with a crew of DJ's and MC's who call themselves Three One Third, among them his close friend Future (Mekhi Phifer), but his status as a white kid making music in a predominantly African-American community and culture is extremely intimidating, and after Rabbit freezes up in the midst of an MC battle, he's convinced he's missed his chance and that he's doomed to lead a marginal life as a factory rat for the rest of his days. With the help of his friends, and his new girlfriend Alex (Brittany Murphy), Rabbit struggles to work up the courage and the confidence to take one more shot at making his dream a reality. 8 Mile was shot on location in Detroit; the name refers to 8 Mile Road, a thoroughfare along the city's perimeter which effectively separates the middle-class suburban neighborhoods from the lower-class inner-city. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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Purple Rain
Basically 8 MILE but with Prince
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| Word, a mediocre film with catchy music
by underdog
May 2, 2003 - 12:10 PM PDT
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10 out of 12 members found this review helpful
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Eminem's ultrapopular debut film is halfway to a good one -- the rapping scenes are infectious, particularly the competitions, and the depiction of Detroit blue collar life (filmed on location) is surprising real. The biggest problem is when the film shifts to anything to do with women: Kim Basinger's mother with-poor-self-esteem-drawn-to-abusive-younger-boyfriend is so poorly drawn and cliched it's almost an embarrassment, and Brittany Murphy hardly fares any better, wasted in the role of pseudo-femme fatale from the other side of the tracks. Actually, there are a few different sides of the tracks here ("8 Mile" is the dividing line between the poor part of town and the less poor part of town) but none of it matters much as the story has a "seen it all before" flavah. Still, if you're a fan of Eminem's music (and can overlook one seriously homophobic rap, and can overlook the badly drawn female characters), you might still enjoy this one. There is an undeniably great scene with Em and Mekhi Phifer and the song Sweet Home Alabama that made me laugh in appreciation, almost worth the whole movie.
PS: (was this movie called 12.87 Kilometers in Europe?) |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.06)
218 Votes
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