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8 Mile follows B-Rabbit (Eminem), a blue-collar worker in Detroit trying to make a name as a rapper. Having broken up with his girlfriend, he is forced to move back with his poor mom (Kim Basinger) and young sister at a trailer park north of 8 Mile Road while trying to maintain his musical aspirations. However, this clashes with his work at a car factory while also creating tension between warring groups in the local rap scene.
I'm an Eminem fan so I've had this film on my radar for a while. Not sure why I had never seen it, but I was happy when my friend Andrés recommended it to me. Even though I had heard it was good, I was still pleasantly surprised by it, especially by Eminem's performance. His character is, for the most part, very subdued and quiet, but still shows a bottled up intensity which he lets out at certain points, for better or worse.
For an artist that is usually associated with violence and anger, it was interesting to see the restrain in his performance, as well as his willingness to portray the weaknesses in his character. Rabbit is insecure, frustrated, and stuck in a dead-end job, while also suffering numerous setbacks. He chokes in a rap battle, he's beat up, he's cheated on. But perhaps his strength lies in how he acknowledges his own weaknesses, which you can see in the verses I quoted above.
Basinger's performance was spotty. She had some solid moments, but there were others where you could see the seams. The cast is rounded up by Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, and Michael Shannon, all of which deliver solid performances. Even Anthony Mackie shows up here in his film debut. He doesn't get to do a lot, but his role is crucial for the film, and Mackie handles it pretty well.
Considering the film stars such a hard-hitting rapper like Eminem, who was known for his outbursts of anger, it's impressive that the film actually holds down his lashes, only letting off a few bursts until the final battle. It says a lot about Eminem that he's able to hold up the film only with his performance, instead of his singing. So f**k y'all if you doubted him.
Grade:
8 MILE
(2002, Hanson)
A film with the number 8 (Eight, Eighth, etc.) in its title
-- recommended by Latin Jukebox --
(2002, Hanson)
A film with the number 8 (Eight, Eighth, etc.) in its title
-- recommended by Latin Jukebox --
"♪ F**k y'all if you doubt me
I'm a piece of f**kin' white trash, I say it proudly ♫
♫ And f**k this battle, I don't want to win, I'm outtie
Here, tell these people something they don't know about me ♪"
I'm a piece of f**kin' white trash, I say it proudly ♫
♫ And f**k this battle, I don't want to win, I'm outtie
Here, tell these people something they don't know about me ♪"
8 Mile follows B-Rabbit (Eminem), a blue-collar worker in Detroit trying to make a name as a rapper. Having broken up with his girlfriend, he is forced to move back with his poor mom (Kim Basinger) and young sister at a trailer park north of 8 Mile Road while trying to maintain his musical aspirations. However, this clashes with his work at a car factory while also creating tension between warring groups in the local rap scene.
I'm an Eminem fan so I've had this film on my radar for a while. Not sure why I had never seen it, but I was happy when my friend Andrés recommended it to me. Even though I had heard it was good, I was still pleasantly surprised by it, especially by Eminem's performance. His character is, for the most part, very subdued and quiet, but still shows a bottled up intensity which he lets out at certain points, for better or worse.
For an artist that is usually associated with violence and anger, it was interesting to see the restrain in his performance, as well as his willingness to portray the weaknesses in his character. Rabbit is insecure, frustrated, and stuck in a dead-end job, while also suffering numerous setbacks. He chokes in a rap battle, he's beat up, he's cheated on. But perhaps his strength lies in how he acknowledges his own weaknesses, which you can see in the verses I quoted above.
Basinger's performance was spotty. She had some solid moments, but there were others where you could see the seams. The cast is rounded up by Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, and Michael Shannon, all of which deliver solid performances. Even Anthony Mackie shows up here in his film debut. He doesn't get to do a lot, but his role is crucial for the film, and Mackie handles it pretty well.
Considering the film stars such a hard-hitting rapper like Eminem, who was known for his outbursts of anger, it's impressive that the film actually holds down his lashes, only letting off a few bursts until the final battle. It says a lot about Eminem that he's able to hold up the film only with his performance, instead of his singing. So f**k y'all if you doubted him.
Grade: