8 Mile Movie Review

Any Eminem fan who is really into rap will really love this movie. If not for its plot then just to hear Eminem rap some new shit. But chances are, like me, you will love every aspect of 8 Mile except its un resolutioned ending.

8 Mile takes place in the gruffest parts of Detroit. The 8 Mile Road is a psychologic divider between the black and white community of Detroit. Eminem, unfortunately lives on the black side and all though there are other white people living with him and neighbours he is mostly surrounded by blacks.

8 Mile starts with Eminem practicing his stuff in front of a mirror. Going on stage to battle and chokes and runs out. It is a weird sight to see Eminem not being able to do what he does best and it is the perfect introduction to Jimmy Smith Jnr. Eminem's character. Jimmy is basically everything Eminem was less than 5 years ago. A struggling rapper trying to find his place in an industry dominated by blacks.

Jimmy lives with his mom, played by Kim Basinger, little sister and his mother's tormenting beau who is played by Michael Shannon, in a trailer park. After breaking up with his girlfriend, all Jimmy has is a run down car that won't start and a garbage bag that he carries his clothes around in. Add to that that his mother's boyfriend went to school with Em and you can picture that this guy's life is pretty shit.

However Jimmy has a gift. He can rap better than any other blacks in his town. The only problem is that he just doesn't have the balls to show it on stage and the movie follows Jimmy as he tries to prove to the world that he's got what it takes to be the Number. 1 star that he is today.

Along the line he gets beaten up, beats others up, shoots cop cars with paintball guns and burns houses down. Some parts are funny, some parts are sad, some parts are scary. Eminem is a genious rapper and a genious actor. Though it is easy for anyone to play themselves ( because even though Jimmy is a fictional character he is still Eminem ) Eminem does a good job of it and makes a solid movie to boot.

Only complaint I have was that it ended abruptly with no real resolution reached. Leaving the audience hanging, wondering where Jimmy would go from here and what about Mheki Pheipher ( his love interest in the movie ). Well what I say now really shouldn't matter because if you are an Eminem fan like most people are you will watch this movie anyway. And if you are not, well, you don't really have to like Eminem, or rap for that matter to appreciate the story, characters and the struggles of a man fighting for a place in hip hop where he doesn't belong.

 

Rating: 3/5