Movie Description
Controversial rapper Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers) makes his big screen debut with 8 MILE, a bracing drama directed by the increasingly audacious Curtis Hanson. Set in 1995 in the bleak, urban battle zone of Detroit, the film follows the struggles of a young man who is desperate to make a better life for himself. Jimmy Smith, Jr., better known as Rabbit, is destined for a life of squalor. Living in a cramped trailer with his deadbeat mom (Kim Basinger), Rabbit works in a factory to make ends meet. His only outlet is hip-hop. Possessing a talent for freestyle rapping, Rabbit still hasn't managed to unleash his true potential. But his best friend, Future (Mekhi Phifer), is determined to make that happen. Future forces Rabbit to enter a freestyle battle that he blew the week before, giving him another chance at redemption. Hanson's stellar portrait of lower-class urban disillusionment, shot with uncompromisingly gritty realism by Rodrigo Prieto, proves that the issue is no longer about race, it's about money. Eminem delivers a bold performance as the troubled youngster who is still trying to find his place in a harsh, cruel world.
| Credits | | Producer: | Brian Grazer, Jimmy Iovine | | Cast: | De'Angelo Wilson, Eminem, Evan Jones, Kim Basinger, Taryn Manning |
Editorial Reviews
"...Eminem projects the downbeat sex appeal and scurrilous, dead-eyed yearning of a rap-world James Dean....It's a movie of catchy rebel-underdog power..."
Entertainment Weekly - Owen Gleiberman (09/27/2002)
"...Eminem shows real screen presence....8 MILE hits hard and provocatively close to home..."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (10/19/2002)
"...Eminem possesses a furtive instinct as a performer..."
Box Office - Kevin Courrier (11/01/2002)
"...8 MILE qualifies as a cinematic event by tapping into the roots of Eminem and the fury and feeling that inform his rap....Eminem wins by a knockout..."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (11/28/2002)
"...The movie is a success on its own terms because the director doesn't condescend to pop music..."
New York Times - Elvis Mitchell (11/08/2002)
"...The rap sequences are shot and edited with the excitement of a crisply broadcast sporting event..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (11/08/2002)
"...Eminem is magnetic playing a version of himself....Basinger is entirely credible..."
Variety - Todd McCarthy (11/04/2003)
"...An illuminating addition to that hall-of-funhouse-mirrors that is Eminem's persona..."
Sight and Sound - Ryan Gilbey (02/01/2003)
Awards
2002Academy AwardsBest Original SongEminem, 2002Academy AwardsBest Original SongJeff Bass, 2002Academy AwardsBest Original SongLuis Resto
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