MOVIE: 8 Mile
Starring Eminem, Kim Basinger,
Mehki Pfiffer, Brittany Murray
Directed by Chris Hanson
Written by Scott Silver
Universal Pictures
Reviewed by Rusty Pipes

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How many different ways can you call someone a gay loser in 45 seconds and rhyme them all together? If you can imagine doing that in front of a jeering crowd you have seen 8 Mile, the new movie starring white rapper Eminem. Call it verbal abuse disguised as gladiatorial combat. Still, 8 Mile works pretty well as a movie, even though it's basically a remake of Purple Rain, with more than a little Rocky thrown in. Our hero, Jimmy Smith, is a white boy with a gift for black trash talk. Like his black friends he's poverty stricken, and forced to live with his loser mom (Kim Basinger) in a tough Detroit trailer-park-world.

Can you blame Smith for copping an attitude and trying to claw his way out? Maybe not. Eminem is basically portraying himself, like Prince was in Purple Rain. He shows an I-won't-back-down toughness throughout; the only softness seems to be reserved for his little sister. Inexplicably, when his mom gets behind on the rent, he doesn't bother to help out even though he's got a job. He doesn't seem to be particularly caring with his girlfriends either.

He spends half the movie beating on people verbally and often physically. He beats up the guy who does the deed with his new girlfriend (Brittany Murphy). In return he gets beaten himself by the thugs of the reigning rap champion of the neighborhood. Eventually he gets his chance to face him down on stage, mano a mano. Will our white trash hero win over the rap-battle fans? Would a real life Detroit rap crowd ever let a white rapper with a name like Bunny Rabbit out alive?

Let's put things where they are: I am not a fan of Eminem. I have found a few rap gems that I like among the gravel but I think the whole genre of rap is generally overrated, a feeling that was recently reinforced when I saw Standing In The Shadows Of Motown (the REAL Detroit Sound!). Eminem himself has made waves enough and certainly generated his highest level of success with this movie but now he's got to give a performance with more range. 8 Mile is likely to be a one shot success unless he tries to do some acting outside the world he came from.

The Skinny:
Am I glad I saw the movie? It's flawed but I liked it well enough.
Would I go to see it again? No, I think I got everything it had to offer the first time.

© 2002 - Rusty Pipes