Customer Reviews

8 Mile [UMD for PSP]

5 star:		(198)
4 star:		(115)
3 star:		(55)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

This is the first time I've ever seen a movie on opening night, and it was well worth the wait and trouble. I'm extrememly lucky to get tickets, practically all the theaters in the entire area have been sold out!

Jimmy Smith, Jr., a.k.a. Bunny Rabbit (Eminem) lives in inner city Detroit, with his alcoholic, yet highly interesting mother, played by Kim Basinger; and his younger sister, Lily, who is absolutely adorable, and Rabbit's only obvious weakness. He dreams of making it big, along with his group, 313, including Future (Mekhi Pfipher) and his buddies, including the hilarious, [silly] Cheddar Bob, and the politically active Iz.

Jimmy works in a stamping factory, where he meets Alex (Brittany Murphy), an ambitious woman with dreams of modeling, whose only real wish is simply to leave Detroit and escape to New York City. "All I need is a plane ticket."

Future resides over rap battles at the shelter, and, having faith in Rabbit's skills, invites him to rap. After we open with Rabbit choking on his lines, he is invited once more. Soon, we are faced with a dilemma, because Rabbit must choose between making it on his own through his talent at the battles, or his friend Wink's supposed connections at a record company, who promises to give Rabbit fame if he meets with a record producer.

Eminem is an impressive actor, though he isn't exactly stretching to meet his role. However, compared to the "Glitter trauma" that affects so many singers who aspire for the big screen, it's an affecting debut.

"8 Mile" is rated R, based mainly on the language, of which the affect wears off after the first 15 minutes, but also for some graphic sexuality, including Jimmy walking in on his mom, and making love with his girlfriend in the factory.

This was an impressive movie and I was glad to have seen it, I would reccommend it to anyone over the age of 15.

Eminem, probably the most controversial rapper today, who is best known for his highly disturbing lyrics, stars in the first motion picture of his career, 8-mile. Eminem plays Jimmy Smith Jr., a young white rapper trying to make it big in a black dominated area in Detroit near 8-mile road, the barrier that seems to keep him from accomplishing his goals. He struggles trying to deal with home life in a trailer park with a near psychotic mother, as well as earning respect as a white rapper. He attempts to gain recognition for his talent by competing in battles between rappers of the street, he being the only one who's white. The movie seems all too familiar, being somewhat based on Eminem's real life. Kim Basinger plays his mother, Brittany Murphy his "sort of" girlfriend, and Mekkhi Phiffer stars as Future, the DJ of the battles.

As all movies do, this one too has its high and low points, but overall 8-mile is a fairly good film, taking critics and moviegoers all over the country by surprise. Eminem proves he actually has acting ability and shows he doesn't qualify to be put into the "singer trying to act" category. He shows depth and emotion in his role with a performance that goes far beyond his otherwise annoying self. Kim Basinger also nails the role of the mother, giving a truly great performance in the film. The film is mostly dramatic but also contains comedy with a few strong, humorous lines delivered throughout. Some downsides are the excessive amount of vulgarity, seeming like every other word out of every characters mouth is a swear word, as well as some pointless scenes in the film that should have been left on the cutting room floor. If vulgarity is hard on your ears, stay as far away from this film as you can. However, an unexpected but highly energetic ending seems to make the whole movie worthwhile.

The film goes beyond most people's expectations of what they believe it would be, showing talent as well as a solid plot. The movie is a must see for Eminem fans and anyone who enjoys rap music or entertaining, high intensity films.

After believing that Eminem's 15 minutes were up about two years ago, I was incredibly impressed to see just how good his performance was in 8 MILE. Being the only person on the planet that doesn't like his music, I thought that the only place that 8 MILE was headed was a Dead End. I stand corrected. Not only was the film extremely well acted, but it is very entertaining, as well. It takes a bit to get used to the street lingo, but I think fans will have a field day with it, nonetheless. As for whether or not you should bring the kids, DON'T! Three sex scenes, a few fist fights, one shooting, and all the foul language that you have come to expect from Eminem. The only nudity, however, is Eminem's rear. (That should sell a couple tickets, as is!) Although definitely not a film for everyone, the film showcases a new talent for Eminem that many will enjoy. The film is clever and fun. I will certainly be looking forward to his next project, and prefer it be a movie as opposed to a CD.

For a superstar known as a ticking time bomb, Eminem is a surprisingly savvy businessman. While his pop-chart peers Britney Spears and Mariah Carey broke into film with vehicles that cemented their status as walking punchlines, Eminem assembled outstanding collaborators for his own debut, 8 Mile, which comes closer to Mike Leigh's grim working-class realism than Hype Williams' flashiness.

Directed by Curtis Hanson, co-edited by Jay Rabinowitz, and shot by cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, 8 Mile stars Eminem as an aspiring rapper choking on the poverty, stale air, and broken dreams of his trailer-park life. To dull the pain of their rudderless existence, he and his friends drive around, smoke pot, burn down abandoned buildings, and generally behave like multicultural, Midwestern versions of the kids from Saturday Night Fever, another bleak working-class character study driven by a mesmerizing central star turn. But where John Travolta found escape on the dance floor, Eminem finds salvation and redemption in battle-rapping, a take-no-prisoners form of lyrical combat that places a heavy emphasis on improvisation and crowd reaction. Brittany Murphy co-stars as Eminem's unpredictable and pragmatic quasi-love interest, an aspiring model who sees him as her way out of Detroit, but who seems willing to hitch her fortunes to somebody else in case he doesn't work out.

Effortlessly authentic in its depiction of working-class despair and the hope engendered by hip-hop's promise of upward social mobility, 8 Mile brings to the forefront the lower-class anger bubbling just under the surface of Eminem's music. Scott Silver's script follows a familiar arc that takes the rapper from humiliation and self-doubt to triumph and self-confidence, but the film's absolute conviction keeps it from feeling formulaic. By this point, even blue-haired grandmas will realize that the Eminem saga doesn't end with the rapper working at McDonald's and sharing a basement apartment with Vanilla Ice, but 8 Mile plunges so deep into the hopelessness of its setting that his success never feels preordained. Since his ascension to pop-culture royalty, Eminem has transformed the messy emotions of his life into musical black comedy. In 8 Mile, that life becomes an equally riveting drama.

I have to say that I am not a fan of Eminem. Nothing personal, I just don't care for his music, excpet Lose Yourself, but I decided to check this out based on all the hype surrounding it and all the positive reviews it was given. It is a very good movie, and Eminim gives a dramatic, intense performance that I would never have expected. Everyone knows the premise of the film, a white rapper trying to make it. The films moves along quickly, has some intense rap battle sequences, and invloves Em's relationship with his mother played by Kim Basinger, and Brittany Murphy, the girl who convinces him to go for it all. Eminems performance is the standout of the film, but Brittany Murphy does an excellent job as Alex. She's sweet, sexy, and dangerous and it's always a pleasure to see Brittney in any film. Kim Basinger is way over the top. I didn't buy her performance one bit, and felt she was completely miscast. I highly recommend this film to all Eminem fans and even not his fans, since I am not one. I have a new respect for the guy. He is immensely talented, and now we have a reason why he is so successful. It is clear to me that it is Talent over Image.

If you haven't seen 8 Mile but know a little about it, you'd probably expect me to give it a very bad grade. Fortunately for this film, Eminem is one of the few musicians who can act!!! (Of course, it's a semi-autobiographical film) 8 Mile is the inspiring film about Jimmy "Rabbit" Smith, a guy that works for little money and lives in a trailor with his mother. He's also sort of an aspiring rap artist, participating (but never having the guts to stand up in front of everyone) in rap battles both in a club and on the streets.

Eminem gives a very well-done performance as the lead character and Kim Basinger and Brittany Murphy back the film with wonderful supporting acting. I loved how 8 Mile gives a realistic (if not slightly stylized) look at low-class life in a big city. The film is never shy of revealing the raw truth to you. The writing behind this film is very good and sends an inspiring and powerful message across to people who need the courage to follow their dreams.

This film is remarkable and very, very overlooked for its excellence in credibility and overall entertianment values. Please see 8 Mile.

We are grandparents who have disliked rap since...well, since always! We have a different take on it now...didn't really get it before. The movie showed us what it's all about and we're glad we got the education. The movie was entertaining and we recommend it to other grandparents who might want to find out what their teen grandkids see in rap. Take a chance and see this move...and pull the generation gap a bit closer.

I went to see this movie opening night and it was packed. I'm talking mobs and mobs of die hard Eminem fans who had made it their life goal to see this movie opening night. Well I was just a curious girl who wanted to see a movie with her friends. "8 Mile" is truly a masterpiece. Eminem, who debuts as if he's been acting for years, plays Jimmy "B Rabbit" Smith Jr. who is angry with his life and alcoholic mom (played wonderfully by Kim Basinger) and wants nothing more than to get out of the slums of Detroit. He has a ... job and just can't seem to have any luck at rap battles he attends every week with his hilarious group of friends. (All a joy to watch, particularly Cheddar Bob.) Future (the great Mekhi Phifer) is like Jimmy's mentor and helps him with his struggles. At his job, he meets vibrant and confident Alex (Brittany Murphy), who shares the same goal of escaping Detroit. Their relationship isn't a romantic one by any means, but it grips you...just like everything else in this film.

Curtis Hanson manages to pull you into the film, despite an average script. Eminem is an arresting onscreen presence with charisma to spare and you truly cannot take your eyes off him. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and I think anyone who sees it will enjoy it too. Go see it today! You won't be disappointed. (But not for kids under 15.)

One small step for film-making, and one large step for Director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, A Knight's Tale). Being infatuated with Eminem's original and brilliantly orchestrated lyrics, 8 Mile has offered a chance to see Eminem's extraordinary
vast talents. If anything, I would call this film 'Inspiring'. It's the genuine prologue of a boy's life, whom is determined to become a man. Other than his average group of friends, Jimmy (Eminem) is on his own. Dealing with his alcoholic mother, her abusive boyfriend, and desperately trying to be a good influence on his kid sister. With barely keeping his factory job, Jimmy must grip on faith. He soon meets a lady friend (Brittany Murphy), who maintains her distance, but takes part in his rough road to triumph. Jimmy dreams of dominating a lyrical freestyle tournament, and pursuing a career with it. But in order to succeed, Jimmy must overcome his greatest fear...

Now, I don't expect everyone to love 8 MILE, but I think there are a lot of people out there who'd be surprised if they give the film a shot. I know there's a lot of anti-Eminem people out there and rightly so. I can see why you would hate the man. However, love him or hate him he delivers a heart felt performance here. Those who are saying `8 Mile' shows a vanilla-ed Eminem may have a point: this movie introduces him to a non-rap audience just as `Wild Style' introduced us to hip-hop. But those who say Eminem is sanitized here for mall viewing have an odd notion of language. Perhaps his CD's contain more inflammatory material than is aired in this movie, but what gets said here is most definitely not for any suburban grandmothers who aren't stone deaf.

His closest relationship in this movie is with himself, as is clear from the first scene, where Eminem is doing rap gestures in the competition shed men's room, looking in the mirror, hearing his music in his head --and this is fine, because it's what a young man has to do: get on friendly working terms with who he is. The movie is about his going off to be on his own and give up his rowdy playmates to become a winner, and he walks off by himself in the final scene. Eminem as shown in `8 Mile' isn't totally motivated by his anger at all. His anger is very contained. He seems able to turn it on and off at will and release it only when he needs it -- to trounce rap competition or throw out his mom's sleazy boyfriend. It's his ability to control his anger that makes both Rabbit and Eminem winners.

Eminem does have an authenticity about him that makes for a strong presence on screen. Paradoxically he projects a powerful inwardness, so that his turning away from everybody makes his face jump out at us. His effect is of authenticity, because he doesn't put on a reaction to please the audience or suit the scene, but he is always there, moving with the scene and in fact creating it. "8 Mile" isn't just a vehicle for Eminem. It's too well made a movie to be that. But without Eminem `8 Mile' wouldn't exist. The only importance of the rapping contests emceed by `Future' is that first Rabbit shies away from them, and then he enters them and wins them. You have to wonder how the rapper/actors feel who are in the movie only to be put down by Eminem.

`8 Mile' cannot escape from the limitations of the fictionalized star biopic. There have been dozens of movies about emerging music stars and their families, their early sponsors, their first big breaks, and so on, many of them with more range and specificity of detail than this one. This movie only takes its hero to the moment when he walks away, having shown that he can be a star. The whole focus is on his personality and in particular his stillness. The most important moments are those when Rabbit/Eminem stands with mike in hand, silent, waiting for inspiration to strike. Even when he chooses not to compete and hands the mike back, this moment is full of power. In this movie Eminem carries the expression of sheer imminence, raw potential, to a new level of clarity and confidence.

This rapper is good just standing there.