Customer Reviews

Hustle & Flow [UMD for PSP]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

HUSTLE & FLOW, which I saw last night, is a terrific movie, both gritty and a hell of a lot of fun. Terrence Howard is terrific as DJay, a Memphis pimp with a dream of recording a rap demo. The supporting cast is really strong. The movie has one of the best screenplays I've seen in a while, too. Though there are stereotypical characters, nothing turns out the way you'd expect, and the dialogue and soundtrack are excellent. The good reviews this has received are deserved. HUSTLE & FLOW is a great movie.

For me, the entire movie was worth seeing just for the lava lamp scene.

Memphis, Tennessee, is a location like any other where poverty and human struggle exist on any level. Some, unfortunately, where born in rough situations while others might have been born with a gold spoon in their mouth. Together with poverty ventures an undesirable travel companion known as criminality that spreads further dismay among the poor. It does not necessarily mean that the poor are criminals, but through criminal activities youth often discover their chance to accomplish their materialistic dreams often induced from television. The director Craig Brewer discloses his vision of a struggling pimp and drug dealer trying to find direction in his life while continue to hustle his business on others in Hustle & Flow.

A lengthy introduction of the main character DJay (Terrence Dashon Howard) and his background opens Hustle & Flow, which intriguingly gives the audience an understanding for his situation. It is obvious that DJay is a street smart and intelligent young man, as he in the initial scene gives an existential exposition on the nature of mankind related to his situation. In the light of his philosophical notions one could understand why he is where he is in life, pimping and selling drugs in his neighborhood. In addition, DJay does not get the feeling of satisfaction from his job, but it must be done as he seems to feel some form of responsibility to the women who work for him. Instead DJay dreams of making music and rapping his lyrics, but has never taken the opportunity to try.

DJay understands the simple functions of society, as people wish to themselves away from the poverty and never having to return to a life of poverty on any level whether it is a physical visit or through reminiscence. The mindset of avoiding poverty sadly allows for very few, if ever any opportunities for the poor to get out of poverty. However, an opportunity begins with a dream, which must be executed. When DJay meets an old high school friend, Key (Anthony Anderson), he sees an opportunity, but Key is hesitant for the same reason many others are in regards to people in poverty. Key gives DJay a lecture in walking the walk instead of talking the talk through which he wants DJay to understand to accomplish a dream requires much hard work. DJay finds a way to convince Key that he intends to work hard in order to achieve his dream.

Together DJay and Key begin to create a temporary home studio where they can record the music that they both love so much. Key also brings in Shelby (DJ Qualls), a skinny guy from the church, who helps out creating a great sound to DJay's lyrics. Much of the second act of the film revolves Key, Shelby, and DJay sitting in the studio trying to find the right sound and the right words to make a hit song. In between rehearsals and musical exploration DJay finds himself pimping and selling drugs to raise the money to make his songs, but it is hard as he cannot raise much money. Setbacks begin to affect DJay, and he must face his own demons through his insecurities and the fear of failing. All aspects of DJay's life begin to affect his music making, but he must remain persistent, or he will fail.

Hustle & Flow offers a truly terrific cinematic experience which deals with the notion of having dreams and hopes about the future. Brewer takes this notion even one step further, as he explores the idea of fulfilling the dreams which requires a large amount of hard work. Terrence Dashon Howard turns out to be the perfect actor for the part, as everything he does only makes the film better. To understand the quality of talent that Howard possess, one should understand the vast number of characters that he has performed. Recently, he was in Crash (2004) where he was a wonderful television producer and now comes across as a genuine pimp and drug dealer who has desires to becomes something else.

Gritty and raw!! It was refreshing to see an honest portrayal of poverty without the usual melodrama. All of the performances were great, and I found myself singing along with the soundtrack even though I could never imagine that profession. I see why John Singleton produced this movie. It was much better than many of the major studio releases. I would not recommend this for anyone under 17 (hence the R rating), but acting as if this behavior doesn't exist, won't make it go away. Anyone who says it glorifies prostitution/pimping missed the point entirely.

One reviewer asked why they were always sweating. I'm not shocked that reviewer gave it a negative rating - apparently they didn't understand much of anything. And considering the quality of most bootlegs, I'm surprised that reviewer felt qualified to write a review. See a 'real' copy for yourself!!

I haven't seen Jarhead yet, or Brokeback Mountain, but as of now, this is the best new movie of the year. Anthony Anderson establishes himself in his best major role and Terence Howard owns the screen, from the first shot through the ending. This movie is so good I just got the soundtrack, within half an hour of finishing the movie. Director Craig Brewer triupmhs with gorgeous shots of Memphis exploring the true life of DJay, an unsuccessful pimp who is left with two hoes. The raps are hard, the beats rock, the acting is amazing and the story may be a common one in "the game", but nothing about the way the story unfolds on screen appears insincere or trite. The dialogue probably makes the movie, with the semi-philosophical musings of a man approaching 35 with nothing to show for his life. The ending is a real surprise; don't let anybody tell you how it ends. Southern rap rules the charts and this movie comes at a pivotal time in hiphop. It's funny that the two greatest performances of the past two years have had great male leads in music movies: Jamie Foxx in Ray and Terence Howard in Hustle & Flow. Howard deserves an Oscar and if the movie is too real for some people, they just didn't feel it.

Every dog has his day. So is true with most actors. Hustle & Flow is Terrence Howard's day.

He plays DJay, a pimp going through a mid-life crisis. He's 35, and has nothing to show for his life. He lives in a house with no air conditioning along with a pregnant Shug (Taraji P. Henson), skinny white Nola (Taryn Manning), and ungrateful Lexus (Paula Jai Parker). He runs into an old school pal Clyde (a surprisingly good Anthony Anderson), and convinces him to help him record some tracks for a demo he's hoping to hand over to Skinny Black (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges), a former school mate who is now a platinum rapper. By handing Skinny over the tape, DJay hopes he can make it big and finally leave behind his life of failure.

Howard give an Oscar-nomination worthy performance in a role that requires a certain machismo yet a soul of pain and depth. He commands the screen with a power rarely seen.

First time writer/director Craig Brewer gives us a story of inspiration, hope, persistence, courage, and passion. It may not be totally original, but it has a heart many films nowadays are missing, and unfolds in unexpected ways.

I was absorbed by every second of this film. This is one of 2005's finest films.

One can imagine starchy-white conservative shock-jocks howling about how this movie glamorizes pimp culture. Indeed the viewer may initially feel antipathy towards Djay who employs head-games mixed with occasional threats of violence to motivate his ladies to hit "the track". However, slowly over the course of the film we identify with DJay, the prostitutes and the other characters. Like most of us, they were thrown into a certain set of life circumstances, a bad one in this case, and are doing their best to get on with it.

Djay is suffering from a mid-life crisis (a term he uses) and dreams of becoming a rap artist. To pursue this, he teams up with an old friend Key and an aquaintance of this latter, Shelby.
These characters are also familiar to us. Key does sound recording, albeit of a variety of venues, such as school board meetings. He has managed, with his store-clerk wife, to create a decent lower middle-class life for himself. However, his work leaves him empty and he dreams of producing music. Shelby-the lone white guy of the trio-is a keyboardist and mixer. However, his day-time job consists of stocking vending machines. So all of the group suffer from the same ennui as most of us in the industrialized world vis a' vis our work. Djay's "hoz" suffer from the same and communicate the need to be recognized as worthy human beings.

Together the three accompanied by one of Djay's women put together some great music, which is a boon on top of the great storyline. A famous rapper "Skinny Black" is coming back to his old 'hood in Memphis to celebrate the 4th of July at a local bar. Djay seizes this opportunity to have Skinny listen to the groups recordings, in the hopes that the rapper will get some exposure for the music. My synopsis stops there so as not to give away the movie.

If "American Beauty" was the middle-class tale of post-modern disenchantment with the American Dream, then this movie is the ethnic/southern working class analog. However, whereas the former movie ends in cynicism, "Hustle and Flow" ends with hope.

What ever you do, don't let "mark twain," some bad reviewer, be the reason you don't go see this movie, the movie is excellent and Terrence Howard, once again shows that he is a great actor, just as he did in his role in Crash. This movie is not just about the music, it's about a struggle and a man trying to get through his, up unitl now, "boring" meaningless life. Don't let Twainy get you down, everything this person has rated is 3 stars and down, oh, except for this Mario "Video Game" which shows you where this persons mind is really at, not in to excellent made films and seeing that actual genius behind them, but rather Super Mario video games, go ahead read the all of his reviews and go see the movie and you'll know what I mean, this movie is an excellent movie, and as to the NON-Stars issue in the movie, please, you obviously don't know movies if you don't think Terrence Howard and Anthony Hopkins aren't stars, go sit down somewhere and do some research and stop letting that video game fry your brain.

-Sophisticated Response...

This movie does several things really well. First of all, the acting is excellent, especially Terence Howard. Also the film has a raw and gritty quality in its portrait of Memphis street life. Finally, the story moves along at rapid pace. I was not bored by this movie.

However, where the movie goes wrong is in its attempt to turn DJay into some sort of "up from the gutter" hero along the lines of the "Rocky" movies. DJay does have some good qualities. But the bottom line is that he is a pimp, a man he makes his living off the abuse and exploitation of women. In another incident, DJay throws his toddler-age son out of the house after having an argument with the mother - an unforgivable action. Finally, in the movie's climax, DJ pistol whips and possibly kills Skinny B, a more famous rapper that DJay was hoping would help him out, for throwing his tape in the toilet while in a drunken stupor. DJay does have his dream of becoming a rap star. But where the movie becomes absurd is in its depiction of DJay finding meaning in his life through the discovery of his "artistic voice." So-called "gangster rap" was at least new and provocative, though still sexist and violent, when NWA and others first came out around 15 years ago. But this music genre has been done to death and DJay is adding nothing new with songs like "Whup That Trick". He's only looking to become rich and famous rather than having to find a real job like the rest of us.

I am all for "keeping it real" and if this movie was intended only as an accurate depiction of the life of a Memphis street hustler wanna-be rapper then I would say it was successful. But instead they try to show DJay as a heroic charcter struggling to achieve his dream. DJay is actually a tragedy rather than a hero and for that reason the movie fails.

But what bothered me more than the movie itself was reading a review by the famous critic Roger Ebert. Ebert goes on at great length about how DJay is a victim of his circumstances who in another life might be running for Congress. To me this shows a huge disrespect to all the people out there, African-American and otherwise, who have come up from a difficult background. But still manage to be decent and responsible citizens who work hard and support their families. My wife grew up with 13 siblings in the country of Ecuador, living in worse poverty than most Americans can even imagine. But she choose to do something better with her life than become a criminal. DJay lives like he does not because he is a "victim." But because he has made wrong decisions in his life. There is nothing cool or heroic about being a pimp. But this movie, along with other aspects of popular culture, continue to glorify it as an exciting alternative to the real world. We have to do better!

Just when it seemed the movie season was as stagnant as the weather, another great one pops up. HUSTLE & FLOW stars Terrence Howard, last seen in a totally different role in CRASH, as a pimp who dreams of becoming a rapper. "Everyone should have a dream," he says. The film is gritty and in your face but very well directed, acted and filmed. The entire cast gives great performances although the movie ultimately belongs to Howard who is in practically every frame. He is sure to be nominated for an Oscar for best actor.

Filmed in Memphis, the movie does not have one dishonest frame. While it may not be for the squeamish, the rest of us are glad we saw it. Oh, near the beginning of the film soprano Jennifer Byneum does a wonderful rendition of the spiritual "Changed Mah Name." Hearing that song, which makes Howard cry, convinces him to follow his dream. There is also a kiss between Howard and his pregnant girl friend that is steamier than an August afternoon in any Southern state.

The first thing I have to say is that some people really need to learn how to accept entertainment for what it is "ENTERTAINMENT". I've been reading reviews with people complaining about the subject matter of the movie, but if that's the case they should've gone to see "Bewitched" or some crap like. This movie is about a black man in the "Dirty South" hustling (you can't knock the hustle) by any means necessary to make his dream happen. Any means being, prostitution, stripping, selling weed, braiding hair, shooting dice, or selling your demos out the trunk of your car. Everybody got a hustle of some kind. This movie is real, and if you aren't from the streets, or the hood, then you won't feel or understand why this movie is so good to others. This movie will go down as another hood classic like so many of the other ones before it (which I won't name them all) I thought that the crunk music in this movie was awesome, and Terrance Howard did a great job of delivering it, and still making it seem believable at the same time. I'm so glad that Terrance is finally blowing up after all this time, and it's about time he got a chance.