8 Miles (2002)

Directed by: Curtis Hanson | 110 minutes | drama, music | Actors: Eminem, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger, Evan Jones, Omar Benson Miller, De’Angelo Wilson, Eugene Byrd, Taryn Manning, Larry Hudson, Proof, Mike Bell, DJ Head, Michael Shannon, Chloe Greenfield

Well, Eminem. What more can you say about this man? Anyone who has ever zapped to a music channel in an unguarded moment must have encountered the white rapper. And otherwise you will have come across his name in one of the countless showbiz programs that our country knows. The fact is that the musician has quickly put himself on the map. Since the bleached rapper got his own feature film, nobody could really ignore him anymore. You guessed it, that feature film is ‘8 Mile’.

The star vehicle kicks off with the introduction of Jimmy Smith Jr. (Eminem), whose dream is to break into the rap scene. His white house makes it very difficult for young Smith to connect with the music culture dominated by black people. Still, the ambitious Jimmy is not deterred and tries to find his way in the rap world under the pseudonym ‘Bunny Rabbit’. He has talent, but it remains to be seen whether he will get his life in order in time to participate in a talent show.

You don’t need much imagination to make the comparison with film classic ‘Rocky’. Although ‘8 Mile’ desperately tries to prove that it can stand on its own two feet, it is obvious that this is really a shameless formula film. In fact, this production is a stretched-out commercial for Eminem. The rapper has shaken off his controversial image with this film and has since taken a completely different course.

Marshall Mathers, as the rapper is called in daily life, has become milder and more audience-friendly. And what better way to let the world know that you’ve changed than to star in a major Hollywood movie. This film should also be seen in that light: a grand (renewed) acquaintance with a ‘reborn’ musician. The shock rapper tries to make it clear that he has lost his wild hair and has become more serious. The fact that Mathers used a film for this is a clever marketing ploy, but as a full-fledged product ‘8 Mile’ really falls short.

It is so obvious from the first second that this film revolves around one thing: precisely about Eminem. The story and the cast don’t matter. This production is about promoting the soundtrack of the same name and about the star power of the rapper. Nice for the fans of course, but as a regular moviegoer you don’t have much to do with ‘8 Miile’. There is simply too much wrong with this film by director Curtis Hanson.

Most of the actors are very mediocre, in addition, his things like character development and plot twists are almost nil. Only the main character is provided with a background and its own character. Now it must be said that Mathers acts reasonably well and knows how to keep the interest through his charismatic appearance. The blond rapper will probably not become a top actor, but in his first film role he is quite acceptable. His interplay with Mekhi Phifer in particular produces beautiful scenes. Besides Mathers, only Phifer and Murphy manage to impress with their nice playing.

Most actors can’t do much with their weak lyrics and wafer-thin characters. Especially the club of friends of protagonist Bunny Rabbit does not come across at all. You have the stupid fat man, a slutty trailer-trash mother and the philosophical gangster: in short, the average cost that you have already seen in dozens of B-movies. The traditional structure of the film also does not ensure that ‘8 Mile’ will ever really sparkle. As a result, you’re watching an A to Z predictable movie that relies too much on Eminem’s performance.

With a musician in the title role, it should come as no surprise that the soundtrack is very important to the film. ‘8 Mile’ only revives when the music speaks for itself. Regardless of your opinion of (former) rioter Eminem, you can’t help but maintain that the best man has put together one hell of a soundtrack. The song ‘Lose Yourself’ is rock solid and is guaranteed to give you goosebumps.

The best parts of this movie are in the musical parts. In so-called ‘rap battles’, Eminem displays his talents against not nauseating rappers such as Xzibit. These verbal boxing fights are the actual lures of the movie, similar to the brawls in the ‘Rocky movies’. Once you get thrown into the action, the movie is quite entertaining at times. Unfortunately, those moments are very rare. Visually, there’s not much that can be said about the film. Hanson creates an oppressive atmosphere by working with faded, gray color filters.

‘8 Mile’ is a movie for the die-hard Eminem fan. At least if they’re willing to watch a milder, Hollywood version of their idol. If you’re not into rap music or the phenomenon Marshall Mathers, you can safely skip this film.