'8 MILE' GOES THE DISTANCE WITH ENGAGING STORY, MUSIC.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic '8 MILE'' has the pop star of the moment, Eminem, and a hip-hop soundtrack that's as current as it is contagious, but, at its core, the movie's spirit is as old-school as it comes. In its portrait of a young man looking to make it big, the film brings to mind retro working-class scrappers like James Cagney and that dude from ``The Jazz Singer.'' (And we're not thinking of Neil Diamond.) It's the same old, same old - like Mick Jagger Noun 1. Mick Jagger - English rock star (born in 1943) Jagger, Michael Philip Jagger once asked, ``What can a poor boy do, 'cept sing for a rock 'n' roll rock 'n' roll: see rock music. band?'' Of course, rock 'n' roll is, for all intents and purposes Adv. 1. for all intents and purposes - in every practical sense; "to all intents and purposes the case is closed"; "the rest are for all practical purposes useless" for all practical purposes, to all intents and purposes , retro these days, too, so ``8 Mile'' substitutes rap for Keith Richards-type riffs, banking on the immense musical talent of its hip-hop star. It's a great bet, and director Curtis Hanson (``L.A. Confidential'') is smart enough to use Eminem's ferocious wit and charisma to create a wildly entertaining movie that stands as the hip-hop generation's very own ``Saturday Night Fever.'' ``8 Mile'' isn't exactly autobiographical; producer Brian Grazer wasn't about to go down that road again after the beating he and Ron Howard took for ``A Beautiful Mind.'' So the movie both hews to the facts of Eminem's life - the rags-to-riches story, the contentious relationship with his mother (played here by Kim Basinger), the brutal, funny and outrageous one-on-one rap battles where he honed his craft - and aims to do repair work on his media image. Thus, great pains are taken to show that Eminem doesn't hate gays (his ``8 Mile'' alter ego A doctrine used by the courts to ignore the corporate status of a group of stockholders, officers, and directors of a corporation in reference to their limited liability so that they may be held personally liable for their actions when they have acted fraudulently or unjustly or when , Jimmy ``Rabbit'' Smith, comically berates a homophobe in a stinging, spontaneous rap) and possesses a soft side underneath that hostile exterior. It's Rabbit that takes care of his adorable little younger sister (Chloe Greenfield) while Mom hits the bottle and tries to placate her latest deadbeat dead·beat 1 Slang n. 1. One who does not pay one's debts. 2. A lazy person; a loafer. adj. Not fulfilling one's obligations or paying one's debts: a deadbeat dad. savior, Greg (Michael Shannon), who's young enough to be one of Rabbit's classmates Classmates can refer to either:
The melodrama of Rabbit's trailer park life isn't exactly the highlight of the movie. ``8 Mile'' clicks when it puts its dirt-poor, angry young man out on the streets of Detroit's slums with his friends: the charismatic Future (Mekhi Phifer Mekhi Phifer (born December 29, 1974 or 1975[]) is an American actor. He has a starring role as Greg Pratt on NBC's television program ER, and won season four of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown. ), activist DJ Iz (De'Angelo Wilson), doofus doo·fus n. pl. doo·fus·es Slang An incompetent, foolish, or stupid person. [Perhaps blend of doof, fool (from Scots) and goofus, fool (from goof). white boy Cheddar Bob (Evan Jones) and the quick-witted big boy Sol (Omar Benson Miller). These guys are family, and you'd be hard-pressed to come across better group chemistry than what Hanson has created here. But, then, Hanson always has had a way with actors. His greatest achievement here is taking the movie's tired, formulaic plot - will Rabbit overcome his stage fright stage fright Performance anxiety, see there and triumph in a big rap contest (what do you think?) and making it into something that feels electrifying e·lec·tri·fy tr.v. e·lec·tri·fied, e·lec·tri·fy·ing, e·lec·tri·fies 1. To produce electric charge on or in (a conductor). 2. a. and real? Filming the movie on location in decaying Detroit helps, as does the fact that if you're going to stage a 15-minute rap battle for the movie's blowout climax, it helps to have the world's best rapper starring in your film. If Eminem never makes another movie, he'll still have one good film on his ledger, which is more than most rock stars can say. (Paging Prince.) If there's any justice in the world, Eminem will also have an Oscar on his shelf because the incendiary INCENDIARY, crim. law. One who maliciously and willfully sets another person's house on fire; one guilty of the crime of arson. 2. This offence is punished by the statute laws of the different states according to their several provisions. ``Lose Yourself,'' which plays over the closing credits, is the best song you'll hear in a movie this year. Its uplifting closing words - ``you can do anything you set your mind to, man'' - may surprise those who know Eminem only from all the hand wringing on the negative nightly news. Clearly, in the case of ``8 Mile,'' the singer has applied that message to his film debut, creating something that's as exhilarating as it is oddly inspiring. 8 MILE - Three and one half stars (R: strong language, sexuality, some violence and drug abuse) Starring: Eminem, Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy. Director: Curtis Hanson. Running time: 1 hr. 47 min. Playing: Wide release. In a nutshell: Eminem proves he isn't Elvis - the rapper actually has a good movie on his resume. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The rags-to-riches story of controversial rapper Eminem is at the center of ``8 Mile.'' |
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