Going to see 8 Mile? Show up for the last 30 minutes and nothing more. The "rap battles" that make up the end of the 8 Mile are utterly electrifying and are alone worth the price of admission. Exquisitely shot and flawlessly executed, the scenes will give you chills. As for the rest of the film, it is painfully slow and uninspired. The writing is stale. The direction is nothing new. And the acting is spotty at best.
Directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys), 8 Mile is loosely based on Eminem's life story, centering on Jimmy "Bunny Rabbit" Smith, Jr. Eminem plays the role of Smith, a Detroit steel worker who lives in a trailer with his drunk, delusional mother (Kim Basinger) and his angelic sister— played by five-year-old Chloe Greenfield, who gives the film its finest female performance.
Jimmy is an aspiring rapper whose true potential is crippled by recurring bouts of violent stage fright. The film follows him as he struggles to overcome his fear, culminating in a local "rap battle" — a competition where the audience judges two dueling rappers, who improvise for 45 seconds each. The logic seems to be that if Jimmy can win a "rap battle," he is on his way to recording a demo, scoring a record deal and moving out of the trailer park. Of course, these things are complicated. Despite his verbal acuity and the support of a close-knit group of friends, Smith is routinely ridiculed and tormented by his mother's redneck boyfriend, his potentially pregnant ex-girlfriend and a group of local rival rappers known as "Free Power."
So, can Eminem act? The jury is still out on that one. Em has a screen presence and more importantly, a frighteningly intense stare (think rabid-deer-in-the-headlights meets Deniro). But whether or not this is enough to carry a two-hour movie is still up for debate, especially since Em's supporting cast is none too supportive. Brittany Murphy plays Jimmy's love interest, Alex, who also happens to be Detroit's resident tramp and an aspiring supermodel. Looking coked-up and severely anorexic, Murphy frolics around with a wide-eyed smugness and a quasi-raspy delivery as if she is in another movie altogether. Can we say wishful thinking? Basinger doesn't fare any better. Apparently living in Detroit by way of rural Mississippi, Basinger offers up nothing more than a textbook performance of trashy nastiness and hysteric outbursts. Mekhi Phifer, as Smith's friend David Porter, is the sole standout, giving the strongest, most consistent performance in the film.
Shot primarily in Detroit and its surrounding neighborhoods, 8 Mile does convey the hopelessness of an urban wasteland. This is achieved mostly through drive-by imagery of abandoned homes and bombed-out buildings. But despite some interesting dialogue about race and rapping, the script contains nothing you could not read in one of the dozens of magazine features on Eminem currently plastering newsstands. 8 Mile's soundtrack, however, is stellar, with new material from Eminem, Jay-Z, Nas, Rakim, 50 Cent, Xzibit, and D-12.
