Eminem knows success with ‘8 Mile’

The road to movie stardom is littered with failed rock/pop star

vehicles, such as the recent “Swept Away” (Madonna), “Glitter”

(Mariah Carey) and “Crossroads” (Britney Spears). Some of these

projects have flopped so spectacularly, the fallout has even affected

their musical careers.

“8 Mile” cannot be lumped into the same category as these

exploitive failures. On the contrary, “8 Mile” is a gritty,

well-acted and exciting film that just happens to feature a popular

singer in a starring role.

Set in mid-1990s Detroit, the film tells the story of Jimmy Smith

Jr. (Eminem), known as “Bunny Rabbit” to his friends. Rabbit is a

young white man living in a rundown trailer park with his mother (Kim

Basinger) and little sister on the black side of 8 Mile, the road

separating the inner city from its white suburbs.

Rabbit is an aspiring rapper who has found acceptance among his

own posse of “homies.” Rabbit’s best friend, and the most ardent

believer in his talent, is Future (Mekhi Phifer), who hosts rap

competitions at the crumbling downtown club The Shelter. Rabbit needs

to gain the “street credibility” winning such a competition provides

if he is to have any level of commercial success as a rapper.

These contests constitute the most exciting element of “8 Mile.”

The rappers compete one on one in 45-second segments while the packed

house screams for figurative blood.

“8 Mile” is a semi-autobiographical account of Eminem’s life, or

at least his myth. Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers) gives a

brooding portrayal of a young artist trying to stay true to his craft

despite the many obstacles life has placed in his path. It remains to

be seen if Eminem can play anything but himself, but in “8 Mile” his

performance is dead-on.

Paul Simon wrote, “The words of the prophets are written on the

subway walls and tenement halls.” This phrase kept playing in my mind

as I watched the passion and artistry of the rap musicians in the

film.

The characters in “8 Mile” seem real, and it is very easy to care

what happens to them. Phifer is especially effective as Future, and

his friendship and loyalty to Rabbit are touching.

The ending of “8 Mile” certainly could lead into a sequel. If the

filmmakers put as much thought and effort into that production as

they did the original, I’ll be first in line at the ticket window.

Hanson’s risk-taking pays off again

I have a lot of respect for director Curtis Hanson. After spending

the better part of a decade making effective commercial thrillers

(“The River Wild,” “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle”), he took a risk

and crafted the superb “L.A. Confidential.” Since that crowning

achievement, Hanson has used his elevated position in Hollywood to

make some risky films: the whimsical “Wonder Boys” and now the

hip-hop influenced “8 Mile.”

Hanson likes to immerse himself in a specific world and explore

how it functions socially. While “L.A. Confidential” took us into the

noir-styled 1950s Los Angeles and “Wonder Boys” introduced us to the

literary elite of the Ivy League, “8 Mile” delves into the early

stages of the underground hip-hop movement that was borne in the mid

1990s in the financially ravaged Detroit, Mich.

Hanson has an eye for human behavior and fleshes out his

characters into convincing, rich people who have believable fears and

pressures driving them into action.

“8 Mile” depicts a week in the life of Rabbit (Eminem), an

aspiring rapper whose life is speeding toward destruction. The title

refers to a road that demarcates the equally poor black and white

neighborhoods in Detroit.

Rabbit’s life grows increasingly bleak: his girlfriend (Taryn

Manning) has dumped him, forcing him to move back with his mother

(Kim Basinger) and little sister in a trailer park. Mom is broke and

sleeping with a younger man (with whom Rabbit attended high school)

whom she sees as the answer to her financial woes since he’s waiting

on a settlement check for a work-related injury. Mother and son can

barely look at each other without spewing insults.

Rabbit’s only possible ticket out of Detroit is to score a

recording contract and blaze out of town without looking back. First,

he has to earn some street respect by participating in the weekly rap

battles not an easy task for a white rapper trying to establish

himself in a militantly black world. The audience decides the winner.

Also, Rabbit finds himself drunk with lust for a local girl

(Brittany Murphy) who dreams of being a model and wants to hitch a

ride on his rising star.

This movie is basically a modern-day retelling of the classic

1970s John Travolta vehicle “Saturday Night Fever” -- a poor boy with

big dreams. Hanson has updated the tale with contemporary music and

attitudes with brilliant results.

“8 Mile” is a powerful statement about inner strength. It takes a

weathered, predictable premise and galvanizes it with a vivid world

of realistic characters.

The writing is solid, providing Rabbit’s character with a

fulfilling character arc, but avoids the pitfall of wrapping the

ending up in a pretty bow. Any movie where the lead is trying to

become a star is walking into a narrative minefield. This movie stays

clear of danger.

I have never been a big fan of Eminem, but his performance was so

natural I was never pulled out of the movie by a false performance.

Although I won’t be running out to buy up his entire CD catalog

anytime soon, there is little doubt about Eminem’s talent. It’s all

over the screen.

I even found the music intoxicating when played in the context of

the story.

Special mention should also be made of the outstanding editing of

Jay Rabinowitz, who did groundbreaking work in television with the

critically lauded “Homicide: Life on the Street” in the 1990s. His

work creates a pace that’s essentially a visual drumbeat that has

your foot tapping the ground, keeping time.

Despite a few moments of lost momentum, “8 Mile” comes through in

fine fashion, adding another bright feather in director Hanson’s hat.