wow, this was boring

Rating: 4/10 (9 January 2005)

Firstly, let me just say that I don't have anything against Eminem. I'm not a fan of his, really, but, as far as hip-hop goes, I like him more than most other artists.
The hype for this movie when it first came out, was, of course, ridiculous. Eminem was riding the wave of his popularity so it was clear that a lot of people were excited to see this film. I wonder how they felt after seeing it. I didn't see it in theatres in that I wasn't interested in the slightest and wound up seeing it after it came out on video. A friend of mine who is a HUGE Eminem fan immediately bought it and forced me and another friend to watch it with him. Well, I can sort of understand why people have compared this movie to Rocky, as it tells the story of underdog living in a tough situation and eventually overcoming some sort of adversity, but everything in 8 Mile just seems so over the top while, astonishingly at the same time, bland. I mean, no wonder the audience feels inclined to root for Rabbit - the guy is surrounded on all sides by a bunch of complete pricks. Even the girl he starts to get involved with turns out to be a worthless skank who never even cared about him.
As for how the movie is put together, each scene is a weak ripoff of scenes we've seen in lots of other movies. And the whole vibe is so stagnant - nothing really evolves or changes in this movie - not even Rabbit. Unlike other underdog movies, there's no real sense of improvement on the part of the protagonist - i don't know exactly what it is that gives Rabbit the courage and ability to suddenly start rapping well. At first, he chokes, but then, when the stakes increase, he doesn't. I'm not really sure why. There's no montage of him practicing, really. He just scribbles some words on the bus and spends the rest of his time goofing around with his moron friends and being beaten up.
In the end, he succeeds only on the most mediocre of levels and brings about literally no change in his life. Everything basically remains the same as when the movie started. Perhaps Rabbit has gained some valuable life experience but the whole thing sure was underwhelming. Not to mention tedious.
The rap battles were cool enough, I suppose, but lacked the intensity and drama of something like a boxing match (a movie boxing match like in the Rocky movies anyway) and by the time of the final battle, I can't see how anyone watching could really care anymore. There wasn't really anything about it that separated it from the ones we'd seen before. And nothing particularly significant seemed to be at stake - not even credibility. It was pretty apparent at the movie's "conclusion" that Rabbit still had his share of enemies and doubters, even after his victory. He wasn't suddenly regarded with more respect, his ex girlfriend was still the same whore and his mom the same alcoholic loser. I suppose this all makes the movie more realistic but it also makes it disappointing and dull. Well, it was already pretty dull.
If you really like Eminem, then you'll be happy to see a movie where he's not only the main character, but a character that closely resembles himself in real life. Otherwise, I really can't see the point in watching this crap. The underdog story has been done before and done better. As far as making a movie about the hip-hop world goes, maybe they should give it another go. This time, they could try to refrain from using tired clichÃ©s, hateful characters and bland plots and subplots.
Another movie that takes advantage of an individual's popularity at a given time to make you give a damn that turns out only to be a waste of time that will most likely annoy and bore you simultaneously. Go Hollywood.