A solid movie. Nothing more.

Rating: Null/10 (12 November 2002)

For the same people who bashed Eminem for his music and now say that he may garner an Oscar for his role as a struggling rap artist, he won't. For the same people who loved LA Confidential scratching their heads as to why an acclaimed director such as Curtis Hanson would jump into the mainstream, you'll like it, or admire it, at the least.
Once again, like in all my reviews, I will not write up the plot because you can read everyone else's reviews. Eminem will not, I repeat, will NOT get an Oscar nomination for his role as Jimmy Smith Jr, the young repressed white male struggling as a rapper. His character is three-dimensional, he's layered, full of emotions...but aren't all good characters supposed to have these qualities? Still, you won't be able to find Eminem anywhere in this performance. The performance stands out from many performances this year. I'd be really surprised if he didn't at least get a Golden Globe nomination.
Curtis, Curtis, Curtis. After the dissapointing box office that was "Wonder Boys", you decide to hop on the mainstream train to riches by casting one of the most popular properties in America...Shame on you...Just kidding. Watching the film, you can see how much Curtis fights the mainstream with the grainy cinematography, mug locations, and subject matter. Alas, if any other unknown was to star in this film, it would be of little to no interest of the movie going public. Hanson nontheless shows us a gritty portrayl of life on the streets. Where hope is just a dream and living a simplistic life is a reality. Mainstream movie? I think not.
The rest of the cast is more or less supporting Jimmy in this coming of age story, but they're all solid. I understand many wanted to see Jimmy succeed in getting a record deal, but they're missing the point. It isn't traveling down that formulaic road. That wasn't the point. He just showed that with a little confidence in yourself, you could do just about anything. The movie was about Jimmy having the courage to take the first step. A true inspiration. As far as him getting a record deal? Doesn't happen for all of us, but that first step could.
Using rap as a major subject in a movie is like the kiss of death -- most of us could care less for it. But it grabs you from the opening scene and continuously gets in your ears until the end credits, so when Jimmy's freestyling at a battle, it doesn't seem out of place.

This is nothing more than a good, solid movie that doesn't break any new ground in the drama genre, but sometimes all we need is an inspirational movie to help us through life.