This film ALMOST made me understand rap music

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2010)

I found this to be a semi-pleasant surprise and gained some sympathy for the Eminems of the world along the way. To be honest, if he'd been black I wouldn't have been able to relate much.
I also learned what could motivate people to participate in this belligerent, mostly insulting form of music. It seems to be a matter of desperation, plus some innate obsession with rap as an art form. That part must be very internal, since I've never come close to feeling it myself.
I find rap mostly tuneless and grating, like listening to people hollering while banging on garbage cans. Prodigal musical talent doesn't seem to be required, just a chip on one's shoulder from life's hard knocks or whatever. This film at least got me thinking there's more to rap than pure criminality.
There was still a lot of mindless thug-talk, but not quite of the type I expected. It did open my eyes culturally, to a degree.
It seems when you come from nothing and have nothing to lose, latching on to a rude set of "musical" principles might indeed be your only way out. The Eminem character was lucky to be brighter than the average underdog, and found a way to rise above his situation by sinking into another one.
I'll never understand the whole "culture of attitude" (coming from any race) but this was a well-told story in its own right, enjoyable to watch, never boring, and quite funny at times.