Not much there.

Rating: 5/10 (17 November 2002)

I will qualify my review by saying I'm in my 40's, lived in the suburbs my whole life, and I tend to avoid rap music. However, I have heard a few Eminem songs that I like, and I had heard the movie wasn't really featuring a lot of rap music. So, I had an expectation of a movie about a guy using his talent to pursue his music career. And, that is kind of what the movie was about... kind of.
The movie certainly portrays people in dire circumstances. They drive cars that barely run. they live in places that are barely inhabitable. I don't know how realistic it is, but it is certainly gritty. "Bunny" (Eminem) is seeking a better life through his music career. He has an interesting band of friends that all seem close, and supportive. One character was impossibly dim-witted. But, the others came across as decent people, with distinct personalities and life goals. They are are depending on Bunny to be a big hit as a rapper.
The acting was varied. I thought Eminem was a little wooden, he would go from very kind and sensitive, to quite hostile and violent with not too much in between. His gang of friends were all good, with Mekhi Phifer's character being the most interesting. Brittany Murphy's character Alex seemed kind of out of place. I'm not sure that the "love interest" really did much for the story. The rival "rap gang", were kind of one dimensional also, but they weren't given a lot to do.
As Bunny pursues his rap career we see a dismal failure early in the movie when he "chokes" and has to walk off stage. He seems to now have a stage fright, and he is determined to purse a rap career, without rapping in public. It would seem like there would be a chance for a big climatic conclusion in the movie with with him making a triumphant return to the stage, and winning over the crowd...
*** spoilers follow ***
This does kind of happen. However, the big rap contest at the end turns out to be a "rapping out insults" contest. So, rather than get Eminim's big smash hit song for the movie, you get a couple of episodes of him insulting people better than they insulted him. With each witty zinger, the crowd ooo's and aaah's its approval. But, while mildly entertaining, it wasn't as much fun as listening to one of his real songs, and the conclusion was no more dramatic than the ending of Sly Stalone's "Over the Top" movie where he tried to make arm wrestling even less interesting than it already is. The conclusion wasn't particularly satisfying for me. The story was a little slow with out too much really happening.