Light-weight showcase for Eminem

Rating: Null/10 (5 July 2003)

8 Mile is a light-weight showcase for hip hop chart topper Eminem. This story of a downtrodden white kid the wrong side of town who dreams of being a rap star borrows heavily from Saturday Night Fever and almost every Elvis movie ever made. Can Eminem act? That's the big question raised by 8 Mile. Well, I'm not sure if he can act, it's too early to tell, but I can tell you he has charisma to burn. With his knitted brow and underdog stance he is electrifying on-screen. Think of him as a slimmer and shadier James Dean. Despite a clichÃ© ridden script and a really silly love scene Eminem emerges as a forceful presence. He may not be able to top this performance, but it will be a long time before we see another screen debut of this calibre.