Stuck In Detroit

Rating: 6/10 (14 April 2003)

To anyone over 30 and not familiar with rap music and its culture, watching Curtis Hanson's 8 MILE is bound to be a rather distancing experience. But given an open mind and the willingness to accept the movie on its own terms, this semi-fictional account of white rapper Eminem's nascent rise to fame has its rewards. That it's your basic "A Star is Born" story coupled with references to past "troubled youth" movies (the films of James Dean come to mind) makes the movie quite accessible to older audiences. Shorn of its profane language (there's a lot of it)and obligatory sex scenes, 8 MILE is a rather unremarkable tale of a young man's desire to escape the confines of work and life in downtown Detroit for a better life as a successful recording artist.
At every turn Jimmy "Rabbit" Smith is confronted by stumbling blocks, be they domestic (his "trailer trash" mom is dating one of his former high school chums), work related (he's not on good terms with the boss at the auto pressing plant), or social (he's an outsider, being a white rapper in a Black rappers' world.) The world of contemporary Detroit, circa 1995, dominates this movie as much as Eminem's star performance. Eminem (real name, Marshall Mathers, for the uninformed) portray's a version of himself here - a kinder, gentler version. His Rabbit, for all the swearing and incendiary rap lyrics, is deep down a sweet natured fellow given to occasional outbursts of angry frustration, understandable considering what he has to deal with. As with "Rocky", another movie that vaguely resembles this new film, 8 MILE gets a lot of mileage out of pitting our hero against seemingly unbeatable odds . The city of Detroit, depicted here in all it's paint-peeling austerity by noted cinematographer Rodrigo Priesto, would give anyone pause. This kid's triumph over adversity makes for a fairly absorbing film experience, but aside from it's distinction as Eminem's fist big movie, the overall impression is one of numbing deja vu. What gives the project distinction is Eminem's very appealing performance. Under the expert guidance of director Hanson, Eminem proves to be a magnetic screen personality. Not a natural actor, he does come blazingly alive when he's in his own element. The rap music sequences are compulsively watchable, even though the uninitiated may weary of them after awhile.
Dramatic scenes involving Rabbit's mom (played in convincing, frowzy fashion by the usually gorgeous Kim Basinger) are realistically put forth, and there is able support by other cast members, particularly Mekhi Phifer as a rap club owner and Tarryn Manning, striking in the brief role of Rabbit's ex girlfriend.
Unlike most of Mr. Hanson's previous films, 8 MILE lacks the narrative drive that made L.A. CONFIDENTIAL and THE RIVER WILD so distinctive. For all its kitchen sink drama and stabs at realism, it emerges as only a middling achievement.