Good, but not good enough

Rating: 7/10 (2 December 2002)

While 8 Mile may be an interesting look at what was, at the time, still a subculture, and a movie worth viewing, I found it to pale in comparison to Curtis Hanson's last two films: Wonder Boys and L.A. Confidential. Why did it pale in comparison? Two reasons. One, the casting. Two, the script. Eminem should be given some slack as this is his first theatrical endeavor and with that taken into consideration, it's easier to let him off the hook for the lack of range of emotion and the stiffness that he gives off intermittently throughout the picture. But Kim Basinger as his mother? I'm sorry, but in her first scene, I cringed. If ever there was an definition of what miscasting is, this would be a prime example of it. That being said, Hanson managed to make only this one blunder in casting and the rest of the actors only help to protect his lead and give the film more dramatic credibility. Which leaves the script. In my opinion, if the script had been tighter and more cohesive, half the other problems that came through, even with Ms. Basinger in it, would have been swept under the rug. But the script lacked direction much of the time. There were multiple scenes in the film that didn't really do anything to make the film stronger. If anything, they diluted it. Besides from that, Hanson did a good job of directing a first time actor in a lead role and a wonderful job in recreating what seemed to be a very authentic world. Certainly not a waste of time, just frustrating when one compares it to Hanson's last two films.