Highly overrated

Rating: 2/10 (4 July 2003)

This film received fairly positive reviews and I even heard some Oscar talk concerning Eminem's performance. I disagree and here is why: The acting in this movie was generally laughable. I wasn't expecting much in the way of acting from Mr. Mathers and that is exactly what I got. His character was one-dimensional and featured the same line delivery for almost every single line. Evan Jones as Cheddar Bob was silly and annoying. I am thankful that The part of Janeane, played by Taryn Manning, was a small role. I was embarrassed for her- I cringed every time she spoke. Having Kim Basinger (who actually can act) in this movie really magnified the short-comings of the rest of the cast, although it wasn't one of her better performances either.
The only part of the movie I was able to enjoy was the rap-battle sequence at the end but this scene had its flaws as well. The writing for the final raps was clever and smart but I was disappointed by the uninspired "style" of rapping by the combatants. In Eminem's musical career, he excels by vocalizing in a way that is fresh and original but that is not the case here. The director focused a bit too much on what they were saying (which was good) and not enough on how they were saying it.
A more impressive acting performance in recent times by a musical artist was Bjork's in "Dancer in the Dark". Neither she nor Eminem will likely have enough acting range to form a long-term career in the movies but her very real portrayal in that film was noteworthy.
I give "8 Mile" a 2/10.