Not Perfect, But Better Than Other Musicians' Movies (Vanity Projects) I've Seen...

Rating: 8/10 (30 March 2013)

I enjoy some of Eminem's music, and I think he is actually a fairly decent actor (well, compared to 50 Cent at least).
"8 Mile" is watchable, but could've been better, I think. The film feels rushed and under-developed. I know it's essentially a vanity project (autobiography, perhaps), but they should've added more substance to it. Such an interesting/explorable personality as Eminem deserves better than this.
There are quite a few cringe-worthy moments. The nicknames were ridiculous. "Bunny Rabbit"? Are you kidding me? Can anyone take a guy seriously with a nickname THAT dumb? And I think I know why they named that other guy "Cheddar Bob". Because this character is CHEESY beyond all human comprehension. He is just kind of out of place there.
The characters were mostly underdeveloped and quite one-dimensional. There is very little introduction to the leads, let alone the supporting cast. The black guys (the antagonists) all look the same and you can't really tell who's who. Also, you don't understand "Future's" involvement with Jimmy and his relationship with the "bad" guys. It should have been explained to at least some extent.
Jimmy's ex-girlfriend appears in the movie for no apparent reason -- her screen time is precisely 5 seconds. We never get to find out anything about her, except that she's the crappy actress that starred alongside Britney Spears in the lame disaster that her movie "Crossroads" was. Looks like this woman specializes in playing minor roles in musicians' vanity projects.
Kim Basinger IS a good actress, but, in my opinion, she was miscast. Not only is she unconvincing as trailer trash, but she really doesn't fit in with the rest of the cast. She is far too talented to star alongside such amateurs.
Brittany Murphy, on the other hand, does a fairly good job. While she is not super-talented, she is surprisingly good at playing a trailer trash junkie hooker.
But are we supposed to feel any sympathy for Jimmy when his new "girlfriend" (Brittany Murphy) makes fun of / cheats on him? For Pete's sake, she's the local prostitute, who has slept with most, if not all, of the guys Jimmy is feuding with, so what the f*** was he thinking asking out the neighborhood hooker?
But, please, tell me who did her hair for this movie. That person needs to be named and shamed.
The little girl is terrible. Her parents must be friends with Eminem or someone involved with the movie; I see no other reason why she'd get the part. There are many really talented child actors, who could have benefited from this role, but THIS is the one they picked...? Why?
Anyway... I did like the movie back when it first came out, and, having watched it again the other day, still enjoyed it. I won't say it's one of THE BEST movies ever made (it's not), but it's entertaining enough for my taste.