8 Mile

Rating: 8/10 (2 July 2018)

There is a close-up two-shot near the end of Eight Mile where Jimmy Smith (Eminem) is facing Papa Doc (Anthony Mackie). Both characters are in profile in a shot very reminiscent of Sly Stallone facing off with Mr. T in Rocky II. This is as it should be. When we look at the structure and theme of the film, Eight Mile could easily be described as Rocky does rap.
In the Rocky movies (and for that matter in Flashdance), working-class nobodies in dead-end jobs are given a shot at the big time-a title match and admission to an elite ballet school respectively. While the formula is similar in all three films there are marked differences that make Eight Mile more than just another formula film.
In this film, the American dream mythology is pushed to the background, and the lives of the inhabitants of the neighborhood are moved to the foreground. This movie also ends differently than the others, and the difference is important, but giving movie endings away is a major violation of the film critic's creed.
I like movies where the setting becomes a character in its own right. Here the setting is just south of Eight Mile Rd. in Detroit. Eight Mile Rd. separates the poorer black community from the wealthy white suburban community, and Eminem plays a white rapper on the wrong side of the tracks.
As the movie begins, we see him nervously preparing for a "rap" battle in which contestants go onstage and disparage each other in their rapping. Jimmy chokes and is forced to leave the stage in disgrace. Among his interracial group of supporters, Future (Mekhi Phifer) is the one who sees real talent in Jimmy's rap and continues to push him.
Kim Basinger plays Jimmy's mom, a woman who attaches her dreams to empty promises, alcohol, and bingo games. When Jimmy's fortunes take a downturn he is forced to return to the trailer where his mother lives with her live-in boyfriend and Jimmy's younger sister.
If the movie were primarily about rap music, I probably would not have seen it. When I do listen to rap it is usually in my role as sociologist (as opposed to my role of music lover). I am not a fan of rap, particularly the misogynistic, homophobic form that Eminem is noted for. But the film is primarily about social conditions in America's abandoned cities and the inhabitants who are trapped and disenfranchised.
While I am not a fan of Eminem the rapper (or for that matter, Eminem the person) I am now a fan of Eminem the actor. His performance is solid and has a stamp of authenticity that serves the film well. His work is enhanced by solid supporting performances from Phifer, Basinger, and Brittany Murphy. If you are interested in an engaging, slice-of-life film depicting the part of American society that most citizens ignore or avoid this is worth a look.
If, however, your primary moral/aesthetic criteria for art involve the presence or absence of the big three (the big three being language, sex, and violence) be forewarned. Because the film depicts rap artists the coarse language is a given and it is pretty raw. The violence is minor compared to other similar films, but there are several scenes depicting sexual promiscuity here. The sexual promiscuity is used to reveal character (or lack thereof) and while graphic it is thematically redemptive in that it does show the negative consequences and shallowness of these fallen encounters. While the sexual encounters depicted are more graphic than viewers will see in the upcoming James Bond film, they are more positive precisely because they don't glorify the promiscuity as the Bond films do. In the end, this is a powerful film that goes beyond the cliches to give us an interesting depiction of urban America, but it is a rough ride. If you are easily offended by depictions of fallen humans in all of their brokenness, this film may just leave you shaken, not stirred.