living the dream

Rating: 6/10 (25 July 2005)

I almost walked out of this movie a couple of times but am glad that I stuck it out. This is a cut or two above the blaxploitation flicks of the 1970s and a more realistic portrayal of the black culture, I think, than "Shaft" (I'm white, by the way). I sympathized with D-Jay, the lead character, who wanted to quit pimping and live his dream. Most movie pimps are stereotyped, but D-Jay's character looked at prostitution (the world's oldest profession, we're told) as a means to an end. So, I was disappointed when D-Jay, rather than beat up the man in the electronics store for eyeing his woman suspiciously, lends her out in return for the microphone he wants. The movie heats up when a Memphis native-turned-rap star comes home for July 4 and chills out with his posse at a local club. Clutching a demo tape of his rap tunes, D-Jay gets a meet-and-greet session with the established star, and I dare not reveal more. A movie that easily could have failed succeeds because of the strength, and honesty, of its fine cast. And, the years have been good to Isaac Hayes, whose theme from the original "Shaft" was ground breaking in its day.