A Dream Deferred

Rating: 8/10 (23 July 2005)

Craig Brewer summed it up here:
"For many of us, creative expression and collaboration with others is nothing new. But we must never forget that there are many in this world who've never been asked to express themselves with movement or words or paint.
Regardless of our given circumstances, we are all entitled to contribute a verse. It is our right as human beings. A right that belongs to you, to me, and to a country stripper named Tequila." - from Landmark Theatres newsletter
Hustle & Flow was very much about pimps, tricks, and hoes, about the down-on-their-luck folks and the dreams that often lay dormant...deferred. Langston Hughes once wrote
"What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?"
In Hustle & Flow, DJay ponders this question and soon he discovers the answer and it's not a happy ending. That would have been too Hollywood, to end of the rainbow and not the point.
The question, "What happens to a dream deferred?" appears to be answered with nothing but more questions. But take the time to analyze each question and you'll get an idea of what Hughes and DJay really believes about dreams being postponed.
The "dream" is a goal in life. Hughes position is clear that any important dream or goal that must be delayed can have serious negative affects. As DJay ponders the question we find out what those affects are. Like Hughes' poem, Hustle & Flow offers a possibility of each negative affect. The dream or life goal of a human being is central to what makes the human a valuable member of society, but suppose that person with the dream is told he cannot fulfill his goal just yet...it's a cycle of self-fulfilling prophecies.
I thought that the writing in Hustle & Flow was inspiring and the acting well done. I've been to Memphis and other cities like Cleveland, Louisville, St. Louis. I have relatives who are living in the same conditions as what people see on screen. Like DJay they all ponder the question: What happens to a dream deferred? Hustle & Flow shows us that having to postpone one's deepest desires can lead to destruction.