It's Hard Not To Love The Singing Pimp

Rating: 9/10 (16 August 2006)

Hustle & Flow is the Baadasssss of 2005. It's a well-acted, low-budget flick about black culture and it seems to have been made with equal parts heart & talent. Both films are emotional, entertaining, and completely riveting. The more popular comparison is to Rocky, which is perfectly valid too...if the Italian Stallion had been a Memphis pimp instead of an illiterate club fighter in Philly. I won't continue comparing director Craig Brewer's 2nd picture to ones that came before, except to add that it's not only similar to Rocky and Baadasssss, it's almost as satisfying as both of those. And for a movie with some dark themes, it's a lot of fun to watch.
If you're a fan of music, you're bound to love the lengthy scene in which DJay (Terrence Howard, in a fabulous Oscar-nominated performance) is trying to lay down a track for his breakthrough hip-hop (and Oscar-winning) song, "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp." It's fascinating to watch the whole process. Maybe the speed and success with which the song gets put together isn't realistic, but that doesn't stop the scene from being fascinating. DJay had been a fairly horrible guy up until this point in the movie. Here's his turning point. When his natural talent for hip-hop shines through with ample support from his friends and hoes (yes, they have a role to play in this music venture), DJay becomes a new man. Howard is a good actor and it's hard not to be on the side of a good actor, even though DJay does and says some terrible things to his ladies.
His faith in Nola (scrappy Taryn Manning) and his apparently genuine love for Shug (a spectacular Taraji P. Henson, stealing scenes in the Adrian Balboa role) redeem his earlier thuggery. Those 2 actresses are terrific and so are Anthony Anderson and DJ Squalls, who play Howard's music gurus. Brewer, who also wrote the script, guides them all with a steady hand. He even manages to create some real tension in the climax because the end result isn't telegraphed from the start. Can the guy who sells women for a living sell himself to super-rapper Skinny Black (Ludacris)? The final scenes that follow are bittersweet, although more sweet than bitter. What's ENTIRELY sweet about Hustle & Flow is the music, the acting, and coolness factor. Definitely 2005's Baadasssss.