A combination of strong acting, realistic direction, nice music and real emotions

Rating: 7/10 (28 July 2006)

D-Jay (Terrence Howard) is a pimp from Memphis trying to do more with his life. When he learns that a hugely successful rapper, played by Ludicrous, is returning home to Memphis, he plans to become a rapper himself, writing songs about life as a pimp in hopes of being discovered.
Hustle and Flow is an inspiring, engaging and intense film of becoming something. The majority of the film is realistic with relatable characters and situations. It shows the many struggles of life and it proves that hard work does pay off. The beginning of the film was a little tough to watch because of the living style of the main characters. It was a little scary to see what some people have to do just to get by. I think director Craig Brewer did a fine job at portraying these situations without making them seem too cheesy or over the top. The second half of the film focused on D-Jay and his struggles to find his right music. The music is surprisingly good and meaningful. I say "surprisingly" because rap doesn't really interest me but the film actually made it tolerable.
The lyrics don't hold back and they may be offensive to some. I thought they were okay and they had more to do about life rather than the usual stuff you hear in rap songs. My favorite scenes were the ones that took place in the recording room. As cheesy as this may sound, they were more inspirational and engaging. It showed different types of people working together and coming up with some nice material. The final act features D-Jay meeting with Skinny Black and hoping his songs get picked up by him. The conversation between Skinny and D-Jay was pretty good but it was also a little depressing. It's sad to have someone lie right to your face about how good you are and then find your music in the toilet. It just shows how tough the real world is and it makes D-Jay tougher for not giving up. The ending wasn't as strong as everything else. It was a little cheesy and unrealistic. However in some ways, it was nice to see a sort of happy ending.
The acting is terrific and everyone gives a good performance. Terrence Howard plays D-Jay and he gives a very engaging performance. His character isn't very likable but it was easy to root for him. His performance was just that good. Taryn Manning is just as good as Terrence and she also deserved an Oscar nomination. I can't believe this is the same girl from Crossroads considering her performance is really strong. I don't really like Anthony Anderson but even he gave a good performance and it was easily his best performance ever. Taraji P. Henson and DJ Qualls are also just as good as the other actors. Personally, I think Ludicrous gave a better performance in this film than in Crash.
While the film is pretty good, it's not for everyone. Most of the characters are unlikable due to their lifestyles and attitudes. Some people may find it hard to care about these characters if they think so low about them. Also, the women in this movie are mistreated and some people may be disgusted by this. The story is also unoriginal and it there were a few clichés. Personally, I thought that the acting and the direction were strong enough to overcomes these weaknesses. In the end, Hustle and Flow is a difficult film to watch at times but it's still a strong film that's worth checking out. Rating 9/10