Okay...I wasn't the first to see it (Bubba beat me by 48 hours), but since this flick hit closer to me than the other Haters, I'll take the first swing...
"8 Mile" was the shit.
We can easily make the argument that Em was basically playing himself, but the main character, Rabbit, is very loosely based on Marshall's life. It could really have been any emcee trying to make their come-up...but Em was the best pick a) because he's the biggest name draw they could possibly get in that role; b) he IS, love him or hate him, the best emcee on the planet right now, even if half his fans don't know the half; and c) the "white boy earning respect" aspect makes the story more compelling, ESPECIALLY set in '95, when Caucasoid MCs were still stigmatized by the massive joke that was Vanilla Ice.
The side stories (Brittany Murphy's hot ass, Kim Basinger's trailer moms, etc.) never really got fully developed, but that's because they were just that -- side issues. The movie is all about a kid trying to get his big break as an emcee, and it's a story that I can certainly relate to. The side stuff didn't interest me much.
The big scenes, obviously, are the battles...and the shits are done so well, you actually believe you're there. The crowd in the theater reacts much the same way that the on-screen crowd does, oohing and aahing with every dope punchline...it really adds to the experience, and it won't play nearly as well on video because of this.
Every hungry underground cat can relate in some way to what Rabbit goes through -- a lack of respect (especially for the melanin-deficient), hollow promises from wannabe promoters, stagefright and all that. Shit got me so fired up, I went right back out to an open mic and then ciphered on the sidewalk after that. For an emcee losing his hunger, "8 Mile" is the ultimate pick-me-up -- it shows that even someone as dope as Em took his lumps, even if they don't get jumped by a bunch of dudes and beaten. Everyone loses battles, everyone has their high and low moments...but sooner or later, skills shine through. It gives hope to anyone with lyrical skill, and probably false hope to those who don't.
What struck me as cool was the demographic in the theater -- you had the teenybopper Eminem fans, the dudes his own age like me trying to do our thing like Rabbit was, and then you had older heads. I even saw a woman who had to be over 65 in there, sitting alone.
It's a hip-hop movie, and hip-hop heads will appreciate it the most -- but it's a MOVIE first and foremost. Curtis Hanson and Co. do a brilliant job showcasing the culture, and Em did well enough as an actor that he could easily earn another role on merit, not name. The supporting cast does well...everything just fits together nicely.
Perhaps this movie won't hit you all as deep as it hit me...but it will most likely hit you somehow. The energy in the theater was something I haven't felt in a long time...that alone makes it worth it.
And who knows...an Eminem hater might just come out with a different opinion. Mine hasn't changed a bit.
Two thumbs up, five mics, four stars -- whatever the system is, this comes close to the max.
Pardon the love-fest...I just really, really dug this.
Sparxxx?
-- O
2:29:27 AM 
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