Film review
8 Mile
Eminem just needs a big hug and a good cry.
I’ll come clean: I was hot for Eminem even before he hugged Elton John on the Grammys to prove to all of us that he isn’t a homophobe.
First, there’s his smoldering sexuality. He’s sexy because he doesn’t try to be, or at least he doesn’t appear to be trying to be sexy.
Then there’s that air of mystery about him; there appears to be a lot going on beneath the surface, whether there is or not. He seems to be thinking perpetually.
And the anger that he has displayed, whether it’s genuine or part of his persona, doesn’t make me fear him or despise him; it makes me want to take him in my arms and tell him that everything’s going to be OK, to urge him to have a good cry.
I even forgive him for his homophobic lyrics of the past; I know that most of our young men are taught to be homophobic (and there's been more than one fellow fag whom I wanted to hurt myself...).
I am not into the rap/hip-hop scene (in fact, I'm not even sure if they're still calling it that). From what I’ve seen and heard of it, it’s too violent, too misogynistic, too homophobic and too materialistic.
But Eminem’s lyrics, albeit full of profanities and unsavory subject matter, show his genius, and I like his voice. Love him or hate him, his musical talent is undeniable.
And by God if he can’t act, too.
I'll tell you what "8 Mile" is about in no more than a few paragraphs, because "8 Mile" is more about showcasing Eminem and his talent than it is about telling a story.
Eminem plays Rabbit, a white rapper in a poor section of Detroit who competes against other, mostly black rappers. He lives in a trailer with his mother (Kim Basinger) and works in a factory but longs to cut a demo and to become a star.
He hopes to reach that goal by winning a "battle," a competition between two rappers in which mostly they spontaneously insult each other in rhyme and the audience decides the winner.
Thrown in all of this (of course) is a Courtney Love-lookalike girlfriend (Brittany Murphy).
"8 Mile" drags in too many places and the screenplay is rather unremarkable. I got the impression that the lyrics of the featured songs were written first and that a screenplay was written only to link the songs together. (Indeed, that might have been the case.) With the unremarkable screenplay but the remarkably clever lyrics, I found myself wishing that I could fast forward to the next song.
But Eminem’s screen presence makes up for the deficiencies of the screenplay and makes "8 Mile" worthwhile, and it’s a rare actor who can do that.
And as if his performance with Elton John on the Grammys weren’t enough, there is a scene in “8 Mile” in which Eminem defends, in rap, a gay co-worker who is being harassed by another male worker.
Eminem had better be careful, or he’s going to get a gay following; I might start a gay Eminem fan club myself.
My grade: B+
P.S. It's nice to see that Eminem apparently has turned over a new leaf where homophobia is concerned, but, as my former roommate Margie, with whom I watched "8 Mile," pointed out, the women in "8 Mile" are portrayed as little more than sperm receptacles (that's my friend Michael's term). Eminem needs to work on the misogyny thing next. But our little boy does indeed appear to be growing up.
12:22:25 PM 
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