CREDITS:

Title: 8 Mile
Produced by: Brian Grazer
Directed by: Curtis Hanson
Starring: Marshall Mathers (Eminem)
Kim Basinger
Brittany Murphy
Mekhi Phifer
Evans Jones
Omar Benson Miller
D'Angelo Wilson
Eugene Byrd

REVIEW:

Eminem's new movie, 8 Mile, could actually just be a showcase for Brittany Murphy's anthology of vapid looks. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Basic plot summary: Jimmy Smith, Jr., a.k.a. Rabbit (Marshall Mathers), is a white rapper struggling to earn respect, and possibly a record deal, in Detroit's most infamous ghetto. This seemingly autobiographical film tracks Rabbit's hellish existence, which consists of: living in a trailer with his mother, working in a factory, and occasionally brawling with other wannabe rap artists.
In his defense, I must admit that Eminem's performance was much more impressive than I had expected. He didn't seem to display his usual self-righteous, fuck-the-world, attitude. In fact, of all the characters in the film, he was the most believable, which isn't saying much, but it's saying something. However, the real star of the film, in my opinion, was Rabbit's friend Cheddar Bob (Evans Jones) who convincingly played a drunk throughout the entire film, not to mention his brilliant near-death scene, in which he exclaims "M.C. Bob!" after shooting himself in the leg. Ugh. I take that back, there was no real star in this film.
Rabbit's mother (Kim Basinger) had some interesting scenes. The first time the audience sees her she's riding her boyfriend on the living room couch. Lucky Rabbit witnesses the whole thing. Basinger also plays the model parent: drunk, jobless, and stupid. These adjectives can similarly be applied to her live-in boyfriend, who happens to be the same age as her own son, Jimmy. Sounds like a winning combination, doesn't it?
I really want to like this movie, because I feel that it exceeded my expectations, which were, admittedly, impossibly low from the start. However, there's one factor that I just can't ignore, and that factor's name is Alex (Brittany Murphy), the giant whore that temporarily distracts poor Rabbit from pursuing his dream. Alex is the most one-dimensional character ever written and her existence in the movie is virtually pointless and, I daresay, harmful to the film's integrity. Oh wait, did I say "integrity?" I didn't mean that. She has wild-animal sex with Rabbit for about a minute and a half in the factory where he works (a scene she proceeds to repeat with Rabbit's would-be agent (Eugene Byrd) less than an hour later) and then randomly belches out encouraging, but totally ineffective, comments about Rabbit's future. What she really meant to say was, "I give good head."
I can't say that this film signals the downfall of Western civilization, but it's certainly not helping to keep it alive. Overall, director Curtis Hanson's "masterpiece" of urban filth and decay is a film that could have been a public service announcement. It's the classic Cinderella story, ripe for celebrity sponsorship. Here, I'll even write the script: "I used to live in a trailer. Now I'm a multi-millionaire, and it's all thanks to my determination to overcome all odds. And, I also beat up my mom's boyfriend. Take it from me kids, I'm a white rapper." Eminem - you owe me 111 minutes of my life, which I will never recover, thanks to your horrible film.