Hustle & Flow (2005)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Craig Brewer

Writer (WGA):

Craig Brewer (written by)

Release Date:

22 July 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Everybody gotta have a dream.

Plot:

With help from his friends, a Memphis pimp in a mid-life crisis attempts to become a successful hip-hop emcee.

Plot Keywords:

Hip Hop | Pimp | Stripper | Prostitute | Murder

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 17 wins & 34 nominations

Cast

Terrence Howard	...	Djay
Anthony Anderson	...	Key
Taryn Manning	...	Nola
Taraji P. Henson	...	Shug
DJ Qualls	...	Shelby (as D.J. Qualls)
Ludacris	...	Skinny Black
Paula Jai Parker	...	Lexus
Elise Neal	...	Yevette
Isaac Hayes	...	Arnel
Jordan Houston	...	Tigga (as Juicy J)
William Engram	...	Slobs (as William 'Poon' Engram)
Bobby Sandimanie	...	Yellow Jacket (as Bobby 'I-20' Sandimanie)
Haystak	...	Mickey
Claude Phillips	...	Harold
Josey Scott	...	Elroy

MPAA:

Rated R for sex and drug content, pervasive language and some violence.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:16 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:M18 | Finland:K-15 (VHS rating) (2006) | Australia:M | Iceland:16 | Brazil:18 | Argentina:16 | Sweden:7 | Canada:14A | USA:R (certificate #41196) | Malaysia:(Banned) | South Korea:15 | Japan:PG-12 | UK:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Crunk Pictures

Trivia:

While filming in Memphis, Tennessee, Anthony Anderson and assistant director Wayne Witherspoon were arrested and charged with sexual assault on a woman who Witherspoon allegedly lured to a production trailer. Charges against Anderson were later thrown out by the presiding judge.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the room when DJay first plays his keyboard, the dirt pattern on the door behind him changes drastically when the scene changes.

Quotes:

DJay: [at the end of the movie, when walking back to his cell] EVERYBODY GOT TO HAVE A DREAM.

Movie Connections:

References Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000)

Soundtrack:

Pop It for Some Paper

Terrence Howard is phenomenal!

Incredibly moving, yet definitely not for everyone, Hustle & Flow tells the story of D-Jay, an incredibly conflicted Memphis pimp down on his luck. In one of the most raw and intense performances of recent memory, newcomer Terrence Howard embodies D-Jay with an animal-like ferocity that will help you overcome what few formulaic clichés embody the script. In his mid forties, D-Jay seems too old and far too nice for his profession, and his "hos" seem to take notice. You see, D-Jay represents a lifetime of failed dreams, ambitions, and wrong turns. It seems as if it could all be over, but then fate offers him the opportunity to realize his life-long goal of becoming a successful rap star. D-Jay pours his heart and soul into his music, just as Howard pours his into the performance, and the result is somewhat of a urban Rocky, a true underdog tale. This is perhaps the first hip-hop film to actually get it right, and everything that 8-Mile should have been. Don't let the subject matter keep you from enjoying Howard's brutal tour-de-force.