Hustle & Flow (2005)

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

Director:

Craig Brewer

Writer:

Craig Brewer

Stars:

Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning

Won 1 Oscar. Another 21 wins & 37 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Aspiring emcee DJay works the angles to get his first record made with help from assorted people in his Memphis 'hood. And when he hears that hip-hop superstar Skinny Black is heading to his area, he throws together a supreme hustle to grab Skinny's attention.

---

Plot Keywords:

hip hop | pimp | friend | stripper | baby | 

---

Taglines:

The music will inspire them. The dream will unite them. This summer get crunk.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Music | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount Pictures [us] UIP [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 July 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hustle & Flow - Il colore della musica

Filming Locations:

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$8,017,808 (USA) (22 July 2005)

Gross:

$22,201,636 (USA) (18 November 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Crunk Pictures, Homegrown Pictures, MTV Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Terrence Howard interviewed 123 pimps and 78 prostitutes over a period of two and a half years. This process included living with four separate pimps for various periods, including a month-long stint in a Memphis bordello.

---

Goofs

Clyde is in the shop buying batteries for his microphones. The microphones we see later are Shure studio microphones that do not use batteries. Batteries are very rarely used in studio microphones. However, it is possible that he was purchasing batteries for microphones used in his other endeavors such as wireless microphones or even the deposition microphones we see later in the film.

---

Quotes

Key: There are two types of people: those that talk the talk and those that walk the walk. People who walk the walk sometimes talk the talk but most times they don't talk at all, 'cause they walkin'. Now, people who talk the talk, when it comes time for them to walk the walk, you know what they do? They talk people like me into walkin' for them.

---

Connections

Spoofed in Epic Movie (2007)

---

Soundtracks

"Full Time"
by Randy Earl Banks & Mario Mims
Performed by Yo Gotti
Courtesy of TVT Records

User Reviews

The subject matter and lyrics are a little rough, but the movie is a good one to see

(Synopsis) DJay (Terrence Howard) is a streetwise hustler and Memphis pimp with a stable of 3 girls, Shug (Taraji Henson) who is pregnant and not working, Lexus (Paula Jai Parker) who works in a strip club, and Nola (Taryn Manning) who works out of DJay's old beat-up car in a back alley. Even with two girls working and DJay selling dirt-weed on the side, it is hard for them to make ends meet. The utility company is about to shut off their utilities, if they don't pay the bill. DJay feels that he has hit rock bottom, and he needs a change in his life. A bum trades him a Casio keyboard for some weed, and DJay takes it home. While playing the keys, DJay gets an inspiration to write rap music. He begins to write down his pimping style raps, his flow, in a little notebook while Nola is turning tricks. DJay runs into Key (Anthony Anderson), an old friend and sound engineer, who takes him to a church choir performance that reaches DJay's soul. DJay looks inside his soul and decides to get out of the business, and now he has a dream of becoming a rapper. DJay teams up with Key to make a demo song. Skinny Black (Ludacris) is a platinum selling rapper about to return to Memphis for the 4th of July. DJay believes he can hustle Skinny to hear his tape, and his dream will come true.

(Comment) The movie was filmed all around Memphis during 2004. Memphian Craig Brewer wrote and directed 'Hustle and Flow,' and I went to the red carpet movie premiere in Memphis on 6 July. Craig Brewer told the audience about his father's watch that was used in the movie, and he was wearing it for good luck that night. He was also wearing a 3-carat diamond ring that belonged to Sam Phillips. As for the movie, Terrence Howard's role as DJay is a remarkable one in that he becomes immersed in the character of DJay. Howard comes off as a real pimp with all the anger, conflicts, and frustrations, which he encounters in life. There is no such thing as a good pimp, but the character of DJay realizes that his women have dreams too, and that he wants to change everything around him and them for the better. The subject matter and the lyrics to the rap music are a little rough, but the movie is a good one to see. (Paramount Classics, Run time 1:54, Rated R) (8/10)