8 Mile (2002)

A young rapper, struggling with every aspect of his life, wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.

Director:

Curtis Hanson

Writer:

Scott Silver

Stars:

Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger

Won 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eminem	...	Jimmy 'B-Rabbit' Smith
Kim Basinger	...	Stephanie Smith
Mekhi Phifer	...	David 'Future' Porter
Brittany Murphy	...	Alex
Evan Jones	...	Cheddar Bob
Omar Benson Miller	...	Sol George
De'Angelo Wilson	...	DJ Iz
Eugene Byrd	...	Wink
Taryn Manning	...	Janeane
Larry Hudson	...	Bouncer
Proof	...	Lil' Tic
Mike Bell	...	Shorty Mike
DJ Head	...	Battle DJ
Michael Shannon	...	Greg Buehl
Chloe Greenfield	...	Lily Smith

Storyline

The setting is Detroit in 1995. The city is divided by 8 Mile, a road that splits the town in half along racial lines. A young white rapper, Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. summons strength within himself to cross over these arbitrary boundaries to fulfill his dream of success in hip hop. With his pal Future and the three one third in place, all he has to do is not choke.

---

Plot Keywords:

hip hop | trailer home | self expression | competition | rap music | 

---

Taglines:

Every moment is another chance.

---

Genres:

Drama | Music

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language, sexuality, some violence and drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the final battle, Future says that there are new rules, one of which is that each man gets a minute and a half to do his piece. This genuinely happens; from when Rabbit tells everyone from the 313 to put their hands up, to Future telling the DJ to cut the beat, exactly 90 seconds pass.

---

Goofs

When Alex and Jimmy are having sex at the plant, a man is visible in the background briefly running around.

---

Quotes

Jimmy Smith Jr: [rapping] This guy raps like his parents jerked him. He sounds like Eric Sermon, the generic version.

---

Crazy Credits

The final credit reads, "Filmed on location in the 313"

---

Alternate Versions

In the Syndicated Edited For TV Version all the curse word {fuck,shit,bitch,dyke,dick,pussy,} are all masked out but when they are rapping it is replaced with a record scratch and some scenes are altered.

---

Connections

Features Imitation of Life (1959)

---

Soundtracks

Feel Me Flow
Written by Vin Rock (as Vincent Brown), Anthony 'Treach' Criss (as Anthony Criss), DJ Kay Gee (as Keir Gist), Joseph Modeliste, Art Neville (as Arthur Neville), Cyril Neville, Leo Nocentelli and George Porter Jr.
Performed by Naughty By Nature
Courtesy of Rhino Entertainment Company
By arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Dark but interesting

I enjoyed this movie immensely. I thought it was a departure from the typical movies that star Hip-hop artists nowadays, which typically glorify the hip-hop lifestyle. Which is a very material lifestyle. This movie was pretty dark.

I thought Eminem did a good job acting. I mean he's not going to win any Oscars for this role, but he does a very good job acting. If not for who he is, then you wouldn't pay too much attention to his acting because that's how competent he does.

As most of you already have heard, this movie was based on Eminem's life, but none of the events are actually factual. His relationship with his mother (Basinger) is much more amiable than it is in real life, or at least how it comes across in his music.

Brittany Murphy acts as his love interest, but most importantly his muse.

There are some scenes that leave you scratching your head. One of which is the Eminem-Murphy love scene in the plant. It seems out of place and bad for the pacing of the film. Also Taryn Manning's role as the ex-girlfriend is almost unnecessary. The presence of her character is a key plot element that sets up the film, but the appearance of her character in the film by its end seems unnecessary due to the fact that it is underdeveloped. I wonder if there were more scenes involving Manning that were ultimately deleted via editing.

Overall I enjoyed the movie. Some may not enjoy it as much, but that's probably because they go into the movie with different expectations. If you're expecting something other than a hip-hop based film that subtly comments on social/economic/racial issues, and is a pseudo-rags to riches story, then you might be sorely disappointed.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Universal Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 November 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fight Song

Filming Locations:

Chin Tiki Club - 2121 Cass Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$41,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$51,240,555, 10 November 2002

Gross USA:

$116,750,901

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$242,875,078

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imagine Entertainment, Mikona Productions GmbH & Co. KG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1