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, Ludacris, Anthony Anderson

Won 1 Oscar. Another 25 wins & 46 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
Juicy J	...	Tigga
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.

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Plot Keywords:

blowjob | electronic keyboard | audio cassette | car | disc jockey | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 July 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ritmo de un sueño

Filming Locations:

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,017,808, 24 July 2005, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$22,201,636, 20 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

When DJ Qualls character says DJays necklace is nice and that he wants one, it's a reference to his own name.

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Goofs

When Djay and Nola are in the car in the opening scene, the view of the john from their back window shows the window rolled down 10-12 inches. A moment later, when Nola exits the car to get into the john's car, the same window is open about 1 inch.

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Quotes

Nola: D, I can tell when you're messing with my head, because I let you, because sometimes my head needs to be messed with. But right now, just don't. Okay?

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Connections

Spoofed in Scary Movie 4 (2006)

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Soundtracks

If Loving You is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)
by Homer Banks, Carl Hampton and Raymond Jackson
Performed by Luther Ingram
Courtesy of Klondike Entertainment, Ltd.

User Reviews

Pleasantly Surprised

I recently had the pleasure of viewing a local Hustle & Flow screening. I referred to this site beforehand to look at the technical details of the movie and to gain a general understanding of the buzz from the message boards. All I seem to recall reading were negative comments about the movie saying that it was such a cliché. Well, maybe I haven't seen as many movies in the hip hop coming of age genre, but the only movie I recall being remotely close to this one was 8 Mile (which I liked btw). Anyways, I saw the movie and I really don't think it was that cliché. The dialog is definitely original, the characters are original, the location is original, and there is a lot of depth within the character of DJay, the pimp trying to become a rapper. I thought the acting in the movie was excellent and I am glad that there is a wide release movie out this summer that isn't a sequel and didn't cost $200 million to make. This movie is bound to do very well, it only cost $3 million to make and it is a pretty good movie. The only problems I had with this movie were with some of the logic and character motivation. I don't think the movie explained very well WHY DJay (the pimp) wanted to become a rapper all of a sudden. They make the entire music making process seem like a piece of cake, but hey it is a movie and there are ultimately time constraints. I thought DJ Qualls was gonna be just a really lame piece of comic relief, but he actually adds depth to the film. I found Hustle & Flow to be very enjoyable and much more memorable than Batman Begins (which I saw last night!). This movie is definitely worth seeing this summer.