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:

Everybody gotta have a dream.

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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

After winning the Oscar for Best Original Song, host Jon Stewart joked that Three 6 Mafia was ahead of Martin Scorsese in terms of Oscar wins. Scorsese would later win an Oscar for directing The Departed (2006).

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Goofs

When Shelby lays down the piano loop for "Whoop that Trick", he plays it in the middle of the keyboard. In the next shot, his hand has moved to the bottom of the keyboard, while the notes stay the same.

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Quotes

Nola: How come Lex gets to score at that strip club and I can't?
DJay: Cause we've been over this ten times, Nola - You've got what they call a bad equilibrium and it ain't your fault you just knock into shit. I put you on that stage in them heels, tricks gonna be yelling "timber!" .
Nola: I'm in these heels every day and you never seen me fall down once!
DJay: Cause you sittin', Nola! And that ain't much of a fall to the floor. Look, why don't you just let me do the thinking for you, OK? You do what you do, and let ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in The Jay Leno Show: Episode #1.45 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Weatherman
by Adriana Evans & Jonathan Scott
Performed by Adriana Evans
Courtesy of Next Thing Records

User Reviews

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.