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- samileo's review
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| Value for Money | 9/10  |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 9.3/10 |
By samileo
on 14th Jun 2004
| Starring Actor/Actress | Eminem |
|---|---|
| Where Did You See It? | Cinema |
| Value for money | 10/10 |
| Overall value | 10/10 |
 samileo's recommendation | |
Being a massive Eminem fan, I suppose I could be perceived as being a touch biased, but believe me - 8 Mile is not to be missed.
I was not really sure what to expect from this film. I wasn't under the misconception that this was a film about Marshall Mathers' life, but I knew it was based around the way he grew up.
For an incredibly rich and famous rapper, I think that maybe I expected him to be really playing up to the cameras, and showing off a little, but when I watched the film, I could see that he really wanted people to see what growing up was really like for him, showing the harsh reality of the racial divide, and the conditions in which some children really do grow up in.
STORYLINE
Jimmy Smith JR, AKA B Rabbit, is a young white male growing up in a predominantly black area. Jimmy has masses of talent when it comes to rapping, but has a struggle ahead of him to gain the respect from black rappers who doubt his skill due to his skin colour. They do not believe that a "white boy" could possibly be as skilful as them in their own game.
Things get tougher for Jimmy when he enters a "battle", which is a rapping competition in which two rappers have to "freestyle" against each other and the crowd must decide who goes through to the next round. Winning a battle is very important to a rapper - he gains respect and becomes known, which is vital if they hope to make it big. In this battle he freezes up due to nerves, and cannot think of what to say. He ends up being booed off stage, which is a terrible blow to his chances of success.
The rest of the film follows the week after his first battle, and the events that happen in Jimmy's life. He has to move back in with his mother and younger sister Lily in a trailer park, after splitting with his girlfriend. His mother is an alcoholic and is dating a man who Jimmy went to school with.
He works at New Detroit Stamping, which is a boring monotonous job that he doesn't earn much for. Greg describes it as a place that only "ex-cons and welfare moms" work at.
However, Jimmy needs this job to save up money for studio time so that he can record his demo.
His friends are known as the "313", due to the area code where they live, and include Future, played by Mekhi Phifer, who hosts the battles, which take place at a venue called "The Shelter", Cheddar Bob, who means well but is not very bright, Ez, Ez's brother Sol, and Wink.
His enemies are known as the "Freeworld" and there are several fight scenes involving them.
There is also a love interest for Jimmy in the form of Alex, played by Britany Murphy, so even if you are not into rap, there is a deeper storyline there too, and there's nothing like a good romance.
At a crucial time in the film, Jimmy is betrayed by one of his "friends" but I can't give too much away...
The whole story is working towards the climatic final battle, where Jimmy has the chance to prove his skill, get respect for his gang, and take his enemies down a peg or two... but will it go according to plan? Will Jimmy freeze up again? You'll have to watch the film to find out!
Lots of people have said to me that they thought the ending was disappointing. To appreciate the ending, you have to be able to have a little bit of imagination. Without giving too much away, you have to be able to think about what would happen next for yourself. It really is quite obvious, it could only really go two ways, and if they extended the film to show what did happen, then I feel it would be pointless and make the film unnecessarily long. You'll have to make your own mind up about that however.
I really love the film, and the battles at the end always give me goose bumps. There's some parts that I can't bear to watch, for instance when Jimmy gets beaten up, because you really feel sorry for him. Some of the best parts are when he is with his little sister. He is very sweet with her and it is very touching, like when he sings to her. It really shows a sensitive side to Jimmy. You know he is a sensible lad underneath, despite the antics he gets up to with his friends, because he tries to talk sense into his mother several times. He just wants to make the best of his life, which is far from easy.
I think it's a touching film, with action, humour and love, and whether you are an Eminem fan or not, it's definitely one to watch.
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