8 Mile
Directed by: Curtis
Hanson
Starring: Eminem
(Marshall Mathers) as Jimmy "Rabbit" Smith Jr.; Brittany
Murphy as Alex; Mekhi Phifer as Future. Also starring Kim Basinger
Review by : Neil Wright
Sullen
and homeless, Jimmy "Rabbit" Smith, Jr. (Eminem) wanders through
life with little hope or direction in Curtis Hanson's film"8
Mile." Rabbit works as a punch press operator at a Detroit
factory that is as cold and dismal as his grim countenance,
his ex-girlfriend is pregnant, and he is currently facing
the prospect that he will have to move back to his alcoholic
mother's trailer. Rabbit's only escapes from his bleak existence
are through his talents as a rap artist, and his nebulous
dreams of cutting a demo track to get a recording contract.
What holds him back, besides his impoverishment, is his inability
to perform in front of an audience. At The Shelter, a club
that hosts Friday night battles between competing rap artists,
Rabbit finds himself speechless in front of hundreds of aggressive
onlookers in the opening scene of the film. Not a good sign
for a performer, but is a useful cliché to use in this dark
Cinderella story. No one wants to root for someone who is
already at the apogee of his abilities in this kind of movie.
"8 Mile"
tells its story in a way that is not always hopeful about
the future of its main character. Purportedly based on Eminem's
life as an aspiring white rapper in a predominately black
art form, "8 Mile" sees Rabbit's life through a grimy lens
that somehow, ironically, manages to clean up the musician's
public persona without taking away all of his edge.
Rabbit
hangs out with a group of friends who waste away their days
driving rusted hulks of cars, getting in fights, and blustering
about how they will spend their money when they hit the big
time as rappers. One of the nice touches of the script, however,
is that it makes an effort to explain that his friends have
jobs and families; textured lives beyond their function as
a platform for Rabbit's rise to fame. His closest friend,
Future, played by Mekhi Phifer, sees that Rabbit has untapped
potential and pushes him to perform at The Shelter again after
his disastrous first show. Although he violently denies it,
Rabbit is terrified of being labeled a loser and poser in
front of an audience again. Future believes that if Rabbit
wins a rap battle his friend will find redemption, an ideal
that Rabbit does not share unless it means performing in front
of a mirror. Toss in a love interest named Alex, played by
Brittany Murphy whose eyes shine with an appealing lunacy,
an intense rivalry with a rapper named Papa Doc (Michael Shannon),
and fights with Kim Basinger as his mercurial mother, and
Rabbit's trajectory toward redemption seems assured. What
would an underdog movie be without trials and tribulations
that drag its hero through the dirt only to have him dusted
off for the final battle and personal victory?
That Eminem's
life would closely mirror so many films about destitute underdogs
trying to prove themselves to the world casts little doubt
that the story is nothing more than myth-making to maintain
the rapper's image. It seems to have more in common with the
films Saturday Night Fever and Rocky than a biography.
It is
difficult to separate the film's star from his offscreen persona.
In life, or at least in his public antics and his rap lyrics,
Eminem is a loudmouthed braggart, homophobe and misogynist.
In the film most of those aspects of his life are dulled and
circumvented by showing that he is not really all that bad.
He defends a gay coworker, he gives his pregnant girlfriend
his car, and he is the only person who seems to care about
his little sister. Many of these scenes, particularly the
one with the gay man, seem designed to cut viewers expectations
of who Eminem is off at the pass. They also seem dishonest.
Reconciling the warring aspects of the two Eminem's is almost
insurmountable, and reeks of damage control by the script
to make this porcupine into a teddy bear.
However,
Eminem's performance is the central pillar of the film and
it holds up well despite the clichés. While it may not indicate
a future in movies, "8 Mile"does show that Eminem can play
a version of himself extremely well if nothing else. Yes,
he is a malcontent who answers with violence and vitriol,
but his verbal acuity in the film itself is appealing and
his life on the 8 Mile road, which is the line of demarcation
between Detroit and the suburbs, seems authentic in the details.
The small
details are where the movie finds its strength. Director Curtis
Hanson has an especially adept touch at giving his films a
sense of place and time without using overly familiar landmarks.
Like his celebrated film L.A. Confidential, "8 Mile" evokes
a verisimilitude by completely inhabiting the destitute slums
and trailer parks of Detroit. There is little hope in this
world, and it breathes with the labor of so many people who
will never struggle out from under crushing poverty. The Detroit
we see in the movie is the same animal as the New York in
Martin Scorsese's films. The 8 Mile is similar to the Brooklyn
Bridge in that they both represent roads that will not lead
the characters out of a world beyond the small one they know.
Yet, when the artists are let loose to tear each other down
at The Shelter, the energy and spontaneous nature of rap shows
why it has become so popular. While the rapping in the film
did not convert me to being a fan it is fascinating during
its time on screen.
Hanson
also seems to be channeling Scorsese's energy to engage the
viewer as an active participant in the drama. The camera in
"8 Mile" is almost never at rest. It's shifting back and forth
is as restless and yet imprisoned as Rabbit's desire to leave.
The camera work in the film also echoes the realistic aesthetics
of John Cassavetes' films. By showing only one raw level of
narration through the hand held camera, "8 Mile" hints at
hidden levels within the text. Without the usual guide that
typical Hollywood fare offers, we don't know how to feel one
way or the other about the characters, with the exception
of Rabbit. This lends the film an emotional truth, without
sweeping judgments of its characters because the realism of
the lens allows objectivity and different interpretations.
Perhaps
the film could have been a greater achievment if "8 Mile"
had not been hindered by its formulaic structure. All of the
rich details, the talismanic qualities of it being filmed
on the real 8 Mile, the striking performances, and the expert
direction would have been better served if the script did
not feel as if it had been churned out by Eminem's P.R. group.
The structure of the story hinders what could have been a
great movie. There is another film in here, and the script
for it would have channeled all of the film's qualities into
something that does not resemble a product from a Screenplay
101 class.
Pulsing
beneath the gray, grungy surface of "8 Mile" are the conflicting
emotions of Rabbit. The tension between his lot in life and
his ambition to seek success beyond Detroit is effective.
Rabbit's desire for professional recognition, his inability
to find happiness, and that constant nagging fear are what
elevates "8 Mile" above its cookie cutter form.
Neil
often loses himself in the music, the moment. He never ever
lets it go. Email him here,
bitches.
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