After a few blunts, a couple fistfights, some rapping on the mean streets of Detroit and one kinky rendezvous with a female admirer in the romantic confines of a metal stamping plant, I have officially survived the 8 Mile cinematic experience, and what an experience it was. If nothing else, this film will be remembered years down the road for pushing hip-hop culture even farther into mainstream society than it currently resides, and it may very well mark Eminem’s debut as a bonafide Hollywood movie star. The film is not without its flaws, but the excellent cast supporting Eminem’s captivating performance as Jimmy “Rabbit” Smith Jr. more than apologizes to the viewer for the predictable storyline.
As odd as this will sound, 8 Mile is closer in spirit to Rocky than Boyz N the Hood. Certainly, those looking for a raw look at the “shadier” side of rap music will get that. As Rabbit struggles to escape his life’s dreary routine for the benefits that rap stardom offers, he must withstand both his alcoholic mother’s constant verbal jabs and the intrusion of her boyfriend, Luke, who is young enough to be his sibling instead of an authority figure.
Despite a southern accent that is completely out of place in the context of the film, the interaction between Kim Basinger’s Stephanie Smith and Rabbit form some of the film’s most emotionally resonating moments. Throughout 8 Mile, director Curtis Hanson introduces several other conflicts, often of similarly brutal intensity, yet none create such a visceral interplay between those involved.
One of those conflicts that simply never clicks involves Rabbit’s own “Adrian,” a woman named Alex who dreams of stardom on the runways of New York City. Alex seems to exist for no other reason than to help Rabbit end his dead-end relationship with Janeane, who is always falsely claiming to be pregnant, and cheerleads him onward to rap superstardom. When Alex chooses her career over Rabbit, a chain of events leads to him lying outside his trailer in his own blood, yet inexplicably she sticks around to provide support for Rabbit’s big showdown at the film’s climax. To elaborate would unnecessarily spoil things, but the indiscretion is great enough to have audience members scratching their heads.
8 Mile‘s greatest strength comes from the tremendous screen presence exuded throughout its course by Eminem. He deftly toes the line between a lovable loser striving for success and a take-no-prisoners product of the streets who isn’t afraid to use his fists to make a point. Alongside Future, a veteran of the rap circuit played by Mekhi Phifer, Rabbit spends the bulk of the movie readying himself for a verbal showdown between Detroit’s best underground rappers in order to redeem himself from his previous appearance, which found him unable to say anything into the microphone.
For those unfamiliar with the logistics of battle rapping–let’s face it, most children of the suburbs probably are–the sequences resemble a heavyweight boxing contest where two rappers go at each other with words instead of punches. The victor is decided on the basis of who managed to degrade his opponent greater within the timeframe allotted. Needless to say, some of these battles are extremely degrading, yet they are worked into the movie in such a way that one can’t help but applaud the latest insult to flow out of Rabbit’s rhymes.
When the moment of truth finally arrives, with Rabbit squaring off with his microphone against a rival rap crew responsible for beating him senseless in plain view of his sister, the energy surrounding the impending performance creates a feeling of anticipation. Our hero has already triumphed in the face of adversity; now all he has to do is finish the job and cement his place in legend. Rabbit certainly does that, with a final performance that will stand as one of the great musical performances filmed in the last ten years.
If I might make one warning; The promotion behind 8 Mile leads one to think that it documents Rabbit’s ascent from a nobody to a superstar.
Do not see 8 Mile if you want to see the pseudo-rise of Eminem on film. Do not see 8 Mile if you seek a mind-blowing storyline in the vein of Memento. For a movie with such risky subject matter (hip-hop has never been given such grand backing by Hollywood), the film has an awfully formulaic script. Nevertheless, 8 Mile has heart; enough to guarantee a good night out at the movies. The Eminem show happens to be pretty good after all.
