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70 reviews
Maybe not the Real Slim Shady, but very very good
Ah, a movie starring a music star, never something that invties feelings of joy and anticipation (Glitter, anyone?). What we have here, however, is not a badly written, directed and acted pop song vehicle. Instead, 8 Mile is an extremely well written, well directed and well acted (yes, well acted) piece of film-making.
Like him or loathe him, his lyrics or whatever, Eminem is an undeniable presence in today's world, no matter what people like Tipper Gore in the US would have you think. He is also a good actor, at least when he is not required to stretch himself. Here he plays moody, resentful ands angry, all parts of his natural personality as it appears in public. I mean, this is man who wrote 'Stan'. But he can act, that is a fact. His persona has been watered down for the movie (or beefed up for Slim Shady, whichever you prefer). Here he is not homophobic (he even defends a gay man in a rap sparring battle at work), he is not a gangster (he gets beaten up by them), he is, despite his group of friends, pretty alone. He is prone to bursts of random and ferocious violence and temper tantrums. Okay, so you still sometimes see him as a rap star with somewhat objectionable views rather than the character he plays, but that's not the point. Overall, Jimmy Smith Jnr. is a pretty well drawn character, definitely not 100% likeable, but not wholly unsympathetic either.
After he chokes in the opening scene of the movie, a rap battle where rappers spar with each other, producing ingenious slices of rhyme, he is booed and ridiculed by all but his four friends and Alex (Brittany Murphy), a girl he meets. This is not a totally happy movie, it deals with a bleak landscape and bleaker lives, people stuck where they are because they can't bring themselves to leave, caught in a cycle of violence. That said, it provides a superb climax, when Jimmy (Eminem) enters a rap battle again in order to win out over the gang who have abused and beaten him. Here Eminem's verbal skills come into their own, and come the final, he owns the crowd. To the reviewer who took the moral high ground and said that this movie should never be compared to 'Rocky', due to the immoral nature of it's star, why is a man stringing together rhymes to overcome adversity worse than a man who is paid to beat another man into a pulp? The character Jimmy goes after in the final battle is ridiculed for reasons this reviewer saw as commendable, but the character is a violent, murderous bully who was threatening to kill Jimmy earlier in the movie, so why stand up for him? This is a movie about the underdog, and it has the likes of Rocky on the ropes from the word go.
You may not like Marshall Mathers III and his views on race sexuality and women, but for now, that's not the point. Yes, the movie is violent and full of swearing, but so are Scorsese movies, and he's hailed as a genius. Yes, the female characters are not held up as role models for young girls, but Alex does at least show her support and affection for Jimmy in spite of what happens. To conclude, you should watch 8 Mile, not because it's got Eminem in it, but because it is a very good movie.Read full review...
8 mile
8 Mile tells the story of a white kid on the wrong side of the tracks living in Detroit with a dead end job and a trailer park mom. Deep inside, he aspires to break free from the chains of the reality of his life through the poetry and passion and rawness of rap; the one place he can possibly gain a feeling of purpose and hear his own voice. Obviously, it's no big secret that this storyline runs very parallel to that of of Eminem's own roots and his own aspirations. Where fiction and reality collide is blurred and that works for the picture. First off, I think Curtis Hanson did a great job rebuilding that world and protecting his novice lead. He understood the material and I was drawn in to the world that he recreated. Also, the cinematography widely lends itself towards upping the ante of the picture and making you feel the authenticity of a world and a place where many of us have never traveled nor never will. As for Eminem himself, at first I found him a little stoic, but given the fact that this guy has never acted before, regardless of how 'autobiographical' the material may be, I thought he did a decent job in front of the camera. Hanson was wise to protect his lead with awesome supporting work from Mekhi Phifer and pretty much everyone else that portrays his friends and peers in the film. Eminem obviously was a little green and surrounding him with these actors gave the movie and Eminem's journey more credence. Brittany Murphy was also very good, but I found her character to be a bit expedient. She definitely was not used to her full potential and I felt that if they had used her relationship with Rabbit to a larger or deeper extent, it only would have lent more to the film. One of the scenes I was most impressed with was the sex scene between Murphy and Eminem. Gone were the Hollywood antics of glossing it up or ghetto fabulous and I felt that Hanson captured something that was fascinating, uncomfortable and realistic that I haven't seen in a Hollywood film before.
a must have if you love eminemRead full review...
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! EXCELLENT MOVIE!! GREAT EXAMPLE!!!!
A+++!!! An AWESOME FILM!!! VERY INSPIRATIONAL!! GREAT MUSIC AS WELL!!!
A great behind-the-scenes look at the hard inner-city life(the pre-success life of many songwriters/MC's/Rappers/etc), living life without a cent and working hard to achieve your dreams! A GREAT EXAMPLE of the life many live, day in and day out, and what they have to do and what they go through to make it to the big time!
We have watched this DVD more times than we can even count!!!
GREAT PERFORMANCES!!!
8 Mile stars Eminem, and shows an "example" of the hard life that he had lived in inner-city Detroit. However, if you follow Eminem and you're familiar with the life of Marshall Mathers, the movie isnt an exact depiction of his life, but rather a great example of much of what he went through(and even more not mentioned in the film), and what many others go through daily as they try and try to achieve their dreams!
A MUST HAVE!!
Note: Does contain explicit language and minor drug scenes.
OUR RATING: 10/10
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CHAOTICZ Specialties ShopRead full review...
Better than expected! A true to life experience worth watching.
OK.. I wasn't too sure about this movie, and really bought it for my nephew. But I have to say I was impressed with the realism and characters of the whole thing. As a 40 something mom I don't care for that music style, but was very impressed with the the fact that this was not a glamorized version produced to incite more youngsters to try their hand and get "famous". I thought the movie was well done, and showed as much gritty truth as possible. This is not a feel good movie... it makes you think and helps people realize that the truth is often more than a dream come true in a 2 hour setting. Violence, content, and language are pretty much what you would expect in this type of movie...but to be honest, not as bad as what I have seen on Comedy Central! I was pleasantly surprised to see Eminem act so well... I knew the other performers were well known for their abilities... but he did a great job and portrayed his character well. Not everyone is likeable, loveable, whatever... and Eminem does a great job letting you know not everyone is perfect and that we all are human beings that make hard decisions for ourselves that aren't always best for anyone. I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to watching this with my nephew, but was glad I did.Read full review...
Milestone
The first formula film in years to work on every level. 8 Mile brings an entire world to life, with it’s vividly displayed music sets, strong performances, natural dialogue, and, above all, heart. The film is aided immensely on it’s focus, something many formula films these days seem to lack. By centering on the life of one character, his failures are all the more painful, his triumph all the more sweet. I highly respect Eminem’s music, and have been a fan for awhile, so perhaps I am biased, but all I know is this: No other 2002 movie exhilarated me this much, no 2002 movie has this replay value to me, and no other 2002 movie made me cheer out loud.Read full review...
8 Mile( DVD, 2003, Widescreen, Uncensored Bonus Material)
I purchased this product to see about the white Rap Artist, Eminem. The movie also featured Kim Basinger and Brittany Murphy; hey I am a guy who likes women.
What I liked about the product was the DVD Bonuses: Rap videos, and Eminem's own take on making this movie.
Sometimes its good to venture out and take a good, hard look at other aspects of life. This product did fit that bill.Read full review...
8 Mile- Eminem
This young man is a virtual genius. What he has accomplished in the music business is something that has never been done before. As for acting in his own life story movie, he was very natural because he was playing himself on screen. Be sure to watch the bonus features on the DVD, shows how kind and very generous he is to have given his own high school a secret, surprise and free concert that blew them away. I love to watch that part over and over.
Remember, he's just a young man now, no telling what he can do for the music industry in the future.Read full review...
Excellent Movie!
I bought this because I'm a huge Eminem fan, and trust me, if you like Em, you'll love this movie. It was so well coordinated, and I liked how it was based vaguely close to his life. I especially loved the scenes between Marshall and the little girl who played his younger sister--I love seeing the more soft side of Em. These scenes with the little girl are inspired by his relationship with his beloved daughter Hailie as he said in an interview, making these scenes very believable and compassionate. I also liked the scenes at the rap battles! There are also special features on the DVD including Em's music video for "Superman", which might I add, is a very sexy video. Overall, the DVD is very much worth buying! Afterall, it did recieve a grammy!Read full review...
8 Mile (DVD, 2003)
This movie seemed like it could be real. Even though I would prefer not
so much questionable language, violence and sexual tones it was a good & believable story. I also liked that it showed the young wanna be rapper had a head for right & wrong and a focus on what he wanted to achieve in life.
My 17 year old son really likes this movie & we had rented it a few times so I decided to buy it for himRead full review...
Really good movie. I bought it for my teenage son who loves Eminem.
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