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Music superstar Eminem proves that rapping is both an art and a weapon in this sharp, powerful drama directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential). Eminem portrays Rabbit, a young white man living in a trailer park in 1990s Detroit who hopes to rap his way out of his grim existence as a factory worker. In this bleak urban landscape where the skies are always gray, rap is more than just a ticket to fame and fortune: Verbal sparring is woven into the very fabric of daily life. Rap permeates 8 Mile, both as a form of combat and as a spontaneous expression of inner struggles, personal conflicts, and social consciousness. Rabbit's best friend (Mekhi Phifer) emcees rap "battles" at a local club, and these hip-hop showdowns have as much in common with boxing as they do with music. As the sole white man in the competition, Rabbit has yet another strike against him. These scenes are completely riveting, and credit goes both to Hanson's kinetic direction and to Eminem's formidable rhyming talents. The latter holds his own as an actor, too, helped perhaps by the similarity between Rabbit's story and his own path to stardom from the Detroit hip-hop scene. It’s a low-key performance that treads a fine line between anger and vulnerability as Rabbit clashes with his deadbeat mom (Kim Basinger) and woos an aspiring model (Brittany Murphy). The basic story of 8 Mile -- an underdog trying to rise above his sorry lot in life -- is nothing new, but the music and authenticity of the milieu give the film an invigorating freshness. You don't have to be a rap fan to love 8 Mile: It's Rocky for a whole new generation. Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide

Controversial rap star Eminem makes his acting debut in this hard-edged urban drama, inspired in part by incidents from the musician's own life. Jimmy Smith (Eminem), known to his friends as Rabbit, is a young man trying to make his way out of the burned-out shell of inner-city Detroit. Rabbit's entire life has been a hard climb, and it certainly hasn't gotten any easier lately; Rabbit has just been dumped by his girlfriend, forcing him to move back in with his emotionally unstable mother, Stephanie (Kim Basinger), and he's getting along especially poorly with Stephanie's new boyfriend. Rabbit has a factory job that's tough, demeaning, and doesn't pay especially well, and he's convinced his skills as a rapper are his only real hope at a better life. Rabbit makes music with a crew of DJ's and MC's who call themselves Three One Third, among them his close friend Future (Mekhi Phifer), but his status as a white kid making music in a predominantly African-American community and culture is extremely intimidating, and after Rabbit freezes up in the midst of an MC battle, he's convinced he's missed his chance and that he's doomed to lead a marginal life as a factory rat for the rest of his days. With the help of his friends, and his new girlfriend Alex (Brittany Murphy), Rabbit struggles to work up the courage and the confidence to take one more shot at making his dream a reality. 8 Mile was shot on location in Detroit; the name refers to 8 Mile Road, a thoroughfare along the city's perimeter which effectively separates the middle-class suburban neighborhoods from the lower-class inner-city. Mark Deming

Entertainment Weekly

Gritty and electrifying. Owen Gleiberman

New York Times

The movie is a success on its own terms because the director doesn't condescend to pop music. Elvis Mitchell

Los Angeles Times

A fascinating, surprisingly entertaining stand-off that has adroitly managed to satisfy both of its constituencies, allowing all sides to legitimately claim victory. Kenneth Turan

Hollywood Reporter

Writer Scott Silver and director Curtis Hanson dig deep into the subculture to deliver a terrific movie. Kirk Honeycutt

New York Observer

I have to go back to James Dean in Elia Kazan's East of Eden and Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause in 1955 to find a comparably jolting piece of male aggressiveness coupled with bottled-up vulnerability. Andrew Sarris

Product Details

• UPC: 025192330520
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 1:51:00
• Sales Rank: 33,957

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