8 Mile (Widescreen Edition with Censored Bonus Features)

Rating:
Summary: a review and a response to criticism
Review: First off, to reply to the comments of one reviewer, who sees Eminem's character as racist, watch the movie over once again. The only thing remotely racist Eminem says is calling Future an Uncle Tom. That sad, in the freestyle battles and throughout the movie many degrading things are hurled at Eminem simply because he is white. Secondly, he raps against Popa Doc because Popa Doc is claiming to be all thug and gangsta when he isn't. He isn't ripping on him because he has a stable family situation and a better education than B Rabbit. I am white and I rap as well, and I can tell you that I face racism and feel like I have to prove myself ever time I go on the mic. African American rappers seldom have to prove themselves the way white and asian rappers do. Also, the film would not be realistic without the use of profanity. I worked for a slumlord in Milwaukee and can safely say that there is no shortage in the use of sexual epithets and profane language in impoverished areas.

That said, I found the film uneven, but still very entertaining. Eminem does a much better job acting than he is given credit for and would outshine nearly any other rapper in a similar role. The film moves a good pace and focuses on the elements it needs to. Most actors do an admirable job, with the exception of an over the top, annoying Kim Bassinger. The dialogue could be improved a little bit, and certain elements could have made the film more immeadiate and real. Specifically, I couldn't believe nothing happened to the gang after Em paintedballed a cop car, and then burned down a house and watched it for several minutes while sirens blared in the distance.

However, the film did not dissapoint in the areas that truely mattered. I had heard Eminem won a freestyle battle, which eventually lead to his discovery with Dr. Dre. So, I was eager to see the freestyle battle scenes, which were mind blowing and amazing. I wonder how much of it they came up with on the spot, but each sequence was great. Also, I personally liked the progression of the film, with its interesting portrayal of a inner city hip hop club all the way to the film's close with its ambigous ending. In closing, a well acting, throughly entertaining movie with some amazing battle scenes.

Rating:
Summary: Truely Amazing
Review: wow... I saw this movie and was soo surprised of how well it was. There are alot of triple threats out there but none even come close to Eminem. This movie blew me away by how good of an actor he is and how well the movie was. Its a great movie.. one that I could watch over and over unlike soo many other movies. Its soo amazing I would tell anyone who loves Eminem as much as i do to go see it you'll be BLOWN away! Best movie I've seen in years!!!

Rating:
Summary: 100 STARZ- THIS IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER
Review: that was a great movie. I just watched it yesterday and I realized that it was one of my favorite movies. It really shows what the "bad" part of Detroit is like. Rabitt is fun to watch rap. Eminem really pulls this movie off. Some musicians can't go from music to moivies, but Eminem can. Also, beneath all the anger and toughness of Rabitt there are some sweet scenes with his little sister, Lily that make the movie even better. It's a great movie and I recomendit to any Eminem fans or anyone looking for a good movie.

Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorite Movies
Review: As much as I like this movie, I don't own it. So, I see it every now and then, by borrowing it from a neighbor or something. So,
recently I saw this movie for like the 50eth time. I still really like this movie. Eminem is one of the few singers who can seamlessly cross over from singing to acting. I do however think that we will probably never see Eminem in another movie. The only reason I saw this movie was due to the fact that I liked Eminem, but the movie holds on its own, but Eminem does real well. I've read a couple reviews where people said: "Oh, Eminem is just playing himself, it's not even a performance." In a sense he is playing himself. But what people don't realize is that playing yourself is sometimes harder to do then playing someone else. This movie is very very loosely based on accounts in Eminems life, so people need to stop saying its a biography. It's NOT! Anyway, Eminem plays Jimmy Smith Jr, or Jimmy, or
Rabbit, or B-Rabbit, or yet again, Bunny Rabbit. Rabbit is (obviously) a white rapper living in Detroit who heads to the Shelter, a rap club, almost every night and gets stage fright, or chokes. Whatever you want to call it. The only person who sees how talented Rabbit really is, is Future(Mekhi Phifer,
Dawn of the Dead). Future is kind of Rabbits mentor. Like Mr.Miyagi was to Daniel in "The Karate Kid". Rabbit lives at home with his mom (Kim Basinger, The Door in the Floor) and his sister Lilly. The sister is semi-based on Eminems daughter Hailie. He works at a stamping factory and thats where he meets
Alex (Brittany Murphy, Little Black Book). Alex is kind of a free spirited...Sl*t. To say the least ya know. So, we have:
Rabbits Mom: Based on Ems Mom. Except the love in this movie is a lot stronger.
Alex: Seems to be a little like Kim. Anyone?
Lilly:Hailie?
So, yes. In a sense its a biography. But this is a very entertaining and terrific film. You don't have to like rap, you don't have to like Eminem. But you should like this film.A+

Rating:
Summary: It was good until I matured
Review: When I first saw this movie, I liked Eminem and his music. This was before Lose Yourself become a hit and his 3rd cd came out. I cant stand this movie anymore because it made me realize Eminem is out for sympathy and money from his fans, and they'd eat the crap that comes from ass. Eminem fans are sick, people who worship and like him are the dumbest people on the planet. He had talent and wasted it on a film about how hard his life was, even has 50 Cent's life story coming to a theater near you! Im so sick of Em and his life story, its been over played and so many other artist have suffered worse then Eminem. Who cares about the thousands of artist who suffered worse then Eminem in there life but they keep there mouth shut and dont release it to the public for money like Eminem does.

Rating:
Summary: 8 Mile, the best movie of all time!
Review: Well, you've read the title, 8 Mile is the best movie of all time. It stars Eminem, & some other cool actors. This movie shows what it was like where Eminem grew up in the suburbs of Detroit. How he struggled, what he had to go through. This is a great movie for all Eminem fans, even non-Eminem fans will love this movie. I hope that Eminem plays in another movie sometime in the near future. Buy this movie, you'll love it!

Rating:
Summary: Eminem deserves awards galore for this performance
Review: When you look up the word controversy in the dictionary you just might find a full colour picture of Eminem as the definition. Let's face it, this is one artist that doesn't go out of his way to endear people to him. He's real, though. What you see is definitely what you get. When I first heard about this movie, I thought it was Eminem's life story, but I was sadly mistaken. Although I'm sure that there are similarities that could be found, this is the fictional story of one Jimmy Smith, Jr.

Eminem is brilliant as this struggling young man, perhaps personal experiences added to his believability, mayhap he's just a damned good actor as well as musician. Jimmy Smith is stuck in hell, literally, his life is a daily battle on more than one level. Returning home after having his relationship with his girlfriend blow up in his face, Jimmy is faced with accepting the fact that his Mom (Kim Basinger) is having a relationship with someone he went to school with and hates. Rabbit, as everyone calls him has a hard time swallowing things at home, but when the only place left is a trailer on the wrong side of the tracks, what else can you do?

Rabbit isn't content to sit back and let life screw him over even more, he wages a war with fate and struggles to pull himself out of the cesspool that circumstances placed him in. Sure, he's from the wrong side of the tracks, so what?! Okay, he's living in a trailer with his Mom? Big deal, at least he has a home. He's busting his butt to make a good impression on his boss during the day and struggling to overcome internal conflicts and realize his dreams of being part of the Detroit music scene.

It seems like everything and everyone is against this brave young man, and the harder he struggles, the deeper he finds himself. Kind of like falling into quicksand... However, he doesn't give up. He's a lyricist of incredible talent, verging well into genius status. The rhymes he can put together will make your head spin with amazement. Music is the only thing that has any meaning at all for Rabbit anymore, it's the only thing that hasn't messed him over. And in that concept, he is definitely a soldier - fighting the rap battles - fighting for respect and to make it as a rapper.

This is a story of the street in today's world. The story of one man alone against fate. The story of overcoming the obstacles and going up against all the odds. It is a story to inspire hope and warm the heart. It is proof that it can be done. Just because life has dealt you a losing hand, doesn't mean you have to stay with it. Take another draw and don't give up, a little strength, determination, and talent go a heck of a long way. Might even be enough to set you free!

The DVD contains uncensored Eminem rap battles and a music video. There's also a segment on Eminem's personal insights into the making of 8-Mile. You definitely get more bang for your buck!

Eminem deserves awards galore for this performance! In this, his debut feature film, that shows yet another facet of this contentious and scrappy personage he is glorious. Teamed with a dynamite soundtrack, you'll be mesmerized from the very first moment until the last strains drift through the speakers.

When life gets you down, or you are in need of some inspiration, watch this flick. It'll pop you out of the blue funks and give you strength of purpose again.
[...]

Rating:
Summary: It's not as crappy as I thought I would be
Review: Imagine you've been ditched by your girlfriend (she's told you she's pregnant), you've lost your job, your mum's banging one of your old schoolmates and your car won't start - just some of the many trials borne by James Smith Jr. aka Jimmy Rabbit. 8 Mile marks Eminem's acting debut in this Curtis Hanson directed movie. Also responsible for LA Confidential and Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Hanson certainly knows how to hone an emotional edge to his films. Set in Detroit, the film charts the frustrations of Jimmy Rabbit, Rabbit because he's fast and likes to f**k a lot. It's a fairly generic tale of gangland goings-on where the dream of fame and breaking out of the ghetto keeps hope alive (vis-a-vis Saturday Night Fever, Quadrophenia or even Rocky). The quirk in this tale is that B Rabbit is a white rapper in a black man's world and has to compete and respond to the racial diss that this entails.

The film opens at a 'rap battle' at the The Shelter club where compere and friend Future (played by Mekhi Pfifer in an excellent support role) builds up 'Bunny Rabbit' to compete with L'il Tic, rival rapper of the Free World rap gang. Supported by Future and his 'brothers' from the 3-1-3 gang, Rabbit prepares for battle by heaving his guts out, locked in washrooms that you would rather not see than visit. After 'choking' with stage fright, Rabbit gets booed off the stage with contempt by the crowd of blacks and 'spics. The film then follows the following week until the mother of all rap battles takes place against the champion 'Papa-Doc' of Free World. Along the way, tramp-love interest Alex (played by sexy Brittany Murphy), the brothers and Kim Bassinger as Rabbit's trailer park mama all put in fine performances played against the backdrop of a bleak, run-down Detroit and the New Detroit Stamping Foundry. The film gets its name after the 8 mile Road, so named because it is 8 miles out from the town centre and marks the boundary between the run-down ghettos of downtown and more upmarket suburbs populated by white trailer trash and the more salubrious areas and casinos.

The plot is hardly complicated or involved, but what makes the film for me is its credibility and insight into an area of life where none of us likely want to or are able to go. There's plenty of sideline activity away from Eminem, whether it's the beautifully timed, plain dumb antics of 'spic Cheddar Bob, the home spun philosophy of DJ Iz or the wide-eyed innocence of Rabbit's little sister Lilly (played by the 3 year old Chloe Greenfield). There's no time to get bored and one can only marvel at the mental and linguistic agility of the rappers, many of whom are genuine. The story also parallels the life of Eminem who rapped, as the story goes, from the age of 4 and entered the Rap Olympics in Los Angeles in 1997 desperate to win the $1500 prize (he came 2nd!). What of Eminem? Well, aside from his obvious virtuosity as a rapper, this 'dawg' is one natural actor with a stage presence and smouldering intensity that is impossible to ignore - somewhat reminiscent of Russell Crowe, whose big break also came in a Kim Bassinger film directed by Hanson. I wouldn't be surprised if we see him in a few years again at the Academy Awards picking up another Oscar, this time for acting. The film is beautifully crafted and builds up to a worthy finale.

For those concerned about the language - yep, there's every manner of sexual innuendo but I didn't find it offensive in this context - I just had to remember to moderate the jive when taking a trip to the local 7/11. There's a modicum of violence, but much less so than in many blockbusters of today, and the sex scenes managed to convey the message without being needlessly voyeuristic or explicit.


Rating:
Summary: "8 Mile" - Loved it!
Review: Although Eminem set out to make the movie with the determination that he didn't want to be in an "Eminem movie", it is hard to argue that "8 Mile" is not "Eminem movie" completely. The similarties between Rabbit and Eminem are hard to ingore. Maybe that is one of the reasons that Eminem's performance in this book is surprisingly professional and excellent. The director used the word "raw" to describe him, mainly because he's never been in a movie before. It is almost impossible to spot any trait of inexperience in Eminem's acting. It almost seemed as if he was born to be a hollywood movie star and has been acting for years. That is probably why Eminem's undefeatable talent attracts millions of audience and fans.
If you like Eminem, this movie would be thoroughly enjoyable for you.