I had zero expectations going into this film. I don’t know why I even watched this movie. I wouldn’t call myself an Eminem fan. I wouldn’t listen to his music on my own time but I wouldn’t turn it off if it came on the radio. I was kind of curious about what the title 8 Mile was referring to and how it relates to Eminem. The movie explains that 8 Mile is an 8-mile road in Detroit that separates the rich and poor areas. Pretty much every person in the film lives on the wrong side of 8 Mile. Eminem has it worse than most, living in his drunk, unemployed mom’s trailer with her abusive boyfriend while taking care of his little sister. It’s an interesting choice for a title because the road is barely mentioned except for when he’s told to ‘go back across 8 Mile’ in rap battles presumably because he’s white. I also went into this movie thinking it was a biopic considering it is Eminem himself playing a poor rapper from Detroit and was really confused when people kept calling him ‘Bunny’. I later found out that it’s not technically a biopic, just a pretty accurate representation of the events of Eminem’s life but a few things were added for the sake of an interesting plot and everyone has different names (with Eminem’s name being Jimmy and his rap name Bunny). I actually like this move to get the film labeled as a drama instead of a biopic. It’s not really about the music more so as it is about Eminem’s personal struggles and the Detroit underground culture of rap battles and gangs and how the two interact. The only times in the film we hear Eminem rap are in two or three of these rap battles. His performance in the battles is parallel with his internal and external conflicts at the time, and until he learns to overcome these issues, he’s insecure and chokes on stage. The first actual Eminem song (Lose Yourself) we hear plays during the end credit sequence. It was made for the film and, if you listen to the lyrics, is a summary of the film. Also, I was not expecting Eminem to be able to act at all but he was actually really, really good. I cannot stress that enough. I think portraying yourself in a film is easier said than done. His performance pulled this whole movie together and made it memorable. The production design and cinematography were also impressive. The sets, costumes, and lighting were all very dark but very beautiful and fitting of the narrative. There was a ton of shaky cam and point of view to demonstrate nerves before a performance and when on stage and during fights and conflicts (which there was no shortage of). Usually I start to get annoyed when there’s to much shaky cam but you don’t notice it too much in this film because it fits so well.
Overall, this film did not disappoint. It was well made and Eminem demonstrated he’s much more than just a rap prodigy. I would recommend this movie to anyone regardless of if they’re into rap or not. It’s a gritty origin story that exemplifies and promotes hard work and perseverance in all aspects of life.
1 Comment
|
May Featured Movie QuoteBarry B. Benson: Yellow-black, yellow-black, yellow-black, yellow-black... Oh, black and yellow. Yeah, let's shake it up a little.
Yeah, I have letterboxd now
|