Miscellaneous - 8 Mile

by Anthony Strutt

published: 13 / 2 / 2003

In the first of two film reviews this month, non rap fan Anthony Strutt writes about the definite merits of Eminem's blockbuster new movie, '8 Mile'....

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By now, you should have heard of this movie, which is currently the UK's top box office hit. '8 Mile', which was originally shown last year at the London Film Festival, is now showing nationwide and is the movie that is loosely based on rap mega star Eminem's life story. It is definitely not a date movie. The night that I saw it it was as a freebie with Metro magazine. I am not sure if it was the movie or because everyone got in for free, but there was definitely a rebellious atmosphere in the cinema. I'm not into Eminem or rap music at all, but, after seeing the film, I had to admire the man. The film tells the story of one 'Jimmy Rabbit' (Eminem)who, after leaving his possibly up the duff girlfriend (We never find out if she is pregnant or not), moves back in with his not very together Mum. The character of the Mum (played by Kim Basinger) enters the film naked riding one of Rabbit's school friends, who is her new boyfriend. To escape boredom, Rabbit has taken up rapping. He has talent, but his lack of confidence holds him back. The best action of the film owes a lot to the 'Rocky' series and takes place in a local rap club, where the rapping concerts that are held there are similar in their atmosphere to Rocky's fights in the boxing ring. As Rabbit tries to get enough money together to fund a demo, we get introduced to his life. We watch him caring for his Mum and bond with his kid sister and see his world and hand-to-mouth existence. To a degree, '8 Mile' also owes a lot to 'Saturday Night Fever', because it is about growing up and moving on, and also finding out that your new girlfriend is a bit of a slut. '8 Mile' is very now. It is also very much a black movie. There are, other than Jimmy and his family, hardly any white characters in it, and those that there are all live in a black community. It never over glamourises anything. It portraits Detroit, where the film is set, as a shithole. Everyone in the film lives for dreams and to escape. Whether you like Eminem or not, this is the most major music film release of many a year, and, something that is a rare event in itself, a mainstream movie which doesn't see the world through rose tinted glasses.