**** out of 5
Release Date: Nov. 8, 2002
Inside a bathroom before his first rap battle, Jimmy "Bunny Rabbit" Smith Jr. stares hard at himself in a mirror, focused on the task at hand. The passion and drive seen in Smith's eyes are so strong that the name "Eminem" is all but forgotten.
Similar to rapper and actor Will Smith in "Ali," Marshall Mathers III - better known as Eminem - manages to suppress his powerful real-life persona and let his acting shine in his film debut, "8 Mile." With supporting actors Mekhi Phifer ("O"), Brittany Murphy ("Don't Say a Word") and Kim Basinger ("L.A. Confidential"), Mathers shows he can hold his own against film veterans.
"8 Mile" focuses on the life of B-Rabbit (Mathers), who lives in the slums of Detroit with his overly dependent mother (Basinger) and younger sister (Chloe Greenfield). Rabbit, with a dead-end job, little money and no direction in life, is given confidence by his friend Future (Phifer), to share his uncanny rapping ability with everyone.
When a potential love interest named Alex (Murphy) and a friend with apparent music industry connections (Eugene Byrd) appear, another fork is thrown into the road, and Rabbit's life is complicated even further.
Although it sounds like fluff, Scott Silver's ("The Mod Squad") screenplay is anything but. The title comes from the 8 Mile Road in Detroit, which is a physical and psychological racial divide of the city. Loosely based on Mathers' life, Silver dives into the racial boundaries and struggles of Rabbit, with director Curtis Hanson leading the way.
Hanson, who directed 1997's acclaimed "L.A. Confidential," emphasizes Rabbit's choices in life instead of the glamorous rise to stardom, as shown in recent celebrity pseudo-biopics such as Mariah Carey's "Glitter" or Britney Spears' "Crossroads."
"8 Mile" focuses on everyday troubles. Issues such as family, racism, and, most importantly, respect are the targets of Hanson's vision as he sharply depicts the trials and tribulations of Rabbit's life. From getting booed off stage to simply trying to get his car to start, Hanson melds each and every aspect of Rabbit's life into a gripping story.
The acting in "8 Mile" is superb, as well. Basinger gives a stellar performance as Rabbit's mother Stephanie, who is more of a relationship-hungry teenager than a caregiver. While her moods switch constantly from parent, to friend, to confused child, Basinger does not lose character for a second. All these personas merge into one in a scene where Stephanie humorously, yet seriously, confides in her son about sexual problems in her relationship with one of his former high school classmates.
Murphy is wonderful as Alex, who slowly and seductively builds a relationship with Rabbit, while Phifer captures the screen as David "Future" Porter.
If the rumors about Mathers having trouble with his acting during filming are true, then he must have worked extremely hard to get it right. For a first time actor, he is top-notch.
Mathers makes Rabbit intelligent and multifaceted; he is brazen enough to shoot a police car with a paintball gun, yet kind and gentle enough to ease his distressed sister. His gaze is his most powerful weapon, and he did not overuse it; one wonders how much acting Mathers had to do. He can easily relate to Rabbit's life, since the character is based on his own life.
Like Smith in "Ali," Mathers does show himself at times, especially during his rap battle scenes, although his rhymes are not as forceful or angry as his commercial fare.
Nevertheless, Mathers is wonderful in "8 Mile," and if this is any sign for the future, his abilities have barely been tapped. The notion of the controversial Mathers in a serious film should be enough to coax even the most dismissive of moviegoers to give "8 Mile" a chance. The film is just one more item in the long list of achievements that makes it clear: Whether you like it or not, the boy most definitely has talent.
