Sometimes life pushes you, sometimes you have to push back
Life is hard for Jimmy ‘B-Rabbit’ Smith. His girlfriend has just broken up with him. His mother is struggling to make ends meet and his ‘white’ life in a ‘black’ world is failing miserably. Failing at rap battles, and at life in general, Jimmy finds himself at a crossroads. Should he focus on a dead-end job at an auto bodyshop or should he jump ship and try to make himself known in an rap industry that doesn’t want him. Regardless of the direction, he must make a choice or life will throw him out permanently.
Universal put together a story, that is supposedly closer to Eminem’s actual life, that hurts. From beginning to end, you feel for this guy because he is constantly losing. He has a small group of friends, who thrive at mediocrity, that help him through his ordeal, but still hold him down in the long run. He has enemies who constantly want to keep him down through beating him physically and through rap battles. He has a mother who he can’t turn to or depend on. The story shapes itself this way from the beginning and as it progresses you can figuratively speaking see the walls closing around him. The story makes this kid truly alone in the world, and it’s tough to watch. So, traveling down the spiral, you and him are trying to find the first open stop. When that stop finally arrives, it is probably one of the more powerful moments in a film for this decade. There was a reason this film won a ton of acclaims. It’s not simply trying to exploit Eminem’s popularity (which was at it’s zenith at that time), it’s a tough explanation of why someone would do what they did and it explains why this person acts like they act. It’s quite a journey of loneliness with a powerful payoff.
Now whether this was truly about Eminem or not is irrelevant. His performance is genuine and something that should be noted. He sold the role as Jimmy ‘B-Rabbit’ Smith and by the end of the day you love this guy. You understand what makes him tick. If this is truly a biography of Eminem’s life then you should embrace the gumption of this kid. He has been through it and I’m sure it was a helluva lot worse than the movie portrays. His suffering and constant dead-ends really wear on him, and Eminem shows that so well. Blank expressions, bitten lips and the building of a furious outburst can be read on his face. Now, Kim Basinger should be praised ever so slightly, though Hollywood loved her in this role, as the irresponsible mom. She didn’t play a huge role in the story, but the role she did play is scary good. It should be noted though, her role isn’t any more important than anyone else’s in the film. She is yet another wall in his life. This is Eminem’s film, this is his defining moment and he takes responsibility for it.
Kudos to Curtis Hanson as well. Hanson had a lot to work with and a lot to show in an environment that many people couldn’t relate to who were going to see the film. He created one of the more drab environments that I’ve seen on film. A world that most fans of Eminem aren’t involved with. He made sure people understand that ‘B-Rabbit’s’ wasn’t an easy one and even in the end, at its most powerful moment, there was still a sense of uncertainty. Credit Hanson for putting all of this together and delivering it to an unsuspecting audience.
Are there any downers in the film? Well, the build is kind of slow at the beginning. You can already guess the tragic moments, though there are a few that come as a surprise, but in the end it doesn’t matter. The slow start is killed by the explosive ending. So, stick with it and just wait for the moment at the end. It’s the payoff and it’s worth the wait.
As blu as the story
The majority of the film is shot in the nighttime. You get a lot of blacks/whites in the film, which shine like a quarter caught in a washer machine. You’ll be blown away by what the film offers and how good it looks in HD. Sometimes you’ll want to change the film because the harsh reality of the film comes through so well. Regardless, expect nothing less than a visual and audio treat.
As for features, here’s what you get:
– The making of 8 Mile
– Rap Battles (Uncensored)
– Superman music video (Uncensored)
Not a lot going on here, but thankfully the feature is worth the price of admission.