8 Mile: Eminem's foray into acting

This weekend, I saw 8 Mile primarily because of positive reviews by the Village Voice, Salon, and by the New York Times, the latter of which pronounced the movie a success "on its own terms because the director doesn't condescend to pop music." I will clearly admit that I expected the movie to suck, the positive reviews notwithstanding. There were, however, several strong points to the film (and I will try not to give away anything for the peeps who haven't seen the flick): (1) Though Eminem delivers fewer lines than your average lead role, his performance is remarkably strong — a commendable role as a first-time lead. Indeed, as B. Rabbit, Eminem successfully conveys emotion through silence. This allows director Curtis Hanson (of L.A. Confidential fame) to limit the opportunities for the first-time lead actor to reveal his inexperience. (2) The soundtrack is straight dope. I haven't been able to locate free downloads, but check out Eminem's homepage, where "Eminem Radio" is currently in the works. (3) Perhaps a slight nod of recognition to peaking criticism of gun violence in rap music, guns were clearly depicted in a bad light through certain comical scenes. But neither the rap world nor Hollywood has gone soft on us: just because poppin' a cap in that ass wasn't glorified, that doesn't mean the movie didn't have its share of beat-downs. (4) Brittany Murphy (Riding in Cars With Boys, Don't Say a Word) played Eminem's saucy love interest in a well-written script that wisely avoids the melodrama of most tangential romantic interludes in Hollywood movies. Each character exhibits a conspicuous sense of ambition and self-preservation, which prevents the romance from getting carried away. As such, the very reason that the relationship remains an aside to the plot renders the script an even greater success.

Article Author: Steve Sabo

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