8 Mile (2002)

Director:

Curtis Hanson

Writer (WGA):

Scott Silver (written by)

Release Date:

8 November 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

Go back to where it all started.

Plot:

A young rapper, struggling with every aspect of his life, wants to make the most of what could be his final opportunity but his problems around gives him doubts.

Plot Keywords:

Rap | Friend | Car Trouble | Lunch Wagon | Paintball Gun

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 8 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Eminem	...	Jimmy 'B-Rabbit' Smith
Kim Basinger	...	Stephanie Smith
Mekhi Phifer	...	David 'Future' Porter
Brittany Murphy	...	Alex
Evan Jones	...	Cheddar Bob
Omar Benson Miller	...	Sol George
De'Angelo Wilson	...	DJ Iz
Eugene Byrd	...	Wink
Taryn Manning	...	Janeane
Larry Hudson	...	Bouncer
Proof	...	Lil' Tic
Mike Bell	...	Shorty Mike
DJ Head	...	Battle DJ
Michael Shannon	...	Greg Buehl
Chloe Greenfield	...	Lily Smith

Also Known As:

8 Mile (Germany)
8 Mile - Jeder Augenblick ist eine neue Chance (Germany) (DVD box title)
Fight Music (USA) (working title)
Fight Song (USA) (working title)
Untitled Detroit Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, sexuality, some violence and drug use.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | USA:R (certificate #39361) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Taiwan:R-18 | Philippines:R-18 | Hungary:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:14 | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R13 (re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 (original rating) | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Chin Tiki Club - 2121 Cass Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Imagine Entertainment

Trivia:

The first film to have a rap/hip-hop song win an Academy Award.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the Rap Battle sequence, Future calls Lotto and Lyckety-Splyt by their real-life rap aliases "Ox" (Nashawn 'Ox' Breedlove) and "Strike" instead of their characters' names.

Quotes:

Alex: Are you asking me out on a date Jimmy Smith Jr?
B. Rabbit: Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am.
Alex: Why don't you take me somewhere now?

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in D' Anothers (2005)

Soundtrack:

Runnin'

Director Curtis Hanson's best film. That's right his best!!!

When I first heard that Curtis Hanson, the director of LA CONFIDENTIAL, was set to direct a movie semi-based around the life of white rapper Eminem my first reaction was what? That's weird! I didn't think it was bad but it just seemed very strange and like the last thing Hanson would get his big foot stuck in. I'm not a big fan of rap anymore but I was growing up. However, I do like Eminem. Love him or hate him his talent is evident. In my lifetime I believe that I have seen three great talents in rap and they are Tupac, Biggie and Eminem. Still, I couldn't believe that a director of Hanson's caliber would direct an Eminem movie. I couldn't but now I can. 8 MILE is kind of like ROCKY with freestyle battles instead of boxing. It's an underdog story. I thought from the trailer that I would know somewhat how the film would play out but I was wrong. I didn't. The film really avoids pretension and cliché. Hanson effectively guides us through Detroit's rap underground, a place that's a foreign land too most.

Now, I don't expect everyone to love 8 MILE, but I think there are a lot of people out there who'd be surprised if they give the film a shot. I know there's a lot of anti-Eminem people out there and rightly so. I can see why you would hate the man but I don't. However, love him or hate him he delivers a heart felt performance here. The story, like I said above, is an underdog story. The relationship between Rabbit (Eminem) and his little sister gives a perfect balance to his wild nightlife, his crappy day job and his constant battles with his mom (Kim Basinger) and her boyfriend.

As I finish up here I'll say that 8 MILE isn't the best film of all time but it is very, very good. I was entertained throughout the entire film. It IS one of the best films I've see this year and that is a major accomplishment in a year that I consider to have many great films (see SIGNS, THE FOUR FEATHERS, and ROAD TO PERDITION). Well, I gotta go cause `I've been at this plant so long I'm a plant. Look at my boots their startin' to grow roots!' See the movie, you'll get it.