8 Mile (film)
8 Mile | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Curtis Hanson |
Written by | Scott Silver |
Produced by | Curtis Hanson Brian Grazer Jimmy Iovine |
Starring | Eminem Kim Basinger Brittany Murphy Mekhi Phifer |
Cinematography | Rodrigo Prieto |
Edited by | Jay Rabinowitz |
Music by | Eminem Jeff Bass Proof Obie Trice Xzibit 50 Cent |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures Imagine Entertainment |
Release date | November 8, 2002 |
Running time | 110 min. |
Country | Template:FilmUS |
Language | English |
Budget | $41,000,000 |
Box office | $242,875,078 |
8 Mile is a Template:Fy American hip-hop drama film, directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy, and Mekhi Phifer. Set in the Detroit hip hop scene in 1995, the film depicts white rapper Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. (Eminem) as he struggles for respect among his black peers. The film won an Academy Award for the Best Original Song for Eminem's "Lose Yourself."
Plot
The film begins with Eminem's character Jimmy "B-Rabbit aka Bunny Rabbit" Smith, Jr. at a local rap battle MCd by Smith's friend David "Future" Porter. A nervous Rabbit chokes at the mic and exits the competition.
After the initial scene at the music event, the movie focuses on Jimmy, a young and depressed sheet metal factory worker who is struggling with different aspects of his life. He has moved back north of 8 Mile to the rundown trailer home in Warren of his alcoholic mother Stephanie (Kim Basinger), his sister Lily (Chloe Greenfield), and his mother's abusive live-in boyfriend Greg (Michael Shannon). Jimmy is focused on getting his music career started, but he seems unable to catch a break. Just prior to the events of the film, he ends a relationship with his girlfriend Janeane (Taryn Manning), and during the film, begins a new relationship with Alex (Brittany Murphy).
As the film progresses, Jimmy comes to realize that his life has remained largely the same since high school. At first, he considers himself a victim of his circumstances and blames others for his problems. Over time, though, Jimmy begins to take responsibility for the direction of his life and realizes that he has a large degree of control over how it will go. He begins to question whether his group of friends, including Future, are holding themselves back from moving on to bigger things. "All we ever do is talk shit," he tells them, as they bicker about the best way to become successful in the music business. With his onstage choke still fresh in his mind, he appears to decide that he will give up on or postpone his dream of a music career in favor of devoting more time to his day job and building a home life. Jimmy's newfound responsibility becomes evident to his supervisor at the factory as well. At the beginning of the film, when Jimmy requests extra shifts, his supervisor laughs at him (he's usually late to work), but by the end, Jimmy's improved attitude and performance earn him the extra work he had wanted. However, a late night shift conflicts with the next battle tournament. Jimmy initially doesn't want to go, but a visit from Alex changes his mind. Paul, a gay co-worker whom Jimmy stood up for earlier in the film, agrees to cover for him.
Rabbit's friends hype him throughout the film as an incredible rapper, but until this point the film only shows snippets of his skills. The tournament has three rounds, and in each of them Rabbit faces a member of the "Leaders of the Free World", a group that feuds with Rabbit and his friends throughout the film. Rabbit wins both of the first two rounds with progressively more impressive freestyle raps. In the last round, he is paired against Papa Doc, the tournament's most feared battler and Jimmy's main antagonist throughout the storyline. Rabbit is aware that Doc knows all his weak points, so he decides to address them preemptively with his freestyle. Rabbit acknowledges without shame his white trash roots and the various humiliations the Free World clique have inflicted on him, stating that despite it all, he's still standing in this battle - a bold move essentially stripping any opponent, Doc specifically, of all ammunition against him. He then uses the difficult life he's had as a springboard to reveal the truth about Papa Doc: despite passing himself off as a thug, he has a privileged background. Doc, whose real name is Clarence, attended Cranbrook, a private school located in upper class Bloomfield Hills, and lived all his life in a stable two-parent household. Rabbit makes a reference to "Shook Ones Pt. II", the beat that the DJ is spinning, by calling Papa Doc a "halfway crook", which sends the crowd into a frenzy. Doc is left with nothing to say in rebuttal, drops the mic, and Rabbit takes the title. As Rabbit leaves the venue, Future suggests that he stay and celebrate his victory. Rabbit refuses, claiming he has to get back to work. Rabbit claims that he has to do his own thing, to which Future agrees. The final shot displays Rabbit walking away, now confident of the future ahead of him.
Cast
- Eminem as Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, Jr.
- Kim Basinger as Stephanie Smith (Jimmy's Mom)
- Brittany Murphy as Alexandra "Alex" Latourno (Jimmy's love interest)
- Mekhi Phifer as David "Future" Porter (Jimmy's best friend)
- Chloe Greenfield as Lily Smith (Jimmy's little sister)
- De'Angelo Wilson as DJ Iz
- Evan Jones as Cheddar Bob
- Omar Benson Miller as Sol George
- Eugene Byrd as Wink
- Anthony Mackie as Papa Doc
- Xzibit as Male Lunch Truck Rapper
- Proof as Lil Tic (cameo)
- Michael Shannon as Greg Buehl
- Taryn Manning as Janeane
Reception
8 Mile was generally well received among critics. The film currently holds a 74% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Ebert and Roeper gave the film a "two thumbs up" rating. The film was a surprise hit at the box office opening at #1, making $19,574,765 on its opening day and $51,240,555 over its first three days from only 2,470 theaters for an average of $20,745 per venue, making it one of the biggest opening weekends for an R-rated movie as well being as the biggest opening for a movie released in less than 2,500 theaters. The film made a total of $242,875,078 worldwide ($116,750,901 domestically, and $126,124,177 internationally). The 8 Mile DVD released in March 2003 grossed $200 million USD in DVD sales.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released on October 29, 2002.
Parodies
- The Robot Chicken episode "Rodigitti" showed a parody of 8 Mile with Bugs Bunny imitating Eminem (B-Rabbit), Elmer Fudd as Papa Doc (Elmer Phudd), Porky Pig as the DJ (DJ Bacon Bits), and Daffy Duck as Future. After winning the rap battle, Bugs is approached by Dr. Dre, who wants to sign him as "the first grey MC".
- Eminem himself parodies the movie in the single and video for "Just Lose It".
- Dave Chappelle parodies the movie in the first season of Chappelle's Show.
- Scary Movie 3 parodied the rap battle scenes, but instead of the character "rapping" he starts choking, and impresses the crowd, but he then brings up his Ku Klux Klan-like hood, and even gives a Hitler salute.
- The film was parodied on Late Night with Conan O'Brien by Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog. In the sketch, titled "8 Nipples," B-Rabbit is played by Triumph, and Future, by O'Brien. Also parodied in the sketch was Eminem's song "Lose Yourself", By Triumph, called "Lick Yourself"
- The movie is also parodied in The Simpsons in the episode "Pranksta Rap" when Bart is writing things on a sheet of paper.
- For "Weird Al" Yankovic's parody of "Lose Yourself," entitled "Couch Potato," there was a t-shirt made to promote Al's Poodle Hat album. The shirt had a parody of the 8 Mile poster, depicting Al holding a small TV monitor, with rabbit-ear antennas on top, in his hands. The shirt can be found at the online shop at his website.
- South Park's Eric Cartman makes reference to the movie while writing in his own hand in a bus in the episode "Christian Rock Hard."
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- 2002 films
- Musical drama films
- American drama films
- Best Song Academy Award winners
- Coming-of-age films
- Films about music and musicians
- Eminem
- Hip hop films
- 2000s drama films
- Hood films
- English-language films
- Universal Pictures films
- Imagine Entertainment films
- Films directed by Curtis Hanson
- Films set in Michigan
- Films shot in Michigan