8 MILE

For those of you looking for something a little different, 8 Mile certainly fits the bill. Based (loosely, very loosely) on the events in the life of Eminem, this movie plays like a hip-hop combination of Rocky meets Stanley Kowalski. The acting, including Eminem, is fine, and the directing is fabulous, but for me, the script could have used a lot of work. The rap scenes tingled, but I found myself wondering a bit about the back-story and wishing the film didn’t come across more like a documentary than a fantasy. Ultimately, your perception of 8 Mile might have more to do with how familiar you are with Eminem. If you know a little about him, and can stomach the rougher elements, you might like this quite a bit. If you’re a major fan, you might be disappointed that there isn’t more there to chew on, and that the movie isn’t hard-edged enough. Bottom line: If you’re not offended by rap music in general this might be worth a look. At the very least it will give you something to talk about.