✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
United States, Germany · 2002
1h 51m
Director Curtis Hanson
Starring Eminem, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger
Genre Drama, Music
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Starring rapper Eminem and based partly on his life, this film tells the story of aspiring rapper Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, a young factory worker living near Detroit. Trying to gain success through rap battles while dealing with his difficult economic and family situation, Jimmy must take control of his life and his art.
It’s too early to place Eminem alongside those Hollywood giants (Jimmy Cagney/John Garfield), but the promise is there. He understands the power of being still in front of a camera. Compact, volatile and burningly intense, he’s got charisma to spare.
Washington Post by Desson Thomson
This is about the rise of a pop star, plain and simple. The real deal –- and the movie's greatest fun –- is in the rap contests.
Extremely clever in its use of self-deprecation, it's guaranteed to bring down the house at any remotely sympathetic venue.
New York Post by Jonathan Foreman
What makes 8 Mile transcend the formulaic nature of its plot is the way it makes these rap competitions compelling even for those unfamiliar with rap music, and its scrupulous, loving rendition of a grim, wintry Detroit circa 1995.
Charlotte Observer by Lawrence Toppman
The loosely autobiographical 8 Mile, an uneven but watchable drama about life in Detroit's slums, begins the shrewd transformation of vitriolic rapper Eminem into a mainstream figure.
TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh
What's most disappointing is the thoroughly cliched story.
Baltimore Sun by Michael Sragow
A star is born in 8 Mile, all right, but his name is Mekhi Phifer.
The rap sequences are shot and edited with the excitement of a crisply broadcast sporting event, which in a way they are.
The film's absolute conviction keeps it from feeling formulaic.
New York Magazine (Vulture) by Peter Rainer
What it's really about is the euphoria that talent can bring to those who are possessed by it. That euphoria lights up the screen.
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