REVIEW BY KATHY NEWNAM
8 Mile
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Written by Scott Silver
Starring Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Phifer, Eugene Byrd
At major cinemas
"This world is mine for the taking
Make me king, as we move toward a new world order
That I can't get by with my 9 to 5
And I can't provide the right type of life for my family
Cuz man, these goddamn food stamps don't buy diapers
I've got to formulate a plot 'fore I end up in jail or shot
Success is my only mothafuckin' option, failure's not
Mom, I love you, but this trail has got to go
I cannot grow old in Salem's lot." — From "Lose Yourself" by Eminem (from the 8 Mile soundtrack).
8 Mile is a typical Hollywood "rags to riches" story. It has the feel of the Power of One — without the political correctness.
Jimmy Smith junior, aka B Rabbit, is a hard man. He's done it tough. He grew up in a Detroit trailer park on the "white" side of 8 Mile Road. His chosen medium for expressing himself is rap, an art-form traditionally dominated by black men.
Rabbit is poor, his only possessions are some clothes he carries around in a garbage bag. His mother, played by Kim Basinger, is an alcoholic and a gambler. Jobs are hard to come by and hard to keep — especially if you don't "do your work and shut the fuck up" as Rabbit is advised by one of his co-workers. The poverty is constant. His mum's phone is cut off, and she only avoids eviction with a win at bingo.
Rabbit is played by Matthew Matters, better known as rap celebrity Eminem. 8 Mile's plot is reported to closely follow the rapper's life story. There are clear references throughout the film to the controversy that has surrounded Eminem's lyrics, which are legendary for their misogyny and homophobia. The references, like Rabbit's friendship with a gay man at work, appear to be an attempt to deflect this criticism.
In fact, the film reinforces many of the stereotypes that fuel anti-gay, anti-woman attitudes. In a scene where Rabbit defends a gay co-worker, he does so by claiming the homophobe is gay and HIV positive. Hardly a gay-friendly defence.
Rabbit's problems are understood to stem from sources outside his control — generally other people — yet he tackles them head on and wins. On the other hand, his mother, and the other women in his life, are portrayed as being responsible for their own misfortune. They are helpless and untrustworthy. His mother survives by trying to "trap" a man; Rabbit's short-term girlfriend makes it up the ladder in the modelling business by sleeping with influential people.
These portrayals are not particularly new, but they continue the anti-"political correctness" campaign that Eminem has cashed-in on since his rise to fame. This campaign is usually hidden behind songs with an anti-authoritarian facade, and with enough of his life story thrown in to create a sympathy for him. In a recent release "Cleaning Out My Closet", the lyrics open with: "Have you ever been hated or discriminated against? I have, I've been protested and demonstrated against/Picket signs for my wicked rhymes."
Many of Eminem's concerts and appearances have been picketed. But not for his "wicked rhymes" or, for that matter, for being "politically incorrect". He has been targeted by many gay rights and feminist activists because his lyrics are homophobic and misogynist (check out if you need proof).
The film tracks Rabbit in his struggle to "make it" as a rap artist. A friend promises him an "in" with a record company scout. His group of friends score a record deal and enter the "battles" at the local hip-hop club. Much of the detail of the plot is spent dealing with the barriers Rabbit encounters as a white man in a scene dominated by black artists.
Despite the fact that many of Rabbit's best mates are African American and some veiled comment is made on the social conditions in which black Americans live, the lack of real analysis leaves many viewers with the message that Rabbit's progress is held back by the colour of his skin.
The class divide is brushed over in 8 Mile. There is one heartening moment, in which a women in the factory lunch queue starts a rap about how rotten the company is and how they are all getting screwed over. The moment is short-lived as another rapper steps in to challenge her and the "battle" gets lost in personal sleights. When one of Rabbit's friends makes reference to the state of the world he is cut short with a quick and simple "nobody cares about all that shit".
Rather than delving into the social reasons that explain why Rabbit is poor, the film focuses on tracking Rabbit's individual path of "gettin' out of the gutter".
According to the Hollywood formula, Rabbit overcomes the barriers of poverty and violence to taste success. But the message of 8 Mile is that if you are going to realise your dreams, you must do so on your own.
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, February 5, 2003.
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