8 Mile is a
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hip-hop
drama filmA drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, crime and corruption put the characters in conflict with themselves,...
, directed by
Curtis HansonCurtis Lee Hanson is an Academy Award-winning American filmmaker.-Early life:Hanson was born in Reno, Nevada and grew up in Los Angeles, the son of Beverly June and William Hanson. Hanson dropped out of high school, finding work as a freelance photographer and editor for Cinema magazine...
and starring Marshall Mathers (
EminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , known by his primary stage name Eminem, or by his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer and actor. Eminem quickly gained popularity in 1999 with his major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP, which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album...
),
Kim BasingerKimila Ann "Kim" Basinger is an American film actress and former fashion model.Following her role as a Bond girl in Never Say Never Again , Basinger received a Golden Globe nomination for her work in The Natural...
,
Brittany MurphyBrittany Murphy is an American actress and recording artist. She has starred in films such as Just Married; Clueless; Girl, Interrupted; 8 Mile; Sin City; The Dead Girl; Uptown Girls; Happy Feet; Riding in Cars with Boys and Spun.-Early life:Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Murphy's parents divorced when...
, and
Mekhi PhiferMekhi Thira Phifer is an NAACP Image Award winning American actor. He is perhaps best known for his multi-year role as Dr...
.
The film is a biographical account of Eminem's early years in relative poverty growing up in
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
, and his early career in rap. As such, the film is set in the underground Detroit hip hop scene in the year 1995. The film depicts white rapper Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. (based upon a younger Eminem) as he struggles for respect among his black peers.
The film was a financial success, was well received critically, and won an Academy Award for the Best Original Song for
EminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , known by his primary stage name Eminem, or by his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer and actor. Eminem quickly gained popularity in 1999 with his major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP, which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album...
's "
Lose Yourself"Lose Yourself" is an Academy Award-winning hip hop song by American rapper Eminem. It was released in 2002 as part of the soundtrack to the film 8 Mile, also starring Eminem, later released as a single in 2002, and re-released on Eminem's greatest hits compilation Curtain Call: The Hits...
", becoming the first film with a rap/hip-hop song to win an Academy Award.
The film begins with main character Jimmy "B-Rabbit aka Bunny Rabbit" Smith, Jr.
8 Mile is a
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hip-hop
drama filmA drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, crime and corruption put the characters in conflict with themselves,...
, directed by
Curtis HansonCurtis Lee Hanson is an Academy Award-winning American filmmaker.-Early life:Hanson was born in Reno, Nevada and grew up in Los Angeles, the son of Beverly June and William Hanson. Hanson dropped out of high school, finding work as a freelance photographer and editor for Cinema magazine...
and starring Marshall Mathers (
EminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , known by his primary stage name Eminem, or by his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer and actor. Eminem quickly gained popularity in 1999 with his major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP, which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album...
),
Kim BasingerKimila Ann "Kim" Basinger is an American film actress and former fashion model.Following her role as a Bond girl in Never Say Never Again , Basinger received a Golden Globe nomination for her work in The Natural...
,
Brittany MurphyBrittany Murphy is an American actress and recording artist. She has starred in films such as Just Married; Clueless; Girl, Interrupted; 8 Mile; Sin City; The Dead Girl; Uptown Girls; Happy Feet; Riding in Cars with Boys and Spun.-Early life:Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Murphy's parents divorced when...
, and
Mekhi PhiferMekhi Thira Phifer is an NAACP Image Award winning American actor. He is perhaps best known for his multi-year role as Dr...
.
The film is a biographical account of Eminem's early years in relative poverty growing up in
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
, and his early career in rap. As such, the film is set in the underground Detroit hip hop scene in the year 1995. The film depicts white rapper Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. (based upon a younger Eminem) as he struggles for respect among his black peers.
The film was a financial success, was well received critically, and won an Academy Award for the Best Original Song for
EminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , known by his primary stage name Eminem, or by his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer and actor. Eminem quickly gained popularity in 1999 with his major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP, which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album...
's "
Lose Yourself"Lose Yourself" is an Academy Award-winning hip hop song by American rapper Eminem. It was released in 2002 as part of the soundtrack to the film 8 Mile, also starring Eminem, later released as a single in 2002, and re-released on Eminem's greatest hits compilation Curtain Call: The Hits...
", becoming the first film with a rap/hip-hop song to win an Academy Award.
Plot
The film begins with main character Jimmy "B-Rabbit aka Bunny Rabbit" Smith, Jr. at a local rap battle
MCA master of ceremonies, microphone controller or MC , sometimes called a compère or an MJ for "microphone jockey," is the host of an official public or private staged event or other performance. The MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving...
d by Smith's friend David "Future" Porter. A nervous Rabbit chokes at the mic and exits the competition.
The movie focuses on Jimmy, a young and unhappy blue collar worker who is struggling with different aspects of his life. He has moved back north of 8 Mile to the rundown trailer home in
WarrenWarren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 138,247, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third most populous city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb....
of his alcoholic mother Stephanie (
Kim BasingerKimila Ann "Kim" Basinger is an American film actress and former fashion model.Following her role as a Bond girl in Never Say Never Again , Basinger received a Golden Globe nomination for her work in The Natural...
), his sister Lily (
Chloe GreenfieldChloe Linnea Ayla Greenfield is an American teen actress. Chloe Greenfield played Lily, the little sister of rapper Eminem's character Jimmy/'B. Rabbit' in the 2002 film 8 Mile. Chloe is currently in her third season on NBC's Emmy Award winning television series ER as "Sarah", John Stamos's...
), and his mother's abusive live-in boyfriend Greg (
Michael ShannonMichael Corbett Shannon is an American stage and film actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Revolutionary Road.-Life and career:...
). 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 ManningTaryn Manning is an American actress, fashion designer, and singer-songwriter. She is the vocalist for electronic duo Boomkat and co-owner of clothing brand, called Born Uniqorn. Manning gained her first major role as an actress in 2001 when she played the role of Maddy in Crazy/Beautiful...
), and during the film, begins a new relationship with Alex (
Brittany MurphyBrittany Murphy is an American actress and recording artist. She has starred in films such as Just Married; Clueless; Girl, Interrupted; 8 Mile; Sin City; The Dead Girl; Uptown Girls; Happy Feet; Riding in Cars with Boys and Spun.-Early life:Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Murphy's parents divorced when...
).
As the film progresses, Jimmy comes to realize that his life has remained largely the same since he graduated 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. 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 homosexual co-worker whom Jimmy stood up for earlier in the film during a rap battle, agrees to cover for him.
Rabbit's friends hail 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 trashWhite trash is an American English pejorative term referring to individual or groups of lower social class Caucasian people that the speaker considers to lack social status. It is most frequently used as a slur to describe financially, economically or culturally disadvantaged Caucasians...
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 HillsBloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan, northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,940...
, and lived all his life in a stable two-parent household. Rabbit makes a reference to "
Shook Ones Pt. II"Shook Ones part II" is the lead single from Mobb Deep's 1995 album The Infamous. The song was hailed as an instant classic and, in many ways, was the pinnacle of Mobb Deep's critical acclaim...
", 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 while also offering a position that would allow him to host battles at the shelter. Rabbit refuses, claiming he has to get back to work and do everything his own way, to which Future agrees. The final shot displays Rabbit walking away from the shelter, more confident in his future.
Cast
- Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , known by his primary stage name Eminem, or by his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer and actor. Eminem quickly gained popularity in 1999 with his major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP, which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album...
as Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr.
- Kim Basinger
Kimila Ann "Kim" Basinger is an American film actress and former fashion model.Following her role as a Bond girl in Never Say Never Again , Basinger received a Golden Globe nomination for her work in The Natural...
as Stephanie Smith
- Brittany Murphy
Brittany Murphy is an American actress and recording artist. She has starred in films such as Just Married; Clueless; Girl, Interrupted; 8 Mile; Sin City; The Dead Girl; Uptown Girls; Happy Feet; Riding in Cars with Boys and Spun.-Early life:Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Murphy's parents divorced when...
as Alexandra "Alex" Latourno
- Mekhi Phifer
Mekhi Thira Phifer is an NAACP Image Award winning American actor. He is perhaps best known for his multi-year role as Dr...
as David "Future" Porter
- Chloe Greenfield
Chloe Linnea Ayla Greenfield is an American teen actress. Chloe Greenfield played Lily, the little sister of rapper Eminem's character Jimmy/'B. Rabbit' in the 2002 film 8 Mile. Chloe is currently in her third season on NBC's Emmy Award winning television series ER as "Sarah", John Stamos's...
as Lily Smith
- De'Angelo Wilson
De'Angelo Ke'Shine Hill Wilson was an actor and hip hop artist.Born in Dayton, Ohio, Wilson was best known for playing DJ Iz in 8 Mile and performed roles on various television programs. He was also known for his role in Antwone Fisher as the character Jesse at the age of nineteen...
as DJ Iz
- Evan Jones as Cheddar Bob
- Omar Benson Miller
Omar Benson Miller is an American actor. He has played minor roles in various television shows and movies, including Sex, Love & Secrets, American Pie Presents: Band Camp, Get Rich Or Die Tryin, The Express and 8 Mile.Omar Miller has signed on as a CSI: Miami regular. Starting Oct...
as Sol George
- Eugene Byrd
Eugene Byrd is an American actor. He has been in movies including Dead Man, Sleepers, 8 Mile, Lift and Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, and has the leading role in Confess, for which he won the Break-Out Performance Award at the 2006 Method Fest Independent Film Festival.He starred as Dr...
as Wink
- Anthony Mackie
Anthony Mackie is an American actor. He has been featured in feature films, television series and Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, including "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", "Drowning Crow", "McReele", "A Soldier's Play", and "Talk" by Carl Hancock Rux for which he won an Obie Award in 2002.He was...
as Papa Doc
- Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television personality. He is also known for hosting MTV's Pimp My Ride and the Yo Dawg Internet meme...
as Male Lunch Truck Rapper (Mike)
- Proof
DeShaun Dupree Holton , better known as Proof, was a Detroit rapper and member of the hip hop groups Goon Sqwad, 5 Elementz, Promatic, and D12...
as Lil Tic
- Michael Shannon
Michael Corbett Shannon is an American stage and film actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Revolutionary Road.-Life and career:...
as Greg Buehl
- Taryn Manning
Taryn Manning is an American actress, fashion designer, and singer-songwriter. She is the vocalist for electronic duo Boomkat and co-owner of clothing brand, called Born Uniqorn. Manning gained her first major role as an actress in 2001 when she played the role of Maddy in Crazy/Beautiful...
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 officeA box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to a venue. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall, or at a wicket...
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.
The song
Lose Yourself"Lose Yourself" is an Academy Award-winning hip hop song by American rapper Eminem. It was released in 2002 as part of the soundtrack to the film 8 Mile, also starring Eminem, later released as a single in 2002, and re-released on Eminem's greatest hits compilation Curtain Call: The Hits...
, with music by Eminem, Jeff Bass and
Luis RestoLuis Resto born Luis Edgardo Resto, is a hip hop producer and keyboardist who has worked closely with rapper Eminem since his third major-label album The Eminem Show...
and lyrics by Eminem, won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and
Grammy AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
s for Best Male Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song. "Lose Yourself" also placed 93rd on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs list. The song was later included on Eminem's greatest hits album
Curtain Call: The HitsCurtain Call: The Hits is a 2005 greatest hits compilation album by the rapper Eminem. It collects Eminem's most popular songs, as well as four new tracks; a live version of "Stan" featuring Elton John, plus new songs "Fack", "When I'm Gone" and "Shake That" featuring Nate Dogg, the later two...
.
Parodies
- Stella Artois
Stella Artois is a 5% ABV lager first brewed in Leuven, Belgium, in 1926 as a Christmas brew, and named Stella after the Latin for "star"....
did a campaign called Smooth Originals where they claimed that most American cinema is ripped off from French New WaveThe New Wave was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema...
cinema that was hidden from the public. The parody of 8 Mile was called 8 Kilometre, a black and white short featured in a beat club in Monte CarloMonte Carlo is one of Monaco's administrative areas, sometimes erroneously believed to be a town or the country's capital, just as Monaco-Ville...
where two young poets have a battle of rhymes
- Eminem's single Just Lose It
"Just Lose It" is the lead single from, and the thirteenth track on, Eminem's 2004 studio album Encore. The song caused controversy as its lyrics and music video parody Michael Jackson, who was being accused of child molestation at the time. The song also pokes fun at Beavis/Cornholio, MC Hammer,...
and its video featured a parody of the film.
- Scary Movie 3
Scary Movie 3 is an 2003 American dark comedy which parodies the horror, slasher, and mystery genres, and is directed by David Zucker. It is the third film of the Scary Movie franchise...
heavily parodied many elements of the film.
External links