8 Mile (2002)

8 Mile

• I didn’t expect to like this movie at all, but it was actually pretty decent. Everyone who knows me knows I absolutely can’t stand rap, but all the rap battles that took place were actually pretty fun. In terms of music, almost all of it was freestyle rapping, which I don’t really care for, but I have to give kudos to Eminem for writing “Lose Yourself”. Like I said, I can’t stand rap, but that song is actually really awesome, and it has a great message. It has a really good beat to it, and the piano intro is nice. Besides that song, the music wasn’t super great, although, like I said, the rap battles were fun. The biggest thing I liked about this movie was the way it portrayed the urban parts of Detroit. There isn’t a ton of gang violence in the movie, but it has just enough to get the point across without it being overdone. I also liked the characters, and everything about the clothes they wore to the jobs they had were a good representation. Some of the acting felt a little over the top, and though most of the actors did a good job, some of them just felt too fake, almost like they were putting on a really fake persona when the cameras were rolling. The overall story wasn’t super great, because it was just about a poor guy who wants to be a rapper, which to me, isn’t exciting at all. But, the story is still fun to follow along with. I wouldn’t watch it again, and I’m not sure I’d recommend it unless you’re just into rap. I’d say it’s probably a hit or miss movie for most people.