Eminem stretches himself as a white-trash rapper.

watch director curtis hanson interview

Not so loosely based on the early life of its star Eminem, 8 Mile tells of Jimmy “Rabbit” Smith, a poor white kid growing up in a trailer on the wrong side of the tracks. His momma (Kim Basinger) is an emotional train wreck and his career prospects are zero. But Jimmy has a way with words and the urge to prove himself in the underground hip-hop clubs of downtown Detroit.

In the rhyming face-offs, the musical equivalent of bare fist-fighting, skinny white kid Jimmy shows star quality. He’s whiny, brattish and brilliant – and you realise that there’s no acting involved, that he’s unmistakably Eminem. That’s not to say he can’t act. Tight direction from Curtis Hanson and solid support, particularly from Mekhi Phifer, help Marshal Mathers III turn in a pretty impressive turn. It’s just a little ironic in a film about a fictitious character “finding his own voice” that the voice he finds is so immediately recognisable. Wendy Ide 16 January 03

8 Mile, on national release 17 January 03.

useful link: www.8-mile.com