‘8 Mile’ goes the distance

8 Mile Starring Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Phifer and Kim Basinger… 8 Mile Starring Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Phifer and Kim Basinger Directed by Curtis Hanson

Jimmy Smith Jr., (Eminem) otherwise known as Rabbit, has one goal: to get the hell out of Detroit. He’s a talented rapper, his friend Future (Mekhi Phifer) calls him “a genius,” but he knows that a record deal might be his only way out.

Unfortunately, nothing is going Jimmy’s way. Even with the support of his friends and new girlfriend Alex (Brittany Murphy), Jimmy starts to wonder if it’s time to stop hanging onto his dream and accept that he will always remain a prisoner on the wrong side of 8 Mile, the road that separates the suburbs from the crumbling city.

The movie “8 Mile” is about underground rapping, but cannot be restricted as a “hip-hop movie.” The story transcends stereotypes about black rappers, white rappers, trailer trash, thugs and slutty women, and is about much more than that.

The people are real and it’s easy to relate to Jimmy, whether you grew up in the worst ghetto or a $10 million mansion in Beverly Hills. Eminem portrays the different sides of Jimmy – his vulnerability, his affection for his sister and friends and his rage toward those who only tear him down -skillfully. “8 Mile” is Jimmy’s story and by the end, the audience feels as though they have traveled with him.

The sound is incredible. In the beginning of the movie, Jimmy is practicing for a rap competition in front of the mirror, wearing his headphones. All the audience can hear is the steady beat of Jimmy’s headphones. When he takes them off, the beat stops and the audience hears the background noise and muffled music of the club, as if they also removed their headphones. This is just one example of the clever techniques director Curtis Hanson uses to effectively get inside Jimmy’s head and place the audience in the movie. The soundtrack is like a time machine back to all the popular music from 1995, when the movie is set.

Ultimately, it’s the little things, such as the precise attention to detail, that make this movie so enjoyable and impressive. The subtle humor, the inside Detroit references, the emotionally charged fights between rivals, the sexy-and-not-trashy sex scenes all come together to shape a film that will appeal to almost everyone.

If there is only one movie you’re willing to pay money for this weekend, go see “8 Mile.” Let yourself be impressed with this smooth, entertaining and insightful movie, as well as the depth of Eminem’s acting. Afterward, go ahead and practice free-styling in the shower. You know you want to.