Can Eminem act? Who knows? But his star turn in 8 Mile, as an aspiring rapper growing up poor and white in Motown, is memorable -- even if we've seen it all before.
Comment
11/08/02
8 Mile (2002)
74
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:178
Fresh:132
Rotten:46
Average Rating:6.7/10
Consensus: Even though the story is overly familiar, there's enough here for an engaging ride.
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Controversial rapper Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers) makes his big screen debut with 8 MILE, a bracing drama directed by the increasingly audacious Curtis Hanson. Set in 1995 in the bleak,... [More]
Starring: Eminem, Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy
Director: Curtis Hanson
Reviews for 8 Mile
121 - 140 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
[8 Mile is] more funny than foul, more inspiring than infuriating, more touching than not. In many ways, 8 Mile is a Rocky-like tale of determination and long odds that will appeal even to those who are turned off by most rap.
11/08/02
Thanks to Eminem and the rising rap momentum, 8 Mile is engrossing.
11/08/02
The film is emotionally charged, almost naturally so, with Hanson's direction stressing the pop rapture that music can provide in a world that's dirty and ugly.
11/08/02
Eminem delivers a performance of considerable passion and depth.
11/08/02
8 Mile is not much in the story department. Its Star is Born framework is reassuring at the expense of being original, and the movie lacks narrative drive.
11/08/02
8 Mile is worth a look if only to watch Eminem on the big screen. Even when a film's a bit lame, it's always fun to be there when a star is being born.
11/08/02
Essentially a downtrodden-teen -makes-good film ... That's not a bad thing, but it's nothing to rap home about, either.
11/08/02
8 Mile is among the best studio films of the year 2002.
11/08/02
What makes 8 Mile transcend the formulaic nature of its plot is the way it makes these rap competitions compelling even for those unfamiliar with rap music, and its scrupulous, loving rendition of a grim, wintry Detroit circa 1995.
11/08/02
For all its grit, 8 Mile ends up radiating a joyful, hopeful vibe. It's an old-school charmer.
11/08/02
8 Mile has the pop star of the moment, Eminem, and a hip-hop soundtrack that's as current as it is contagious, but, at its core, the movie's spirit is as old-school as it comes.
11/08/02
Merely a solid, conventional drama, because it ultimately loses sight of one very important fact: Eminem is at his best when he's making people angry, not when he's asking for their sympathy.
11/08/02
It's raw, it's intense and it's very engrossing.
11/08/02
[Eminem] goes the mile demanded of him and he emerges a certified winner this time out.
11/08/02
8 Mile is entertaining to an extent. Our enjoyment is muted because the movie has an agenda.
11/08/02
Some movies, a very few, possess the purity of myth, and they don't have to be great to be greatly important. The Wild One is an example; Saturday Night Fever is another. Now add 8 Mile to that short list.
11/08/02
8 Mile goes the distance, and it proves that not every musician turned actor goes down a road paved with Glitter.
11/08/02
Top CriticLike the recently released 'Welcome to Collinwood' from Cleveland's Russo brothers, Curtis Hanson's '8 Mile' brings affection and honesty in equal measure to its tale of impoverished middle-Americans determined to get a better life -- on their own terms.
11/08/02
Say what you will about him as a person, but as a performing artist Marshall Mathers (a k a Eminem) has talent to spare. And one more thing -- his acting's not too bad, either.
11/08/02
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