|
"Yo, hey, what up, dawg? You gotta flip that script, B,
you know what Ima saying?" If you understood a word of
that, then you will probably enjoy this film. Otherwise, this
is simply a mildly entertaining rehash of the standard Rocky
/ Karate Kid fairy tale, but with rap music replacing hand to
hand combat.
With that in mind, the plot requires little introduction. Washed
up boxer / skinny kid / wannabe rapper (Eminem), is struggling
to put his stamp on the world due to being out of shape / doesn't
know karate / has stage fright. A big boxing match / karate
tournament / rap battle is coming up and if he can prepare in
time, he might just triumph over the heavyweight champion /
local black belt bully / reigning rap king. Encouraged by aging
boxing trainer / mystical karate odd job man / yobbo mates and
inspired by love/lust for "girl-with-a-boy's-name-starting-with-A"
Adrian / Ali / Alex (Brittany Murphy), will he overcome his
demons in time? Of course, you know that he will, it's just
a question of what form the victory will take and how well the
audience has been emotionally prepared for it to have maximum
impact.
The world's most successful and controversial rapper, Eminem,
does a good job in the lead role, although it has to be said
that the part of white, moody, foul mouthed, but lyrically blessed
poet Jimmy 'B Rabbit' Smith is probably not much of a stretch
for him. Most of the supporting cast fill their roles convincingly
enough, although Kim Basinger is a little over the top and out
of place as Rabbit's trailer trash mum and Brittany Murphy (previously
only seen as oddballs in the likes of Girl, Interrupted) is
a revelation as Alex, Jimmy's trampy pseudo-girlfriend.
The whole movie takes place in dreary Detroit (even bleaker
than Rocky's Philadelphia) where the sun never seems to shine
and everyone is permanently grumpy. In some ways, this film
is trying to be part social commentary, with numerous references
blaming 'the City' for the district's woes. But the people who
will really enjoy this film are not there to ponder the causes
of poverty, they want to see Eminem in action. And they are
well rewarded with the rapping scenes where the man unleashes
his unique style to great effect. And, ironically, herein lies
one of the problems with this film. Rabbit is not enough of
an underdog. Sure, he is a white guy in an agressive black community,
but you know he is Eminem, and even the other characters keep
raving about how skilled he is. So you don't end up rooting
for him at the end the way you should - because you know he's
a star - and he doesn't need your encouragement.
All in all, this is vastly superior to most films starring
popular musicians. However, this is not saying much. It certainly
helps if you like rap and/or Eminem, but I can't help thinking
this is simply an ordinary retelling of a failsafe formula.
|