Search - 8 Mile [Widescreen] [Uncensored Bonus Materials] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Profanity, Drug Content Movie Release: 2002 DVD Release: 03/18/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 51 mins Studio: Universal Studios Total Copies: 136 Genres: Drama, Musical Drama, Urban Drama See Also: 8 Mile [Fullscreen] [Uncensored Bonus Materials], 8 Mile [Widescreen], 8 Mile [Fullscreen], 8 Mile [UMD for PSP], 8 Mile [Widescreen] [Uncensored Bonus Features] [Blu-ray], 8 Mile [Fullscreen] [Uncensored Bonus Materials], 8 Mile [Widescreen], 8 Mile [Widescreen] [Blu-Ray/DVD]

Controversial rap star Eminem makes his acting debut in this hard-edged urban drama, inspired in part by incidents from the musician's own life. Jimmy Smith (Eminem), known to his friends as Rabbit, is a young man trying to make his way out of the burned-out shell of inner-city Detroit. Rabbit's entire life has been a hard climb, and it certainly hasn't gotten any easier lately; Rabbit has just been dumped by his girlfriend, forcing him to move back in with his emotionally unstable mother, Stephanie (Kim Basinger), and he's getting along especially poorly with Stephanie's new boyfriend. Rabbit has a factory job that's tough, demeaning, and doesn't pay especially well, and he's convinced his skills as a rapper are his only real hope at a better life. Rabbit makes music with a crew of DJ's and MC's who call themselves Three One Third, among them his close friend Future (Mekhi Phifer), but his status as a white kid making music in a predominantly African-American community and culture is extremely intimidating, and after Rabbit freezes up in the midst of an MC battle, he's convinced he's missed his chance and that he's doomed to lead a marginal life as a factory rat for the rest of his days. With the help of his friends, and his new girlfriend Alex (Brittany Murphy), Rabbit struggles to work up the courage and the confidence to take one more shot at making his dream a reality. 8 Mile was shot on location in Detroit; the name refers to 8 Mile Road, a thoroughfare along the city's perimeter which effectively separates the middle-class suburban neighborhoods from the lower-class inner-city. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Eminem - Jimmy Smith, Jr., AKA Rabbit
Kim Basinger - Stephanie Smith
Brittany Murphy - Alex
Mekhi Phifer - Future
Evan Jones - Cheddar Bob

Curtis Hanson is such a talented filmmaker, it's really too bad that more content isn't added to his movies on DVD. As with L.A. Confidential, this disc doesn't go far enough. An extensive documentary on the making of this film would have been a real plus, but sadly all that is offered is a nine-minute featurette. As much cast and crew interviews and behind the scenes, as shots from the film, it just doesn't go much further than standard studio PR material. More important, and far longer at around 24 minutes, are actual rap battles put together by the filmmakers to keep the mass of extras actors content during filming. Beyond that is a music tie-in for the soundtracks that takes you to the specific place in the movie for each song, an extremely racy music video for "Superman" from Eminem, the theatrical trailer, and the standard slew of production notes and filmographies. As for the film itself, the sound is a real highlight. Present in 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS tracks (as well as a 5.1 track in French) the audio on this disc is very powerful. Since so much of the film is made up of rap music segments, the bass really takes control. The low frequencies are deep and rich, but dialogue is never indistinguishable. The image, framed at 2.35:1 and anamorphic (there is a separate pan-and-scan version, and both also come in censored and uncensored editions) is a faithful representation of the theatrical print. The transfer is nearly perfect, at least as it's intended to be. Grain is evident, and purposeful, while colors stand out against the dreary backgrounds of Detroit. Whether you are fan of Eminem or not, this film is the Rocky of rap films, and while lacking in significant supplements, the DVD is a knock-out punch. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide