With a decades-long career in music, Eminem is resurfacing in the public conversation again with his latest album. His recent appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards further solidifies his status as one of the best rappers in music. Back in 2002, during the height of his popularity, Eminem, real name Marshall Bruce Mathers III, tried his hand at acting as well in a movie loosely based on his life called 8 Mile. Now, that gripping drama, which features some heavyweight actors, is available to stream for free through Tubi.
Art Imitates Life in 8 Mile
8 Mile is a fictional story, but it contains autobiographical elements from Eminem’s real life. He plays a rapper in Detroit named Jimmy Smith Jr., a.k.a. B-Rabbit. Living in a trailer with his alcoholic mother just trying to get by, he dreams of becoming a hip-hop star. But he faces challenges in a genre typically dominated by Black artists. Still, B-Rabbit sits in his bedroom, restaurants, anywhere inspiration strikes and writes lyrics as they come to him, whether it’s in a notebook, on a napkin, or even on his hand. He has a talent that just needs to be realized.
Life complicates the situation further, however, when he breaks up with his pregnant girlfriend Jeaneane. Along with his little sister Lily, also living in the trailer is his mother’s boyfriend, Greg, an abusive man who creates further tension. The best way to become noticed within hip-hop culture is to enter rap battles in the city, and B-Rabbit is encouraged by his friend David “Future” Porter to do so. But he chickens out the first time. Things begin to look up when he meets Alex, a woman who encourages him to take more responsibility. He gains confidence in his rapping skills and even begins to show up for shifts at a car factory where he works on time, impressing his boss.
He gets the opportunity he has been waiting for when he has the chance to compete against a rival group, Leaders of the Free World, in a rap battle. Jimmy takes down each member, one by one. He shows his insight and skill by cleverly taking jabs at himself before they have a chance to do so. This includes mocking his “white trash” roots, the fact his girl cheated on him, and other losses he’s endured, rendering any clapback the others might have prepared useless.
Jimmy gets real kudos, however, when he reveals truths about the group’s leader, Papa Doc, that leave the man embarrassed. He talks about Papa Doc’s privileged upbringing and stable household, despite his persona of having come from the streets. He also uses his real name, Clarence, which further infuriates the man. Papa Doc concedes the battle and B-Rabbit is deemed the winner.
8 Mile’s Star-Studded Cast
Along with Eminem as Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith, 8 Mile also stars Kim Basinger as his mother Stephanie Smith. She’s a troubled woman with an addiction who doesn’t do much parenting. She spends her time drinking or playing bingo, though doing her best with the hand she has been dealt. The character is modeled, in some fashion, after Eminem’s own mother, Debbie Rae, of whom he has spoken often in interviews and even in his music.
Mekhi Phifer stars as David “Future” Porter, Jimmy’s best friend and host of the rap battle. It’s David who encourages Jimmy to take his talents to the stage and not to be worried about the fact that he would be the only white person there. David sees the talent that Jimmy has, and he recognizes that he belongs even before Jimmy accepts this. The late Brittany Murphy plays Alex, Jimmy’s love interest. While they begin a quick romance, Jimmy later finds her sleeping with a radio DJ named Wink (Eugene Byrd), which leaves him angered. She attends Jimmy’s final battle, but she also decides to move to New York.
Other characters include Cheddar Bob (Evan Jones), Sol George (Omar Benson Miller), and DJ Iz (De’Angelo Wilson) as Jimmy’s friends. Taryn Manning (Orange is the New Black) plays Jimmy’s ex-girlfriend Janeane and real-life hip-hop producer DJ Head plays Battle DJ. Michael Shannon (The Flash) is Greg Buehl, Stephanie’s abusive boyfriend, and Chloe Greenfield is Jimmy’s little sister Lily.
Some may forget that Anthony Mackie plays Papa Doc from Leaders of the Free World, the rapper who Jimmy takes down in the final battle. This was Mackie’s first major movie role. He has since gone on to appear in many high-profile projects, like The Hurt Locker and The Fifth Estate. Most notably, Mackie plays Sam Wilson/Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), including in several MCU movies as well as the series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He will next reprise the role for the upcoming movie Captain America: Brave New World.
8 Mile Has Made a Mark
8 Mile has made its mark in the movie space as one of the best movies about and starring a musician. It provides context about the rapper’s journey from a young man living a lower-class life in a trailer and dealing with family strife to someone who has risen above to realize his dream, against all odds. What makes 8 Mile so interesting to watch is that a lot of the movie is based on Eminem’s actual life, and experiences he actually had. Given the rapper’s popularity and loyal legion of fans, it’s no surprise that 8 Mile was a box-office success. At the time, the movie became the second-highest opening for an R-rated film after Hannibal.
8 Mile was received positively by critics and audiences, alike, though there were some polarizing views on the movie. The film has a 75% critic score and 54% audience score on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. David Nusair from Reel Film Reviews describes 8 Mile as having a “low-key, character-study-like premise that’s employed to persistently watchable (and periodically electrifying) effect.” When it comes to those who don’t like the film, the criticisms are simplistic. David Walsh of World Socialist Web Site calls the conclusion “thoroughly conformist and predictable.” Meanwhile, Justin Brown from Medium Popcorn wishes the movie had more rap battles in it.
8 Mile earned Eminem an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Lose Yourself,” an electric tune that intensifies as it goes, indicating a sense of urgency with every hopeful lyric. With this win, Eminem became the first rapper to win an Oscar. He also won Best Male Performance and Breakthrough Male Performance at the MTV Movie Awards in 2023 for his role of Jimmy.
Considering that today, 22 years later, Eminem continues to make music and remains just as popular as he was back then, it gives a new perspective to the importance of 8 Mile. For long-time fans of the rapper, or even those of a new generation just getting acquainted with him now, 8 Mile is a great movie to look back on and enjoy, either again or for the first time.
Watch 8 Mile for free on Tubi.
