8 Mile (2002)
70%RT Audience Score: 54%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
15 wins & 21 nominations total
Even though the story is overly familiar, there’s enough here for an engaging ride
Eminem’s acting skills in 8 Mile are like a surprise gift from that one friend who always forgets your birthday. You didn’t expect it, but you’re pleasantly surprised. The movie is a classic underdog story, but with more rap battles and fewer inspirational speeches. Plus, the soundtrack is fire. Sure, some of the themes and language may not have aged well, but if you can look past that, you’ll be in for a good time. Just don’t expect to leave the theater feeling like you can conquer the world.
Production Company(ies)
Perfect Day Films,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Detroit, Michigan, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong language, sexuality, some violence and drug use
Year of Release
2002
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 50m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 8, 2002 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 18, 2003
Genre(s)
Drama/Music
Keyword(s)
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Worldwide gross: $242,875,078
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $402,823,516
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 380
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 43,928,410
US/Canada gross: $116,750,901
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $193,638,676
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 367
US/Canada opening weekend: $51,240,555
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $84,985,667
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 102
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $41,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $68,001,066
Production budget ranking: 618
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $36,618,574
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $298,203,876
ROI to date (est.): 285%
ROI ranking: 477
August Diehl – Adolf Burger
Devid Striesow – Friedrich Herzog
Martin Brambach – Holst
Dolores Chaplin – Red-Haired Woman
August Zirner – Dr. Klinger
Stefan Ruzowitzky – Director/Writer
Josef Aichholzer – Producer
Nina Bohlmann – Producer
Babette Schröder – Producer
Director(s)
Curtis Hanson
Writer(s)
Scott Silver
Producer(s)
Brian Grazer, Curtis Hanson, Jimmy Iovine
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
15 wins & 21 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures Winners, Oscar Original Song Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (212) | Top Critics (57) | Fresh (159) | Rotten (53)
While not exactly wow, Eminem is solid and credible in a role which could so easily have screeched like chalk across a wet blackboard.
January 2, 2018
Barbara Ellen
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
It’s easy to like Jimmy Smith as well as to admire him, because Mr. Mathers lets us in, with no sign of calculation, on the kindness, even tenderness, that Jimmy conceals from most of the people around him.
April 7, 2014
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
TOP CRITIC
In the tradition of Rocky and Fever, the movie is a shrewdly engineered piece of proletarian pop — a story of triumph — but, like Eminem’s enraged lyrics, 8 Mile has its own kind of vile candor.
April 7, 2014
David Denby
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
In addition to showcasing Mathers, 8 Mile makes a case for rap as a creative rebel yell.
April 7, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Since his ascension to pop-culture royalty, Eminem has transformed the messy emotions of his life into musical black comedy. In 8 Mile, that life becomes an equally riveting drama.
April 7, 2014
Nathan Rabin
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
Despite the predictable formula, screenwriter Scott Silver wisely avoids taking the easy route every time; there are several small twists you may not expect, and the ending isn’t entirely a happy one.
April 7, 2014
Christy Lemire
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
…a low-key, character-study-like premise thats employed to persistently watchable (and periodically electrifying) effect…
February 18, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Flashes of genuine rebellion appear in 8 Mile, but they are few and far between. The film’s conclusion is thoroughly conformist and predictable.
February 16, 2021
David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
What (partially) saves this movie is the rap battle…why didn’t they give us more rap?
October 3, 2018 | Rating: 2/5
Justin Brown
Medium Popcorn
A lot of the themes and language in the movie haven’t aged well…the soundtrack is amazing, though.
October 3, 2018 | Rating: 2/5
Brandon Collins
Medium Popcorn
To be admired rather than enjoyed, but a considerable achievement nonetheless.
September 14, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Outside the rap slams, either the acting or the persona is a bit joyless.
February 3, 2018
Mark Steyn
The Spectator…
Plot
The setting is Detroit in 1995. The city is divided by 8 Mile, a road that splits the town in half along racial lines. A young white rapper, Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith Jr. summons strength within himself to cross over these arbitrary boundaries to fulfill his dream of success in hip hop. With his pal Future and the three one third in place, all he has to do is not choke.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
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