Eminem in '8 Mile'

Aiding and abetting 8 Mile director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential) in this semi-politically correct edition of Eminem's life story are Kim Basinger (L.A. Confidential) and Brittany Murphy (Don't Say a Word). Basinger plays Rabbit's boozing, Bingo-addicted babe of a mom. And Murphy plays Alex, the wannabe model who falls for Rabbit's mad dope style but will still sleep with anyone who can help get her skinny butt to New York where she can start over, presumably as a super model or table dancer, whichever comes first.

Mad credit to the 8 Mile crew for its unflinching depiction of 313's (Detroit area code) hardcore underground, where each week DJs spin, emcees grin, and aspiring Tupacs compete by insulting each other in rhyming format for 45 seconds at a time. Kinda like a Fight Club without all the messy hitting, and you can dance too. The competition gets more tense with each round until the Rabbit comes up against Poppa Doc (Anthony Mackie) the president of Leaders of the Free World, a posse of thugs whose credibility it turns out ain't all it's cracked up to be. Powerful and provocative as the rap scenes are, subtitles would help those not familiar with the rapid-fire rhyming styling of Eminem and soundtrack notables Gangstar, Nas and the unforgettable, if unpronounceable Xzibit.

Though they gaze and phrase in similar ways, the real Em and his character Rabbit are quite different. Ain't nothing like the real thing? I don't think so. And I'll take the fictitious M2 any day. Rather than the gun-toting, homophobic M2 who was both heckled and heralded at this year's Video Music Awards, Rabbit is hard working and compassionate, a loyal son and defender of gays who does everything but bake cookies for the church bake sale. As such, 8 Mile could do much to polish the real Slim Shady's tarnished public image. Could it be the rapper born Marshall Mathers is maturing into a gentler gangsta more aligned with his celluloid alter ego? Or has the Slim One mastered the art of acting sincere and thereby perfected the shadiest move of all? Only his hood-dresser knows for sure.

It's all good at least as far the movie is concerned. Even if, like me, you grew up in the suburbs on a steady diet of bong hits, Budweiser and Bad Company, and your idea of (w)rapping has more to do with leftover bologna than improvisational street slang, 8 Mile still goes the distance. Named after a stretch of roadhouses and strip clubs that separate decaying inner Detroit from the affluent areas where many fled after race riots in the sixties, 8 Mile succeeds in keeping it real where it hurts, where scores of refrigerators sit empty in any number of housing projects and trailer parks thoughout the land. They're not very nice places to visit, but it's important to remember that people do live there – and sometimes even make it out alive.