At the Movies - '8 Mile'

The Associated Press

Say what you will about Eminem -- that he's a misogynist and a homophobe, that his profane, violent rhymes taint the young minds of his fervent followers.

The man has undeniable charisma, so it comes as no surprise that he proves he can act in "8 Mile," his film debut.

After all, Slim Shady - or whatever he calls himself when he raps about killing his ex-wife and stuffing her body in a trunk - is nothing but an act, a side show for shock value.

What does come as a surprise is the softer side of Marshall Mathers III - that beneath the bravado, there is vulnerability. He wasn't afraid to turn himself into a sympathetic figure, and by doing so, he's turned himself into a movie star.

True, "8 Mile" pretty much follows Eminem's life story: He stars as Jimmy Smith Jr. - "Rabbit" to his friends - a white kid from a poor black neighborhood in Detroit who immerses himself in rap culture as an escape from his alcoholic mother and dead-end factory job.

Rabbit hangs out with his childhood friends, falls for a wannabe model named Alex (Brittany Murphy), and hones his skills, hoping to snag a recording deal that will take him far from the decrepitude of the city's 8 Mile Road.

But as Mariah Carey infamously proved last year with "Glitter," not all pop stars are comfortable standing in front of a camera and playing thinly veiled versions of themselves. Where Carey was stiff and self-conscious, Eminem is positively magnetic.

It certainly doesn't hurt that he has Curtis Hanson on his side. The "L.A. Confidential" director found the perfect balance between giving Eminem room to swagger and reining in the rapper's rage. The result: It's as if Eminem isn't even acting.

Hanson's stylistic approach to "8 Mile" is just as natural; it's so raw, it's practically a Dogma 95 film. With cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto ("Amores Perros"), he's stripped down the images to grainy grays and blues, bathed them in natural light and shot them mostly with hand-held cameras. The look enhances Eminem's innate immediacy, with his steely blue eyes and no-nonsense lyrics.

The power of his performance is enough to make you forgive the fact that "8 Mile" is essentially a rap version of "The Karate Kid," with Eminem in the Ralph Macchio role. Mekhi Phifer is his Mr. Miyagi, and a bunch of rich rappers who cruise around Detroit in a plush SUV fill in for the dreaded Cobra Kai karate students.

So we know that, after coming up lame in his first rap battle against his rivals, Rabbit must return to the same stage at the end to emerge victorious. There's so much noise and fun and energy to the climax, though, it doesn't matter that we saw it coming from the opening credits.

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.

If there is a weak link, it's Kim Basinger as Rabbit's mother. Hanson worked wonders with Basinger in "L.A. Confidential," the film that earned her a supporting-actress Oscar; here, she's singularly shrill and selfish.

Murphy is a joy to watch, though, as she has been consistently in scene-stealing supporting roles from "Clueless" to "Riding in Cars With Boys."

But to paraphrase an Eminem song, it would feel so empty without him. Thankfully, since he's in practically every frame of the movie, we never have to know what that's like.

"8 Mile," a Universal Films release, is rated R for strong language, sexuality, some violence and drug use. Running time: 111 minutes.

Three stars out of four.