E-Mail This Article to a Friend HUSTLE & FLOW

This indie 8 Mile begins with a few nods to Quentin Tarantino: a winding monologue, a Jackie Brown credits sequences, and Isaac Hayes popping up in an unexpected place. Terrence Dashon Howard’s DJay is a bored Memphis pimp looking for a fresh career direction. Inspired by the fame of home-town boy and rap sensation Skinny Black (Ludacris), DJay enlists the help of his harem and a former schoolmate (Anthony Anderson) to record a demo tape to play for his idol.

Hustle & Flow garnered huge buzz at Sundance. Its gritty Memphis portrays a hidden America that Hollywood doesn’t deign to acknowledge, and the film does generate some genuine moments and performances, especially Howard’s. But remove the appeal of hip-hop and hookers and you’re left with a formulaic success story. Craig Brewster’s earnest script and direction lack his influence’s video-store-clerk mischievousness, and Hustle & Flow gets bogged down in clichés.