8 Mile (R, 2002)

common sense media says

Eminem's edgy, graphic quasi-biopic is not for kids.


parents & educators say
  • 35% say language is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the movie is rated R for nonstop profanity, violence, drug references, and very explicit sexual references and situations. Characters vandalize and burn down an abandoned house, and a character accidentally shoots himself. There's a reference to child rape. Eminem's character has an unstable mother who's living with a boyfriend his age, and she speaks to her son in very inappropriate ways about her sexual relationship. Some viewers will be upset by the neglect of the main character's sister, a little girl who witnesses violence, family fights, a mother who drinks and has sex with a young man, and other abusive situations.

Positive messages: Lots of bad behavior.
Violence: Characters are beat up, we see a bloody gunshot wound.
Sex: Graphic sexual references and situations.
Language: Constant and extremely strong profanity.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Drinking and smoking, a drunk character, many drug references.

More on 8 Mile

What to talk about

What's the story?

What's the story?

Loosely based on the real-life story of white rap superstar Eminem, this movie is very much in the tradition of other "poor kid with a dream" stories like Saturday Night Fever and Rocky. The structure of these stories is simple: a talented character has to learn to take risks and believe in himself. He has some setbacks, but ultimately triumphs.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Despite 8 MILE's top behind-the-scenes talent like director Curtis Hanson (of L.A. Confidential and Wonder Boys) and producer Brian Grazer (of A Beautiful Mind), this movie's primary appeal will be to the fans Eminem already has.

For those who accept the premise that rap is an art form, this movie will be easier to believe. This is not the genre-transcending triumph that it was intended to be, but it is far ahead of instantly outdated bombs like Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. Eminem has the ability to hold the screen, and if he is not exactly an actor, he is able to muster the few expressions required: tender when he looks at his sister (Chloe Greenfield), hopeful when he looks at Alex (Brittany Murphy), and sullen most of the rest of the time.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Curtis Hanson
Cast: Brittany Murphy, Eminem, Kim Basinger
Genre: Drama
Run time: 110 minutes
Theatrical release: October 8, 2002
DVD release: March 18, 2003
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: strong language, sexuality, some violence and drug use.

This review was written by Nell Minow
 
 

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What parents & educators say

14
Based on 23 parent & educator reviews:
  • 35% say language is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

uhya
teen, 13 years old
 
one of the best movies ever, but some strong sex, constant profanity, weed smoking and beat up and self shootings make it grown up. very good.

mynameisnick
teen, 15 years old
 
More mature teens and up. Eminem fans will love it for sure.
This in my opinon is the best drama movie ever. Note for parents, there is a lot of language, some fist fights and a man accidently shoots himself, also three scenes of sexuality. The first scene literaly last one second and you see a rear end, the second scene is more graphic (no nudity) there is a lot of thrusting and moaning and sexual things not good for kids and the third is also a short one (no nudity). Smoking and drinking is seen every once in a while. However this does have a good message to me and that is to never give up.

sicknasty
teen, 15 years old
 
Great family movie for all ages
Amazing movie, espically for eminem fans

WELTV
teen, 15 years old
 
Listen Up:
Eminem is a rapper that won an OSCAR for a movie about Underground Rap Battles, and just that says a lot. Look, parents, kids are gonna see this somehow if they are a fan of Eminem. I also think it is IMPORTANT for kids too see this, because the main overall message is both hard work will pay off, and that you should believe in yourself and pursue your dreams. Sure theres profanity (Eminem's songs are MUCH worse, and your kids probably already listen to him) and a non-nudity sex scene.

 
A great movie!
This is a high quality movie! It does show the bad parts of eminems life growing up in a trailer park so its not going to be the happiest movie and there are some things that are not appropriate for kids under the age of 15. But this is definately a good movie.

MOVIE ...
kid, 12 years old
 
EMINEM
i think this is a good movie but a graphic sex scene (no nudity) and cuss words but teaches u to follow ur dreams

Sanjay407
kid, 13 years old
 
Kind of like his albums

paramoreavrilrock
teen, 13 years old
 
AWESOME!!!!
I love this movie and it has a good message. Parents: If your going to let them watch the movie then.... SKIP THE SEX SCENES!

whats up dude
kid, 10 years old
 
EMINEM is cool but not for little people
i think you relly shouldnt watch this movie until your thirteen its bad it has very bad language an very bad sex but its the best movie in the history of movies and you know lots of parents let their kids watch spider man or iron man you know stuff like that but its not like that at all its relly relly relly inaproprate

Eminem is pure ...
kid, 12 years old
 
Eminem's 1st movie deal OK for teens 14+ that can handle sex, language and violence
I LOVE this movie! Especially since its Eminem. You can tell that just by my screenname. I have this on DVD and am hoping that they will make it on Blu-Ray because that would be KICK-ASS!!! There ARE some positive messages in this movie, but, like all movies like this, they're practically drowned by the intense cursing and violence, and the sex-scenes.

Imobob
kid, 12 years old
 
Encouraging to follow your dreams
8 mile is a great movie to me there is some violence But it won't scare you to much there is swearing in the Rap battles and stuff but other than that I think anyone Who is 9+ can see it !

austin318
teen, 14 years old
 
good for kids in middle school and up
Ok i'm an eight grader in middleschool and lets face it we know that all about the stuff in the movie I mean we aren't stupid.

mcminuskeebler1
kid, 11 years old
 
ok for 10+
i watched and i'm not messed up or anything. bob and rabbi supported each other, and Eminem believed in himself, good messages and sorta good role models

GuitarHero
teen, 17 years old
 
"8 Mile" is a great inspirational movie about going after your dreams
I'm not much of a rap fan but Eminem is defiinitely my favorite. This film (as graphic as it may be) has a strong message. If you want something in life, you got to go after it. The film has strong language, especially in the "battles". Violence consists of men suffling in the streets. A few fist fights. One character (who is very dim-witted) shoots himself in the leg with his own gun accidentally. Sexual content is graphic but there is no nudity. He walks in on his mother and her boyfriend having sex and he has sex with Brittany Murphy's character. The final battle is also inspiring. Because Eminem's character is basically saying "No matter what you say, I can do what I want for myself. The great thing about this movie is Eminem's performance. Which I really don't think he was acting, which was the great thing about it. I rate it iffy for 14+ because I think that kids need to see it for the positive messages. If you can cover their eyes through the sex scenes and mute the language on occasion it is definitely a must see.

livelovelax21
teen, 17 years old
 
8 Mile
8 Mile was an inspiring film about a young rapper who never gave up on his dreams. Although it had an amazing plot there were many scenes that were inappropriate. In the film there was nonstop swearing. There was also a lot of scenes including drugs, alcohol, and fighting. Overall I thought it was a good movie but inappropriate.

SwitchBlade
teen, 16 years old
 
Perfect, but not for kids
Loved it, definitely not a kid movie, but good for "MATURE" audiences i would guess. Shows alot of eminem's true skill in the freestyle battles, and is quite possibly one of the best Music Drama, other then Get rich or dye tryin'. Great for me to help find my style as a young rapper

davyborn
teen, 17 years old
 
Super profane tough-life rap story is full of drugs and sex.
8 Mile is still the only full-length movie that Eminem has acted in, even though it is already almost nine years old. A good, solid, realistic and ultimately depressing film, 8 Mile is very inspiring, especially to any aspiring rap artists, and is ultimately a story about persevering and trying your best t get to your dream. But, it does NOT sugarcoat anything that relates to the hip hop rap lifestyle, which involves non-stop, extremely pervasive language that prevails throughout the movie and also in song lyrics, and, speaking of song lyrics, there are some very explicit sex lines in some song lyrics, and not to mention three very strong sex scenes which show plenty of movement, and in one instant, rear female nudity. Also, there is some drug use which mostly consists of marijuana cigarette smoking, and some occasional bloody and brutal violence which also consists with the gangster lifestyle. But, in short, it's a good movie, but for adults only.

Scorpion245
teen, 18 years old
 
16+ Only
Really good movie I never knew eminem had good acting skills untill I seen this movie. There isn't much violence like movies now a days. The only problem is the langauge and the content.

 
Good movie.
I saw this when I was 12. I liked it then and I like it now. Sure, there's cursing and all, but it adds to the setting. At first I didn't like the ending, but then I liked it afterward, it would have been better than cliff-hangers. I wouldn't let a kid under 14 watch it though, unless they were really mature. Still a really good movie.

 
A good movie, suitable for persons from 14 years and up
Even though this movie contains sexualy material (no direct nudity at all,) it contains strong language and a few scenes featuring violence, it is a good hence to the reality of the less privileged places and people of the world, and if you pay god attention to the sub story and a couple of key lines in the screenplay you will find a message about the injustice of racism. i find this page ratings a bit too high, because this movie sends a good message about how a person can change. even though the lead character, Jimmy Smith Jr. (nickname Bunny Rabbit, played by Eminem) is into a lot of trouble on the streets, being dragged into a violent and dangerous environment, he still manages to rise up and get out, become a strong independent individual. i therefor recommend this movie strongly and say that if you are 13 to 14 u are not too young to see it

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age