The movie 8 Mile opened.

November 8, 2002: 8 Mile opened.

Directing: Curtis Hanson Writing: Scott Silver Starring: Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer This 2002 dramatic feature film starred Eminem in his film debut portraying white rapper Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith Jr. in his efforts to launch a hip-hop career. Movie critic Roger Ebert said “this movie stands aside from routine debut films by pop stars” WK and reflected on the somewhat autobiographical story of Eminem’s real life that it is “a faithful reflection of his myth.” WK Critic Peter Travers said, it “is a real movie, not a fast-buck package to exploit the fan base.” WK The movie title comes from a Detroit Highway called 8 Mile Road which separates the largely white suburban communities from the predominantly black urban core of the city. Rotten Tomatoes describes the road “as the city limit, a border, a boundary. It is also a psychological dividing line that separates Jimmy…from where and who he wants to be.” RT Jimmy is a blue-collar worker at a car factory who lives in a trailer park near 8 Mile Road with his alcoholic mother. At the encouragement of his best friend, Future (Phifer), he competes in a freestyle rap battle, defeating members of the Free World crew, a rival rap gang. The movie made $51 million in its opening weekend, going on to make $242 million worldwide across its run. The soundtrack (featuring five songs from Eminem) went four times platinum, fueled by the huge success of the song “Lose Yourself,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks. It won an Oscar for Best Original Song as well as a Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media. MTV crowned it the Best Video from a Film. For more important days in music history, check out the Dave’s Music Database history page. Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “History Index” DMDB encyclopedia entry for Eminem RT Rotten Tomatoes WK Wikipedia First posted 11/5/2023.