Everybody has a dream of some sort. Martin Luther King had a dream. Game had a dream, something to do with an R&B bitch. This weekend, at the matinee showing of Hustle and Flow, I realized, I too, had a dream. A dream of being able to watch a movie, without the constant background noise of a "voluptuous" popcorn eating, milk dud popping fellow theatre patron. Aside from the constant grinding of her canines, she took the time to use her buttery fingertips to both make and receive calls. Yes, during the weekends, cell phone calls are free, but please at least exercise some sort of restraint when in a confined area.
Hustle and Flow chronicles the life of a street hustler trying live his dream. DJay (Terrance Howard) portrays the role of a North Memphis bred, "southern comfort" pimp, who desires more than a straight to life re-enactment of "Pimps Up Hoes Down". DJay is at the crossroads in his life. Being a low budget pimp from the front seat of his multi colored '87 caprice classic sittin' dubs, with only 3 in his stable: Nola, Lexus and Shug (Taryn Manning, Paula Jai Parker, Taraji Henson), he needs to make a change, not only for himself, but for those who he supports and who support him.
As luck would have it, he runs into an old comrade turned church piano player, Key (Anthony Anderson) who, once upon a time also had aspirations of being a record producer. After an unexpected epiphany in the sanctuary and an opportunity to bring back the memories of old, a partnership is formed. With the help of Key's friend, Shelby (DJ Qualls), a dead ringer for the cover of MAD magazine, the trinity has been established.
Realizing they have numerous battles to wage in the war to achieve success, they adopt a "by any means necessary philosophy". From using cardboard drink carriers for sound-proofing of makeshift studio walls, to turning tricks for microphones, anything is possible. Simply getting your work recorded is only one hurdle to be surpassed, marketing of the product and eventually getting it in the right hands is an entirely different, and more complex matter.
What They Say
"The tale of a broke-down Memphis pimp turned rapper is being dismissed as shallow wish fulfillment, poverty porn, a hip-hop cash-in, and just plain silly. Of course, Hustle & Flow is all those things, but it telegraphs its intentions quite clearly. With 8 Mile in its rearview, this flick openly guns for the Rockys. And though Terrence Howard's nuanced performance as accidental rap artist DJay suggests complex emotions, this is more Singin' in the Rain than Esther Kahn."
- Laura Sinagra, Village Voice
"What separates "Hustle & Flow" from the pack is its sweaty Southern atmosphere, the conviction of its characters and, as mentioned, Howard's acting, full of nuance and charisma... Of course, you may find yourself resisting rooting for a guy who tosses an infant out the door in the middle of the night and sings with laughable self-pity that "it's hard out here for a pimp ... with a whole lot of bitches jumping ship."
- Glenn Whipp, U Daily News
"A sort of Rocky for ambitious street hustlers, Hustle & Flow traffics in the risky business of making prostitution seem not quite as bad as the hip-hop world, and it conjures a sticky mix of urban grit and Hollywood schmaltz. That it often succeeds is a tribute to Mr. Howard.. Mr. Howard's performance is a showstopper ..It's hard to think of another actor who could so engagingly suggest and make us care that it is, indeed, hard out there for a pimp."
- Chris Vognar, Guidelive
"The movie is almost a parody of the "From the Ghetto to the cover of Vibe" story. But there's an unsettling tension about it. We can stay two steps ahead of the plot, knowing what's going to happen, dreading it and still drawn into it by Howard's performance... But the movie is too corny to be edgy, and too hard-core to be uplifting."
- Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Having a strong desire for something, in some occasions, leads you to create your own sense of reality, or history, whichever is needed to get you closer to your goal. DJay has spoke the falsehood, that him and Skinny Black (Ludacris), a local rapper turned superstar, were somewhat familiar, almost friendly with one another when in high school. He's told the fable so long, and to so many others that he honestly believes it as truth. When in reality, they are no closer to being comrades than we are to finding weapons of mass destruction.
A chance opportunity, at a hole in the wall club, allows DJay the opportunity to meet with Skinny Black, to not only bring back fond memories of their childhood, but also pass on his demo, with the hopes of catching a break. After hours of reminiscing and laying groundwork to what is supposed to lead to the opportunity of a lifetime, DJay provides Skinny Black with the key to his livelihood, a demo tape, with the belief that he is one step closer to bringing his dreams to fruition. Only to, soon after, have his heart sink, quicker than Enron stock, after seeing his tape, his dream, his life, floating in a linoleum dungeon, smaller than the one in which he lives.
All the built up frustrations, heartache, and disappointment of working to gain something so rightly deserved, but quickly snuffed out are transferred to Skinny Black, through a serious of upper cuts. Punches, which inevitably, come back to give a temporary TKO to DJay, his promising career and the careers of many other rising stars alike.
My Opinion
Some will say this movie is stereotypical, or that it depicts a story that has been told many times over. In some instances, I would agree. It does tell a story, one that has been repeated through history, but one of truth, of struggle and of perseverance. We all make decisions that, if given the opportunity to re-live, we would change. But life is just not that simple. Those struggles not only make us appreciate what we have attained but also to realize where we came from, and what we had to do to make that dream a reality.
In my opinion, this movie gives you a glimpse into the lives of those who "got rich, or died trying", something that is often spoken of, or rapped about, but not normally visualized. Being from Lizard Spit, North Carolina (Pollocksville), I'm somewhat immune to antics as such. This flick showed me things that were foreign to me, yet common day occurrence to others. It exhaled a breath of weed laced, "tip drill" air into a country girl's face. A breath much needed, and deeply inhaled.
- 3 sticks of butter and the remix to "Whoop That Trick"
