8 Mile
In Fall 1995 in Detroit, Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Jr. (Eminem), a blue-collar worker from a poor family, struggles with various aspects of his life. He has moved back north of 8 Mile Road to the rundown trailer home in Warren, Michigan of his alcoholic mother Stephanie (Kim Basinger), his little sister Lily (Chloe Greenfield), and Stephanie's abusive live-in boyfriend Greg (Michael Shannon). Although encouraged by his friends who hail him as a talented rap music artist, Jimmy worries about his potential as a musician due to his lack of confidence. This causes him to panic during a rap battle one night at a club called "The Shelter" and leave the stage humiliated.
Jimmy works at an automotive factory, but when he asks for extra shifts, his supervisor dismisses his request on account of his habitual tardiness. Jimmy befriends a woman named Alex (Brittany Murphy). Over time Jimmy begins to take more responsibility for the direction of his life. When he exhibits an improved attitude and performance at work, his supervisor grants him the extra shifts he requested.
Later on, Stephanie receives a notice declaring that, because she cannot afford to pay the rent on her trailer, she and her family must vacate the premises immediately. Despite Stephanie's best attempts to keep the notice a secret, Greg finds out about it anyway, with a brutal fight ensuing between him and Jimmy, and Greg leaving Stephanie for good. Jimmy's friendship with Wink (Eugene Byrd), a radio station employee with ties to a record label prompter, becomes strained after he discovers that Wink does promotional work for Jimmy's rivals, a gang of rappers known as the "Leaders of the Free World". At one point, Jimmy and his friends get into a brawl with the Leaders, which is broken only when Jimmy's friend Cheddar Bob pulls out a gun and accidentally shoots himself in the leg; he survives, but is relegated to crutches.
At work one day, Jimmy sees a rap battle in which a worker named Mike (Xzibit) insults a gay co-worker Paul with his lyrics. Jimmy joins the battle to defend Paul by insulting Mike. Alex is impressed by this and she and Jimmy have sex in the factory. Wink arranges for Jimmy to meet with producers at a recording studio, but Jimmy finds Wink and Alex having sex atop a mixing console. Enraged, he beats up Wink and their friendship is ended. In retaliation, Wink and the Leaders of the Free World attack and beat up Jimmy outside his mother's trailer. The leader of the gang, Papa Doc (Anthony Mackie), holds Jimmy at gunpoint, threatening to kill him but Wink dissuades Papa Doc.
Jimmy's best friend Future (Mekhi Phifer) pushes him to get his revenge by competing against the Leaders of the Free World at the next rap battle. However Jimmy's late-night shift conflicts with the next battle tournament. But a goodbye visit from Alex, who is moving to New York, changes his mind about competing. Paul, the co-worker whom Jimmy had stood up for, agrees to cover for him at work, and Jimmy enters the battle.
In each of the three rounds of the battle, Jimmy is pitted against a different member of the Leaders and wins the first two rounds. In the last round he is paired against Papa Doc. Jimmy is aware that Doc knows all his weak points, so he uses his difficult life as a springboard to reveal the truth about Papa Doc: his real name is Clarence and despite passing himself off as a thug he comes from a privileged background, having attended Cranbrook Schools, a private high school in upper-class suburb Bloomfield Hills, and grown up in a stable two-parent household.
With nothing to say in rebuttal, Clarence hands the microphone back to Future, feeling embarrassed that someone he thought was below him beat him in a battle. After being congratulated by Alex and his friends, Future offers him a position hosting battles at The Shelter. Jimmy declines, saying he has to get back to work and to find success his own way. He walks back to work, with a renewed sense of confidence about his future.
neo noir