I had reservations about seeing Hustle and Flow. From the way the trailer is cut, it seems like a terrible premise for a movie, because they emphasize the music, not the story. MTV hoped to draw an entire demographic to the theater to listen to mediocre “dirty south” style rap, and that was a big, big mistake.
The strength of this movie lies in the main character. The music was uninspired. The situations were sometimes ridiculous, and the ending was predictable. But aside from all of that, the main character’s struggle was real, and his hopes were relatable. Everyone aspires to something greater at some point in their lives, and everyone wishes they had the drive to pursue it. Everyone loves to read about or watch someone actually DO it, because it gives them hope that they can do it too, even if that hope disappears soon after the credits roll.
A lot of people judged this movie based on the content of the trailer, and that was a mistake. I did it too, but was willing to change my mind based on the number of very good reviews it’s been getting. I’m glad I did. I enjoyed it.
If I could change a few things, though, I would.
First, I would have spent more time on the music. The lyrics are too typical of the genre. Maybe that was the point, but when the music is used as such an integral plot device, it really needs to be more soulful, poetic and clever than your average Trick Daddy song.
Second, I would have cast ANYONE other than the kid from Road Trip. I realize that the character was supposed to be nerdy and out of place, but I cringed, and actually felt embarassed, every time he opened his mouth or moved to the music. There are people in this world that simply do not look right doing certain things, and he is one who does not look right trying to look or sound like he is anything other than a dorky white guy. He just can’t pull it off, and trying to do so isn’t funny, it’s sad for the rest of us whities.
Third, I wouldn’t have handled the climax as they did. It was predictable and easy. Someone who can read people and play them so well should have known that this person was bullshitting him. I just felt like the D Jay character wouldn’t gave swallowed it so easily, even given his desperate desire to do so. It just wasn’t plausible.
Fourth, I wouldn’t have had the pregnant woman, Shug (sp?), singing the chorus of the song “Whoop that trick” to her baby, as if it was a lullaby. It was in poor taste.
And last, the scene where D Jay realizes he loves Shug and rushes back in to kiss her, was way, WAY too long.
It was a decent movie. The character(s) were much more rich and well played than I expected. It’s a shame that this will be overlooked by and large while Fantastic Four makes a buttload of money.