‘8 Mile’ a surprisingly timid rap drama Eminem’s semiautobiographical film debut lacks urgency, spontaneity of his music

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In theaters

8 MILE, directed by Curtis Hanson, written by Scott Silver, 111 minutes, rated R.

The title of Curtis Hanson’s “8 Mile” comes from the stretch of highway that divides the racially mixed inner city of Detroit from its predominantly white, middle-class suburbs. On a map, it’s an area about the size of a postage stamp, but economically, it might as well be a continent away.

On the surface, “8 Mile” seems to promise a story that will transcend that gap, but it doesn’t, at least not completely.

The film, from a script by Scott Silver, is a rap movie designed to appeal to a specific demographic – the white, suburban audience on the privileged side of the tracks. As such, it’s generic and unthreatening without being boring, a slick, claustrophobic drama that pretends to be edgy but which actually isn’t. It homogenizes the rap scene and offers zero insight into hip-hop culture.

That it goes out of its way to push as few buttons as possible is the film’s biggest surprise and its greatest shortcoming, especially since it’s being billed as the semiautobiography of its controversial star, Eminem, the gifted yet polarizing rapper who has made a fortune by pushing the world’s buttons.

What the film lacks are just those qualities you’d expect it would have in spades – an undercurrent of urgency, spontaneity and soul. The film is hardly a total bust – I enjoyed parts of it – but unlike Prince’s “Purple Rain,” it’s rarely as smart or as provocative as the often brilliant, spellbinding lyrics for which its star is known.

Set in 1995, the film stars Eminem as Jimmy Smith Jr., a scrappy rapper-wannabe living in a cramped trailer with his washed-up mother (Kim Basinger), his angelic kid sister (Chloe Greenfield) and his mother’s abusive boyfriend (Michael Shannon), none of whom break stereotype.

Nicknamed Bunny Rabbit by his family and friends – a name that suggests a warm-and-fuzzy sensibility that’s about as far removed from Eminem’s real-life persona as you can get – the film’s other joke, at least for Rabbit’s foes, is that he aspires to be a rap star.

Considering he’s white, that’ll be almost impossible to pull off in this town, but with the help of his best friend, Future (Mekhi Phifer), who emcees a weekly rap battle, and Jimmy’s other friends and his new girlfriend, Alex (Brittany Murphy), he nevertheless has the support he needs even if he doesn’t have the self-confidence to immediately succeed.

Indeed, after freezing onstage in the film’s disastrous opening battle, Rabbit recedes into an emotional hole, from which he only finds the courage to leave at the end of the movie, when Hanson at last allows him to take the stage again in a rap showdown.

Like so much of this unusually timid movie, the rap contest that closes the film is engaging but not electrifying. It lacks the intensity of Eminem’s best songs, such as “Lose Yourself” and “Cleaning Out My Closet.”

As an actor, he has presence, but the film doesn’t allow him to fully capture the rage that defines so much of his work. That proves especially disappointing, sort of like if Madonna had released her “Sex” book without the sex.

Grade: C

On video and DVD

BAD COMPANY, Directed by Joel Schumacher, written by Jason Richman and Michael Browning, 111 minutes, rated PG-13.

Joel Schumacher’s comedic thriller “Bad Company” asks audiences to suspend disbelief to such an absurd degree, they might hang themselves trying.

Originally set to hit theaters just weeks after Sept. 11, the film, about a plot to blow up Manhattan, was swiftly shelved until June 7, which just happened to be the very week the official cleanup ended on the World Trade Center towers.

No, Disney’s Touchstone Pictures couldn’t get a break with this film – and they didn’t deserve one.

In the movie, Anthony Hopkins is Oakes, a gum-snapping, toothpick-chewing CIA agent eager to prevent a Yugoslav terrorist named Dragan (Matthew Marsh) from purchasing a nuclear weapon from a Russian Mafiosi named Adrik Vas (Peter Stormare).

His key man in the operation was Kevin Pope (Chris Rock), a refined agent posing as an antiques dealer whose life is snuffed early in the film. For Oakes, tracking down Kevin’s twin brother, Jake Hayes (Rock), to complete the deal isn’t the problem. Instead, the problem rests in getting him to do the job competently – which, ironically, also can be said for director Schumacher.

Peppered with jump-cuts, explosions, car chases and some pseudowitty banter between Rock and Hopkins – none of which works – the film finds Schumacher pairing with producer Jerry Bruckheimer (“Pearl Harbor,” “Armageddon”) and, in the end, proves the rule sometimes you really are as bad as the company you keep.

Grade: D

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, Tuesdays and Thursdays on WCSH 6 and WLBZ 2, and are archived on RottenTomatoes.com. He can be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.

The Video-DVD Corner

Renting a video or a DVD? NEWS film critic Christopher Smith can help. Below are his grades of recent releases in video stores, starting alphabetically with the most current releases.

Bad Company ? D

The Importance of Being Earnest ? B-

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones ? C+

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys ? B-

The Powerpuff Girls Movie ? B

Pumpkin ? C+

The Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood ? B+

Eight Legged Freaks ? B

Spider-Man ? A-

Sum of All Fears ? D

E.T.: 20th Anniversary Edition ? A

Mr. Deeds ? D

Insomnia ? A

Life or Something Like It ? B-

Scooby-Doo ? C-

Windtalkers ? C-

Big Trouble ? D

Enough ? C-

Jason X ? Bomb

Brotherhood of the Wolf ? B

The Scorpion King ? B

Enigma ? C

Monsoon Wedding ? A-

Murder by Numbers ? C

Death to Smoochy ? B+

40 Days and 40 Nights ? C-

Monsters, Inc. ? A-

Panic Room ? B

Changing Lanes ? B

Count of Monte Cristo ? B+

Frailty ? C-

Blade II ? B+

High Crimes ? C

Queen of the Damned ? C-

Iris ? B

Joe Somebody ? D

The Rookie ? A-

The Sweetest Thing ? D+

We Were Soldiers ? B+

Birthday Girl ? B

The Business of Strangers ? B

Clockstoppers ? C

In the Bedroom ? A

The New Guy ? D

Deuces Wild ? D-

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ? B+

Collateral Damage ? D

Dragonfly ? D

Resident Evil ? C-

Crossroads ? C-

Kung Pow: Enter the Fist: B-