 Director: Craig Brewer Starring: Terrence Howard Studio: Paramount Pictures Genre(s): Drama Rated: R (For sex and drug content, pervasive language and some violence) |
Djay (Terrence Howard) is a businessman, but he's in a business he never imagined he'd be in. He is the hood's local pimp, and it is his job to take care of his hoes, get paid, and stay out of jail. He grew up in an area where opportunity did not appear to be in abundance, and the only person who made it out was a kid he went to high school with who has since become a famous rapper named Skinny Black (played by real-life rapper Ludacris). Watching Skinny carve a life out for himself (and a chance acquisition of a sound keyboard) gets Djay wondering if he could change his circumstances as well.
You must remember readers that this was before the time of Spotify and Apple Music. Even if the film was set in modern times, Djay doesn't have the resources to become a viral sensation. All the money he gets goes to pay the rent and buy food for his kids. Soon that rent money will be spent on demo tapes, microphones, and reaching out to old friends who have been slightly more successful than he is. It is a risky gamble, but one he hopes will turn out for the best. Despite the unorthodox job of our protagonist and R-rating, "Hustle & Flow" plays out like a typical underdog story.
We follow a hero who has flaws but is ultimately a good person. Like other films of this ilk, the man has been dealt a hand that results in him struggling most of his life. Fate steps in with a chance for him to follow his dreams and against all odds he takes it. What elevates this movie is the fact that Djay's life is not simple. Even if he can write the greatest rap song in the world his ability to get it out into the world hinges on factors that are out of his control. When life is at his lowest, he admits to his friend that one day that when he tells his kids that they can achieve their dreams no matter what, he will lie through his teeth and tell them that they can.
It is a raw scene that not only highlights the difficulty of breaking out of a bad situation but shows that Djay is, at heart, a good man who deserves to be in a better situation than the one he currently is in. Terrence Howard proved here that he is a character actor trapped in the body of a lead actor, and it's disappointing that his career got sidelined for reasons that are too complicated to state here. Despite what happened in everyone's career after the release (including some ugly fights about unpaid royalties), "Hustle & Flow'' is still the hard-core inspirational underdog movie that fans of underdog stories should eat up.
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