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Homegrown Pictures
Not part of a collection.
Everybody gotta have a dream.
With help from his friends, a Memphis pimp in a mid-life crisis attempts to become a successful hip-hop emcee.
CinemaSerf
Nov 23, 2024 · via TMDB
Terrence Howard really does put his heart and soul into this gritty story of an aspiring man who wants to leave his pimping days behind him and become an hip-hop MC. Living in Memphis, the city has an huge musical tradition but his own personal baggage threatens to drag him down at every opportunity as he tries to attach himself to visiting superstar "Skinny Black" (Ludacris). He knows that this is likely to be his last opportunity to escape the cycle of hopelessness he faces, but can he stay focused, on-course and away from crime long enough to prove his worth? The main characterisation of "Djay" is strongly portrayed here with guts and a degree of viscerally plausible credibility that really works at times. Sadly, though, the bulk of the rest of it resorts to more aggressive and would mouthed stereotyping that reinforces so many pejorative views of how African American men treat each other and the women (and children) in their lives. It's that very sad predictability that rather ruined the potency of Howard's effort here, and by mid-way through I can honestly say I couldn't have cared less whether he succeeded or not. Too many lives had already been ruined by his previous behaviour, so why should he escape the consequences of a vicious circle he had quite an hand in creating? There's plenty for fans of the musical genre to get their teeth into as that offers a boxing-like conduit for those without academic credentials to use their more creative talents to escape their torpor and find hope. It may well resonate more in the USA, but elsewhere it can come across as a story of an unlikeable man who played in the dog-eat-dog world until it no longer suited him, then tried to escape being eaten himself.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Terrence Howard
Djay
Anthony Anderson
Key
Taryn Manning
Nola
Taraji P. Henson
Shug
DJ Qualls
Shelby
Ludacris
Skinny Black
Paula Jai Parker
Lexus
Elise Neal
Yevette
Isaac Hayes
Arnel
Juicy J
Tigga
DJ Paul
R.L.
Jeff Pope
Trick (uncredited)
Amy Vincent
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Craig Brewer
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John Singleton
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DJ Paul
Music Producer
Frayser Boy
Music Producer
Juicy J
Music Producer
Scott Bomar
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Frayser Boy
Songs
Juicy J
Songs
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Craig Brewer
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1987
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1987 · 14 wins
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1978 · 13 wins
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1981 · 11 wins
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