Get Rich or Die Tryin’

Get Rich or Die Tryin'
Cast: 50 Cent, Benz Antoinee, Viola Davis
Studio: Paramount
Rating: 6/10

CORPORATE LINE: Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, one of the biggest and most popular stars in hip-hop, is the charismatic driving force behind “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” a hard-hitting drama directed by six-time Oscar® nominee Jim Sheridan about an orphaned street kid who makes his mark in the drug trade but finally dares to leave the violence behind and become the rap artist he was meant to be. Marcus (Jackson) has always known he was going to be a rapper, but when his mother is murdered, he turns to dealing – hustling drugs pays the rent. As his world spirals out of control, he begins to apply the same manic intensity to his writing as he does to dealing; he has to write down his words to stay sane. For years, he endures this living hell until a tragedy that nearly kills him gets Marcus to change his life.

THE MOVIE: After Eminem’s foray into film with his “biography” we all knew it wouldn’t be long before other hip-hop artists made films about their lives. 50 Cent certainly has a very interesting and amazing story. He grew up with nothing only to become worth tens of millions of dollars. This film proves America is truly the land of plenty.

Sadly, this film and story have been made many times before. Anyone remember Scarface? 50 Cent is no Al Pacino. 50 Cent doesn’t even do a good 50 Cent.

50 Cent lacks emotion throughout. It almost seem absurd that he can’t muster up enough emotion to make us believe he was every the person he portrays on screen. Even the good actors, like Terrence Howard, get hung up on terrible lines. Eminem was charming and you believed he went through every struggle that he performed on screen. Better yet, Eminem wrote a great song for the film.

No matter the amount of talented actors that surround untalented ones you can’t escape the one poor performance as it drags the rest down. 50 Cent should have been played by someone who can act. Hustle & Flow did the same story ten times better.

FRANKLY: 50 Cent’s story isn’t particularly inspiring. The idea that committing a crime can lead to something that pays millions by exploiting your previous crime as art is not the kind of message anyone should be comfortable sending. At least in Scarface the bad guy gets his due by paying for his crime with his life which sends the message that crime doesn’t pay. Here we are told that crime does pay.

I’m too young to be old fashioned but there are too many great people out there that started off poor, did all the right things, and became something great. Why aren’t we getting those messages out? Are they not bloody enough? Not enough bullets and sex? Hollywood has got it wrong, again. Certainly Hollywood will believe they got it right if Get Rich performs at the box office.

+ Charlie Craine


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