Hustle & Flow Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Everybody gotta have a dream.
The music will inspire them. The dream will unite them. This summer get crunk.
An aspiring emcee from the Dirty South who is trying to make it in the hip-hop world has to deal with many different types of people who try to bring him down, including strippers, his baby's mama, and all the things that try to keep a player down. This is probably his last chance to make it: he is approaching his 40s, and his life is looking downhill.
| 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 |
| Jordan Houston | Tigga |
| William Engram | Slobs |
| Bobby Sandimanie | Yellow Jacket |
| Haystak | Mickey |
| Claude Phillips | Harold |
| Josey Scott | Elroy |
| Craig Brewer |
7.50 out of 10 (14986 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Best Black Movie in a While
posted on 22 Aug 2009This movie kind of reminds me of High Tension in a way. It's a movie that definitely fits into a genre that's become rather cliché but takes its execution seriously. One huge reason why it's successful is because they chose a real actor to play the lead. Usually in these "urban" movies they choose some rapper with no acting skills just so they can pull in the rap fans. The movies seem to end up profitable so there is no reason to stop doing it except for quality reasons and fortunately the people responsible for this movie seemed to care about quality. Ludicrous is in here but he plays a bit part and actually does a pretty good job at it.The characters are multi dimensional and there is good character development. Some may not like the fact that none of these characters are very redeemable but redeemable characters don't really define if a movie is good or not. Look at Quinton Tarantino's movies. What's important is that they are believable.One thing I really liked about this movie is that it captures the essence of random guys in a homemade music studio putting together songs and the energy that comes when something clicks. The scene where they put together, "Beat that Trick" is awesome 'cause that's what happens when the vibe comes.The only downfall of this movie is just how easily everything comes together at the end but the rest of the movie makes up for it. I'm just glad someone put together a quality black movie again.
Hustle and Flow will have you hustling to a theater
posted on 14 Aug 2009At first glance Hustle and Flow may appear to be a goofy film about the hard- knock life of a pimp trying to break into the rap world, but after viewing the film at Sundance it is clear that this dramatic film stands heads and shoulders above its peers. TERRENCE DASHON HOWARD has a break-out performance as DJay, the pimp with bigger dreams of becoming a rap star. TARYN MANNING and TARAJI P. HENSON share the screen wonderfully with HOWARD as his "supporting ladies". ANTHONY ANDERSON and DJ QUALLS complete this rat pack as the men behind the music. As the film unfolded, I found myself invested in the characters fears, hopes, and dreams. They are stuck in a world of prostitution and drugs, and everyone's hopes to break out of that cyclical world are resting on DJay's shoulders. I enjoyed watching the characters develop and learning more about their inner wishes as the plot progressed. They may be rough around the edges, but they know how to work what they have. Also the music in the film should be credited as a supporting role. A great soundtrack will be coming out of Hustle and Flow. The film avoids a cliché ending, yet it still satisfies the viewers needs.
Amazing...
posted on 21 Jul 2009The Story, as an original screenplay, could be considered for an Academy Award. The acting is world class and Terrence Howard brought the type of performance that... Well, let's just say that he should be considered seriously for all the major decorations that an actor can receive this year based on a single performance... Seriously. The entire cast as an ensemble earned their checks!!! (Okay, Anthony Anderson and Ludicrous were okay, but they did their job). Bottom line... See this movie. There were people in the movie theater, at which I saw this film, that had interesting reactions. Several people were expecting a "movie" that was basically an extended rap video. If that's what you're looking for (50 cent fans), you will not find it here. This is a "film". Art. Truth. Maturity. The medium was definitely respected. (Make no mistake, there is some real grit to this film!)See it.
From Pulitzer -Worthy Beginning to Pat Ending - SPOILERS
posted on 15 Jul 2009The performances were all (except that of Ludicrous, which was just OK) outstanding. I thought the first third of the movie was so spectacular that I said aloud to myself, "Forget Oscar, this should win a Pulitzer!" But right after I thought that, the movie changed. The movie went from layered and rich poetry to pat Hollywood formula. At the moment when the pimp made his #1 girl kiss the microphone, it all came crashing back to Earth for me.The microphone as penis metaphor was so obvious and on the nose it made me mad. Making her kiss the microphone is no different from making her suck a d$#k. I'm sure that analogy is what the writer/director intended; but nonetheless, in either case the hooker has little power. Isn't she supposed to be on an upward trajectory of self-empowerment? Didn't she just participate in that "I'm in charge" scene? Rather than oblige and actually kiss the mic, she should have sung into it or spoken into it or somehow changed what he asked her to do so that she preserved even an inkling of personal power.After that scene, the movie continued to be typical and, I dare say, more and more sexist. The male protagonist becomes increasingly nice and "gives" his women more and more power. The women don't claim it for themselves, they have to wait for it to be delivered. OK, fine so he's an ogre with a heart, but then what? Then the "hero" gets ridiculous. He becomes cartoon-angry over the tape in the toilet. Hasn't his character grown to be smarter and more proud than that? Surely his character would know that if Skinny didn't like it someone else would. Cut your losses and move on.The whole ending sequence made the hero small and ignorant. He wasn't small and ignorant in the beginning, he was just a victim of circumstance embarking on a journey to self-empowerment. His actions at the end were regressive, not progressive. They were the actions of an idiot, not a hero. Sure, we can empathize and understand that he is angry and feels betrayed and that he had all his hopes on that one tape and with that one guy; but any reasonable person, let alone a hero on an upward spiral, would know to not overreact so hugely.Anyhoo, despite those aspects that I found irritating, it was still a rich and interesting cinematic experience with unbelievable performances, especially from the pimp and his blond "primary investor."
Great movie!
posted on 29 Jun 2009I saw this movie in LA at a special screening. This movie is very, very good. I'm going to go again when it is released. A great movie makes you feel a connection with the characters even when they are very different from you. I felt this connection with the characters in this film. Even though this film is about a pimp and his hos and his dream it feels relative to the audience because we all have our own dreams, we all have been in a rut that we have desperately wanted out of and this film communicates these feelings in a truly original manner.The actors all performed superbly and the Memphis mannerisms and music were right on target. There are a lot of expletives used towards women but I was not offended by it because of the fact that this film successfully immerses the audience member into the subculture that it is attempting to unveil. This film was emotional and funny in all the right places. Terrence Howard performed exceptionally and so did Anthony Andersen. I believe he is a very talented actor and I hope that he can successfully make the transition from comedy into more dramatic roles faster than actors like Jamie Foxx. He did a great job in this movie. The two main white characters in this film also were not cheap props put there just to be laughed at in a film of mostly black characters. They both had substance and made smart remarks. I respect that. Overall this movie was well written and well acted. I hope the subject matter doesn't deter moviegoers from seeing it because they would be missing out on a great film.P.S. I wouldn't take my kids to this film. This is definitely a movie for adults although there are no real sex scenes.
Hustle & Flow is easily one of the year's best films
posted on 25 Jun 2009The story of a nobody, a nothing, daring to have a dream. Daring to aspire to be something more than what he is. More than what society says he'll always ever be. THAT is what Hustle & Flow is. The main character is not perfect because life is not perfect. He's flawed. He's damaged goods. Just like the damn rest of us. But there is something deep within him. Something that wants more out of his life than to 'end up like this'. Gritty, emotional, sometimes hard-to-watch but always real, Hustle & Flow captured the soul of the ghetto. That desperation for a better life that is intrinsic to all human beings. This film was awesome and Terrance Howard did an unbelievable job.
Everybody Gotta Have a Dream
posted on 21 Jun 2009Think back to the days of the "blaxploitation" film. Now imagine if one of these films had production values, a real budget and a professional crew, all the things a modern Hollywood movie takes for granted. Now imagine the lead is not just a solid actor, but a revelation, so good that he makes every actor around him elevate their game into something mythic. If you had all that, you may just end up with "Hustle & Flow."The film isn't perfect; D.J. Qualls stumbles in his dramatic scenes, and Anthony Anderson is only good at playing Anthony Anderson. Those two aside, every actor absolutely vanishes into the roles they play (though Taraji Henson as the pregnant Shug does waver back and forth, occasionally overdoing it) and the result is a powerful, real, absolutely watchable film for anyone who just loves a strong, character-driven story. These aren't the cartoons we're used to watching in movies about "the streets"; these are real people, they exist, and anyone who says different has never ventured out of the suburbs.Despite the problem actors, they do each get at least one moment where they are just as real as those around them. And Terrence Howard is a revelation, though I'm surely not the first person to say it. I didn't see this movie because of the reviews, I saw it because of Howard's performance in "Crash" and the trailer for "Idlewild." He's got a presence, and he lives and breathes this role in a movie that is almost, but not quite up to him, which is exactly like Charlize Theron in "Monster," or Hilary Swank in "Boys Don't Cry," or Denzel Washington in "Training Day." The movies are very good. The actor radiates.A quarter-century after the death of blaxploitation cinema, the African-American film movement is in a shambles. Spike Lee and John Singleton only have one good movie, each, to their names, and the Hughes Brothers have moved out of black cinema and into a different genre entirely. There are powerful stories to tell about the black culture, about the black experience, and this pulls no punches, telling what could be a true story as if it WERE the truth, because it IS the truth... uplifting in parts, brutally ugly in others.How proud was I, then, that writer/director Craig Brewer had such an incredible story to tell, and finally, at long last, that culture has a name and a face to do it right in cinema. And then I see an interview with the guy, and he's a middle-aged, bald white cat.Like D. Jay says, man. Everybody gotta have a dream.
kind of a surprise
posted on 17 Jun 2009As a person who listens to all kinds of music I was interested in this film. I was surprised by it. Perhaps I shouldn't have expected it to be anything special. Rap lines like 'it's hard out here for a pimp' don't quality as anything in my book. To me that sounds the same as 'it's hard to be stupid.' I like Run DMC and a few others, who I feel have some artistic credibility, but I think this movie does significant damage to the idea of rap as notable street poetry. I feel this film makes rapers look like they all have their heads on backwards, which I think is not always the case. Coming nowhere near the stinging social commentary of an Ice-T, this film is sly reductionism rather than entertainment or enlightenment. In a world that turns out hundreds of films a year it really should not surprise me that something like this came along. Given enough time just about every point of view gets represented,unfortunately.
Don't waste your time or money
posted on 26 May 2009I saw the movie this week and thought it was absolutely AWFUL !!! The acting be the lead character who payed the role of DJay was atrocious. I have seen better acting in a Christmans play. His accent was unbelievable, I say this because I am born and raised in Memphis. The story plot was like a bite off of the life of Ice-Tea.The lighting was terrible and the rap in it was whack. This movie was worst than WOO with Jada Pickett Smith. It is definitely not a movie to take your kids to see along with you. There is a lot of foul language that just doesn't hustle or flow for the story line. It was almost like watching a high school production. Yes, the movie was low budget, but it was also low quality.
Terrence Howard is phenomenal!
posted on 26 May 2009Incredibly moving, yet definitely not for everyone, Hustle & Flow tells the story of D-Jay, an incredibly conflicted Memphis pimp down on his luck. In one of the most raw and intense performances of recent memory, newcomer Terrence Howard embodies D-Jay with an animal-like ferocity that will help you overcome what few formulaic clichés embody the script. In his mid forties, D-Jay seems too old and far too nice for his profession, and his "hos" seem to take notice. You see, D-Jay represents a lifetime of failed dreams, ambitions, and wrong turns. It seems as if it could all be over, but then fate offers him the opportunity to realize his life-long goal of becoming a successful rap star. D-Jay pours his heart and soul into his music, just as Howard pours his into the performance, and the result is somewhat of a urban Rocky, a true underdog tale. This is perhaps the first hip-hop film to actually get it right, and everything that 8-Mile should have been. Don't let the subject matter keep you from enjoying Howard's brutal tour-de-force.
Great movie - Great performance
posted on 22 May 2009The movie flowed very well. Terrence Howard (D-Jay) gave a very believable performance as a pimp. Taraji Henson (Shug) was also very good. Even though D-Jay was a pimp he had a good heart and even though he was verbally abusive, he did not physically abuse his "ho's". The movie also made you feel like these people were only doing what they had to do in order to survive in the poor area that they were living in and to appreciate the opportunities we have where we are and that we're not there. Because, "except for the Grace of God it could be any of us trying to live the best way we can". I only wish the movie had elaborated on what their life would be like at the end but I guess this way we can have a sequel.
Great story, great acting, as real as it gets.
posted on 22 May 2009I've never been to the South, but I know that this movie represents the reality of it. I've never liked Southern crunk, but know that this movie represents the reality of it. Terrence Howard is an unbelievable actor, and yanks you right into the movie from the first drag of his cigarette, the first words of that opening monologue. The supporting cast is truly unbelievable as well. Everyone involved in this movie must have had a blast. The story is meaty, and if I, as a white kid from Canada, can sink my teeth into it, than probably anyone that sees it will too. It moves at a steady pace, and before you know it, you're laughing, crying, hoping and dreaming along with the characters in the movie. It's a movie about pushing through with your dreams, and does a fantastic job maintaining focus on this theme, without preaching, or losing touch with reality. Get it, watch it, watch it again. I did.
most fun I've ever had in a theatre
posted on 06 May 2009I just saw this flick to a packet house in NYC and the entire audience, myself included was with every frame of this film. Every single beat hits exactly where it is supposed to. Every review I read talks about the music and the acting, but how about how genuinely funny this film is a way that few are?They took the material seriously rather than letting it devolve into schmaltz or comedy. The direction is straight on, no BS, no showy shots. They take their time with each scene.Good story, perfect characters well realized. Witty, crackling dialogue. You can't make this stuff up. And comparing this to 8 mile is like comparing dogshit to gold.A deeply flawed protagonist who is able to reach into himself and transform himself through the power of art, larger themes involve the disillusion with fame, consumer culture.This is everything a film is supposed to be. If it makes you feel good to knock this film, then you are a snob. If you think can make a better movie than this, then go ahead!People who love movies love this film. This is what film is about.
Disgusting
posted on 12 Apr 2009This is just brilliant, we'll take a person who is part of the lower dredges of society who sells flesh for a living and make him seem like a hero. Does anyone else see the sick irony of this?? Oh, he's a pimp, but he's really a good guy deep down inside. Give me a break! Why should we glorify the lifestyle of a pimp? A lifestyle that leads to other terrible afflictions on society, drug abuse, abuse against women, and adultery. Have we really stooped so low that a story of a PIMP- a man who whores women out- becoming a rap star is supposed to be uplifting and a feel good story?? This is the same as the movies about serial killers that attempt to make the audience feel sympathy for the cold blooded killers on the screen. I can just hear the arguments now, 'well if you just understood where these people came from you would know how they fall into these terrible lifestyles.' I don't buy it, if he is so passionate about making music why didn't he from the beginning? I'll tell you why, pimping was an easier way to make money and a quick fix is always the road many people take when faced with hardship. Pimps and gangsters are just artists waiting to bloom? I guess all of the hard working people in school and at their jobs are just not interesting enough. I'm glad that kids get the message that pimps and gangsters have such cool lives and that no matter what if you just follow your heart you can redeem yourself blah blah blah. This crap makes me want to puke.
Possibly the best film of the year
posted on 12 Apr 2009About 30 minutes into Hustle and Flow, not only did I think Terrence Howard had already earned his Oscar nomination, but had already won it. In DJay, he creates a very deep and layered character capable of brutal violence and unexpected moments of compassion at times. But mostly, he's just a real guy caught up in unreal businesses pursuing a dream.While Howard absolutely owns this film, the film is made great by the supporting cast that surrounds DJay, especially the women. In what is a very weak field of Supporting Actresses, both Taryn Manning (Nola) and Taraji Henson (Shug) would have been very worthy nominees this year. It is through these women (and the performances of the actresses) that we are able to see the gentler side of DJay. The moment where Shug tells DJay how much singing on the demo tape meant to her was one of the films best moments. As was the exchange between DJay and Nola as he's being arrested. Another great sequence happens when Key's wife Yevette (Elise Neal) gives up trying to fight her husbands dream and instead brings over the sandwiches. Every character in this film is deep and makes you care about them.I thought that, towards the end of the third act, when things take a turn for the worse between DJay and Skinny Black, that the film briefly spiraled out of control and got a little away from itself. Thankfully, it reeled itself back in pretty quickly once DJay was in prison. Maybe the three minutes or so of brutal violence and gunshots could have been replaced with a different way of DJay being incarcerated.Terrence Howard hooked me from the beginning and his performance didn't let me go until it was over. I was very much on the edge of my seat the whole time in a film that doesn't have much edge of your seat action. Hustle and Flow is frequently funny, dramatic, moving, shocking and sometimes all of them. And it's moral is that it's OK to have a dream and pursue it. And it doesn't do it in a hokey way. Unforgettable and possibly the best film of 2005.
Impressive Film
posted on 06 Apr 2009This film left me satisfied. I think Terrance Howard showed off his acting style and to me was at the top of his game. I've always admired him on camera - the quiet, yet intense persona, like a man who has seen life hard and this part has endeared me to him for some time to come. I liked this film so much; I can't believe I was rooting for a pimp to succeed in his endeavor! The movie was gritty, sweaty and very entertaining.Every actor in this film was a delight to watch on screen. In addition, the soundtrack was "bumping" and I left the theater with the music running through my head and I don't even like rap! Gotta go find the soundtrack - hope it's as good as the movie! Excellent film...go see it! Two thumbs way up!
Good movie. Not great, but definitely good.
posted on 06 Apr 2009I saw "Hustle & Flow" yesterday at the Los Angeles Film Festival.The movie's plot and feel are similar to "8 Mile." A gritty underdog story about a lower class guy with one shot at making it as a rap star.But instead of Eminem, we get Terrence Howard as DJay, a Memphis Pimp. Howard is very good in this movie. He's very believable as a dirty, foul-mouthed chain-smoking hustler. His accent is serviceable enough for you to suspend your disbelief. And he is at times scary, funny, and sympathetic as he goes through his "mid-life crisis" and tries to live his dream.In fact, the believability is one of the main strengths of the movie. The hoes are all overly made-up, potty-mouthed, or appropriately nasty for you to believe them. Anthony Anderson does a good job as a church-goer trying to mix it up with a friend who took a different life path.While the audience generally laughed their heads off (I found some scenes funny but not all), the best parts of the movie were easily the sequences where DJay and his friends create their music. You get to see Shelby, a skinny white guy, surprise DJay (and the crowd), by creating a tight beat to match DJay and Anderson's "Whup That Trick" chant. Later, a ho sings the hook on one of his songs, and they turn it into a catchy track. The audience really got going in these parts, and the songs will stick in your head.But the movie definitely has weaknesses as well. There is some inspired humor in it, but a lot of the jokes are stale and lazy. How many movies have we seen that try to wring laughs out of a white guy acting black? Ten thousand? Add this to the pile. If you're one of those people who laughs at that type of thing every single time you see it, expect to laugh more here. But if you're sick of it, like I am, you'll be rolling your eyes. Other than that, while it's funny, there's nothing that will really rock your world in terms of original or snappy humor.The story as a whole is also fairly pedestrian. It's one of those movies that wants to use an original setting and characters, but plugs it all into a run-of-the-mill plot. The dialogue was somewhat flat and average. It definitely felt like a "Festival-quality" film instead of a high-quality studio release.But with that being said, the plot functions well-enough, and the ending is a clever double-reverse of sorts. Overall, it was a crowd-pleaser. And I got my money's worth, which is more than you can say for a lot of indie films.A good movie. Not great, but definitely good.
Very weak and not a good effort
posted on 02 Apr 2009I really didn't like this film after watching it and I had low expectations when I saw the TV ad and poster and I was shocked to see a minor Academy award nomination but honestly I thought Hustle & Flow was a no brainer rap movie. Directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton it's basically for the teenage boys and the wiggers who find all that nonsense cool. The problem is that it never makes rap music look cool and the song with hookline "hard out there for a pimp" is embarrassing to the point of annoyance. The storytelling is fast and it never has too much time with the material it's given like the pregnant girl or the hooker. The semintality is hardly believable and the corny lines are flat out poor. Terrence Howard lets himself down as the good actor he is with a flat character and sadly bags an Oscar nomination for his shameful performance, He's a million times better in "Dead Presidents" and "Get Rich or Die Trying'", Anderson, Henson and Manning are okay and Ludicrous just plays himself. Hustle & Flow is a bad effort of a film which tries to be smart and gets gutted for it's weak characters and storytelling.
idiots, bootlegs, and a good flick
posted on 31 Mar 2009Okay I went to see this movie and had the hardest time finding the movie theaters! I'm from Indianapolis and think that I know the city pretty well cause I've lived here my whole life, but I couldn't even find the theaters on my side of town! Then when I finally found the dang on place everybody in there made a comment about how they never even knew there was a movie theaters at that location! What does that say! Why did they play this wonderful movie in the butt-crack of nowhere! I thought that after a week of being out and seeing how well the movie was doing the other more popular theaters in Indianapolis would acquire the movie. NOPE! Flippin idiots! Then not three days after the movie came out I was at someones house and what did I see, the bootleg! This was not those crappy bootlegs either it was one that said "Propety of paramount pictures" across the bottom! I asked when this person got the movie and how much it cost. He got it the day it opened for $10 and had been showing it at his house all weekend! I was like go to the theaters support the movie and he said it costs too much! Flippin idiots! With all that said this movie was great! I loved it and I've gone to see it twice! I felt this was not just about rapping this is about everything. For someone who as seen life go drastically wrong like myself this movie will strike a cord. I don't want to be a rapper like DJay, but like DJay I want to be something greater than what I've become. For all who feel that way you will love this movie. This movie is not about pimps and their Ho's it's about seeing that even if you've been doing something for a long time and you're used to it, doesn't mean you are stuck for life. Change is good. DJays opportunity knocked and he answered, if it happened for a pimp then it could happen for that guy at McDonalds too. You know what I mean?
"Hustle and Flow"
posted on 24 Aug 2009I was apprehensive about seeing this movie but to my surprise I really enjoyed the movie. I had initially planned to see "Crash" but we missed the showing so we decided to see "Hustle and Flow and I am really glad that I did. I am very critical about movies that I see. Lately most movies that are released are disappointing. I thought Hustle and Flow was a breath of fresh air. I liked the theme of the movie about everyone having a dream despite their circumstances. Terrance Howard did an excellent job with this role. His southern accent and rapping skills were superb. Taraji Henson also pushed out a wonderful performance. I would advise everyone to go see this movie. Please go see this! It's worth it.