Hustle & Flow (2005)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Craig Brewer

Writer (WGA):

Craig Brewer (written by)

Release Date:

22 July 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Everybody gotta have a dream.

Plot:

With help from his friends, a Memphis pimp in a mid-life crisis attempts to become a successful hip-hop emcee.

Plot Keywords:

Hip Hop | Pimp | Stripper | Prostitute | Murder

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 17 wins & 34 nominations

Cast

Terrence Howard	...	Djay
Anthony Anderson	...	Key
Taryn Manning	...	Nola
Taraji P. Henson	...	Shug
DJ Qualls	...	Shelby (as D.J. Qualls)
Ludacris	...	Skinny Black
Paula Jai Parker	...	Lexus
Elise Neal	...	Yevette
Isaac Hayes	...	Arnel
Jordan Houston	...	Tigga (as Juicy J)
William Engram	...	Slobs (as William 'Poon' Engram)
Bobby Sandimanie	...	Yellow Jacket (as Bobby 'I-20' Sandimanie)
Haystak	...	Mickey
Claude Phillips	...	Harold
Josey Scott	...	Elroy

MPAA:

Rated R for sex and drug content, pervasive language and some violence.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:16 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:M18 | Finland:K-15 (VHS rating) (2006) | Australia:M | Iceland:16 | Brazil:18 | Argentina:16 | Sweden:7 | Canada:14A | USA:R (certificate #41196) | Malaysia:(Banned) | South Korea:15 | Japan:PG-12 | UK:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Crunk Pictures

Trivia:

There are numerous references to Memphis-based musicians in the film: The character of Shelby was named after Shelby Bryant, a singer-songwriter from Memphis. In one scene, Shelby is wearing a T-shirt with the logo of Sam Phillips's Memphis Recording Service studio. In another scene, Shelby wears a T-shirt of Lucero, a local country-rock band. Many of the studio musicians who played for Stax Records, the legendary Memphis-based record label, play on the original score. Isaac Hayes, who plays Arnel, recorded for Stax Records. The cover of the 1974 Stax album "Victim of the Joke?" by Memphian David Porter is stapled to DJay's work table. Otis Redding, who also recorded for Stax Records, is mentioned in one scene. Al Green's song "Jesus is Waiting" is heard during one scene. Memphis native Josey Scott of the band Saliva, appears as a store owner. Members of the popular rap group Three 6 Mafia appear in the film. Paul Beauregard plays DJay's neighbor and Jordan Houston plays Skinny Black's brother. Haystak, Free Sol and Al Kapone are local rappers who appear in the film.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: As Key (Anthony Anderson) visits DJay (Terrence Howard) in jail, DJay's mouth movements reflected on the glass partition do not match the words that he is saying.

Quotes:

Key: There are two types of people: those that talk the talk and those that walk the walk. People who walk the walk sometimes talk the talk but most times they don't talk at all, 'cause they walkin'. Now, people who talk the talk, when it comes time for them to walk the walk, you know what they do? They talk people like me into walkin' for them.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I Choose You

A Fantastic film... but not for everyone.

As a member of the Hollywood community, I was blown away by this film... By the tight screenplay, the professional direction, and the phenomenal acting. In my opinion, I think this is one of the best films of the year so far.

With that said, it is not a film for children. It is not a film meant to portray ideal role models for children. It IS a film meant to realistically depict the lives of people who live at the very bottom of America's socioeconomic ladder.

If you find yourself unable to reserve judgment against people born into a life so vastly different than your own, you will probably not like this film. In order to appreciate it, you have to be able to see past the moral and ethical ambiguities of these characters.

So if anyone feels unsure whether they can handle the ugliness of this type of world, but still feels curious enough to see it, take a cue from the Anthropologists...

When studying a culture vastly different than your own, make sure to leave the rights and wrongs of your society at home. Because once you impose the moral judgment and ethical standards of your world upon another's, you've sacrificed your objectivity. And by doing so, miss the very point of empathy.